These past couple of weeks I’ve spent a whole bunch of time on the road. My husband and I drove from Minnesota to Tampa, Florida, to watch our son graduate college (yay!) and to bring him home. Two days driving down, two days in Tampa packing his belongings and attending the graduation ceremony, and two days driving home. Then this past weekend, we made another trek—this from Minneapolis to Fargo, North Dakota, only about a 3-1/2 hour drive—to see our youngest graduate college.
Yes, it was a lot of time on the road, but the United States is a beautiful country with diverse landscapes and so much to see, how could we be bored? Between the two trips we drove through Minnesota, Wisconsin, Illinois, Kentucky, Tennessee, Georgia, Florida, and North Dakota, and all had breathtaking vistas.
Sunset over the gulf on St. Pete’s Beach
All that time in the car got me thinking…
Many of the places we traveled through would be perfect settings for a romantic getaway. The mountains in Tennessee, the sandy shores at St. Pete’s Beach. The Superman Museum in Metropolis, Illinois… Well, to some that would be romantic!
The Ozarks in Branson, Missouri definitely welcome romance.
As do the shores of Lake Superior.
And even the plains of North Dakota.
There’s beauty in all of it. Each area a masterpiece crafted by God.
Really, it’s a shame that people fly so much nowadays. You miss the wealth of diversity and beauty this world has to offer. My hope is, now that our home will soon be an empty-nest, that my husband and I will have more time to casually travel around our country and notice—drink-in—the artwork of God. I can’t think of anything more romantic!
Where would you drive for a romantic getaway?
(No flying or helicoptering allowed!)
Brenda S. Anderson writes gritty and authentic, life-affirming fiction. She is a member of the American Christian Fiction Writers (ACFW), and is Past-President of the ACFW Minnesota chapter, MN-NICE, the 2016 Chapter of the Year. When not reading or writing, she enjoys music, theater, roller coasters, and baseball, and she loves watching movies with her family. She lives in the Minneapolis, Minnesota area with her husband of 30 years, their three children, and one sassy cat. Readers can learn more about Brenda S. Anderson at www.brendaandersonbooks.com
Newport, RI. We were there once for our anniversary and it was so much fun.
Hi Brenda! Thanks for your delightful blog. My husband and I enjoy road trips. In our 45 years of marriage we have driven from the Midwest (Chicago & SW Michigan) to California, South Dakota, Florida, Niagara Falls (New York), Washington DC, Virgina, Kentucky, Tennessee and North Carolina. In all we have driven through 26 states and parts of Canada (Niagara Falls and Toronto). We have marveled at the diverse topography of America the Beautiful from the Painted Desert in Arizona or the Joshua trees and redwoods trees in California, to the endless corn and soy fields of South Dakota or the beautiful Smoky Mountains (definitely a favorite romantic drive). Another favorite road trips is Wisconsin’s Great River Road–The Best Drive in the Midwest (250 miles through 33 Mississippi river towns). We prefer taking back roads, not the interstate. Our favorite Friday activity is driving the scenic route along the shores of Lake Michigan with its lighthouses, vineyards, and romantic beaches. Our son was married on a beach in SW Michigan. Have fun exploring the back roads of American, especially the Great River Road. Lots of interesting writing material – enjoyed watching the eagles in one Wisconsin River town and visiting a eagle rescue shelter. Best wishes and stay dry.
Hello! Thank you for sharing and big congrats on the graduates!! When I lived in NJ the place I loved the most to getaway to was the Catskills. I loved the mountains, especially in the fall!
Hi Brenda, congrats on the graduations- very exciting! Our family are keen road trippers- it is quite expensive to fly anywhere in Australia (it was cheaper for us to fly to Fiji than to family in North Queensland!), so we drive a lot! I love driving around the Victorian High Country, the Great Ocean Road, and up to places like Bright or the Grampians. All of these are beautiful and would make a great romantic getaway (we have our young boys with us nowadays). I have very fond memories of hiking, biking, snow skiing or generally exploring these beautiful places- and being thankful to have the resources and opportunities to explore them!!
Blessings:)
Hi Brenda. My husband and I enjoy road trips also. We always take the back roads when possible. we seen to see a lot more and we find it more relaxing to get away from all the traffic.
Sightseeing during a trip really opens us up to a world of things. I love mountains and I’ve passed through the Shenandoah Valley during the fall and it’s absolutely breathtaking to see the change in season.
I’d love to see New England in the fall. We took a train trip from Chicago to San Francisco then flew back. We got to see a lot of scenery without the hassle of driving. A few years later, we flew to Los Angeles then rented a car to drive home to Kentucky. we got to see a lot of the country and the flight shortened the trip so it wasn’t overlong. We also discovered airlines are suspicious of one-way flights and that was before 9/11.
I’ve never flown and don’t want to. I love road trips! I want to go to Surfside Beach, TX. Because it has good shelling. I think we may make the trip this summer and go on down south to visit my husband’s TX family.
How fun it would be to revisit where you spent an anniversary! Yes, that would be romantic. <3
Oh, I love all the adventures you’ve been on! And getting off the interstate is such a smart idea. That’s what my parents used to do. They’d tell us they were going on a road trip, and they’d just drive without planning anything, and they’d avoid the interstates. My dad, being a retired farmer, would stop at farms along the way to chat with farmers. :)
I can’t believe I’ve never taken Wisconsin’s Great River Road. That’s not far from me at all. Just added it to my bucket list.
Oh, I’ll bet the Catskills are breathtaking in the fall! I’d love to see them.
Driving around Australia sounds like a dream! Visiting your beautiful country is on my bucket list, and to see it on a road trip would be divine. Don’t you love God’s artistry?
How smart to take the back roads! You see so much more, and you can take a more relaxed pace while driving.
Sightseeing really does open us to a whole different world! I’ve only seen pictures of the Shenandoah Valley, and it looks beautiful! To see it change during the seasons would definitely be breathtaking. :)
Taking a train would definitely be a fun way to see the country. The problem with driving is that the driver can’t take in everything that the passengers can.
How smart to fly someplace then drive home! (And we’re familiar as well, that airlines are suspicious of one-way travel…)
You’ve never flown? I didn’t know that. But I’m not surprised that you enjoy a good shelling beach. :) I picked up several shells at St. Pete’s Beach last week.
I would love to road trip to a beach.
Our most recent USA road trip was in the fall of 2016, when we drove the length of Idaho north to south, then through Nevada where we visited friends in Reno for a couple of days, then on to Arcata, California, and on the coastal highway to Portland. Then we hurried home from there!
Our favorite place ever is the wild Pacific coast, so we enjoyed that trip nearly as much as road trips to/on Vancouver Island!
Brenda the Great River Road actually goes on both sides of the Mississippi River from New Orleans all the way to Minnesota, where you live. We found it by accident. We planned on visiting Milwaukee in 2011 and it was flooded. The weather was scorching and due to our medications we could not spend too much time outdoors. So when we found the route – north an the west side of the Mississippi River, the leisure speed with lots of look outs was ideal from our air conditioned car. Best discovery and we took the road I to Minnesota. Hope to do it again on the East side of the Mississippi.
Oh, I’ve always wanted to travel the west coast! The pictures I’ve seen look breath stealing! Sounds like a divine road trip, Valerie. :)
We are blessed to live in California, near the coast, so lots of romantic getaways are close to home :-) We also enjoy driving to Lake Tahoe, up in the Sierras. I have a niece who lives there, so we get to visit her too.
I didn’t realize it went all the way to New Orleans! Wow! I would love to make that trip with my husband. <3 Thanks for the info, Renate!
Now beach road trips are the most romantic of all!
Oh, yes, plenty of romantic getaways in California! Someday I’ll make it out there. I know a number of people who have visited Lake Tahoe and they tell me I have to go.
I live in central Florida, only a 2 hour drive either way to get to the beaches on both coast.
I’m a native Floridian and have lived here all my life.
Unfortunately, I’m not at the beach all the time, like most people think.
Don’t I wish.
Wouldn’t that be nice, though, to be at the beach all the time? :) But then, you probably wouldn’t appreciate it as much. I do know that the sunsets at St. Pete’s Beach are incredible!