How to Find Attractions Along Your Travel Route

How do you find attractions and things to do along your travel route when you’re planning a big road trip or RV trip? There are interesting things to see at all across America and Canada, but if you don’t know where they are, how will you find those fun things to do along your RV or road trip? Want to find the fun unique and quirky places to stop and to experience the quintessential American road trip? Here are the 15 best ways to plan your adventure.

Unless I have to be somewhere, I personally don’t like to drive more than four hours a day and I like to break those days up with stops to small towns, country fairs, farmers markets and of course, nature hikes. But how do I find these fun and interesting places to stop?

The good news is, there are a lot of different apps and websites and other resources that can help you find tourist attractions and roadside attractions like music festivals or places to dig clams. Many of them are free.  Whether you want to see the natural wonders, wildlife, history museums or public art, these are some of the apps, websites and yes books, that I use to help me plan a trip—or just open up on the fly when I’ve pulled over from driving to see what’s around me.

16 Ways to Find Attractions Along Your Travel Route

1. Roadtrippers

Roadtrippers (use this link for $5 off) is the ultimate trip planner. There’s a free version where you can map out a short trip with up to five stops or unlimited stops with the paid version. Roadtrippers makes suggestions of things to do and see along the way. They even have some pre-routed trips, like one inspired by the movie Nomadland.  Roadtrippers Plus members get access to unlimited stops, RV routing, live traffic, offline maps, special deals with no ads.  At $24.99 with my special discount code, even if you take one trip a year, it’s worth it. Enter code BTR5QTP for $5 off!

2. RV Life Trip Wizard

RV Life Trip Wizard is a road trip app made with the RVer in mind. The cool thing about Trip Wizard is you can access it from your laptop, tablet or phone whether online or off. You can even print out your itinerary and export it to your calendar. It has all kind of information especially useful for RVers, including links directly to RV parks and campgrounds and ways for you to favor your camping memberships and of course, points of interest along your route.

3. Autio

Autio is like the perfect combination of your own personal tour guide and audio book all rolled into one. The app recognizes your location and shares stories, history and culture of the places you are driving through. There’s a free and paid version.  You can download content to listen to it later. I love this app because the stories are unique and diverse. You won’t just learn about the text book history. You’ll hear stories like the one I just listened to in Oregon about a radical journalist who covered the early feminist movement.

4. GuideAlong

Planning a specific trip and want a guide to point out the interesting sites along the way? GuideAlong is especially great for National Parks. You download the places you’re going to visit and the guide narrates, just like a tour guide, the things you’re seeing out your window and shares stories and tips from locals. You don’t even need cell signal, they work offline with GPS. Check out GuideAlong, you won’t be disappointed!

5. Visitor Centers

An easy and free resource for finding attractions is state or community visitor centers. Often they’re staffed by volunteers who are eager to tell you their favorite things to do or see in their communities. You’ll also likely find brochures for local attractions, tours and adventures and displays of important information about the community.

6. Only in Your State

Onlyinyourstate.com is a great free resource with articles about different scenic drives, place to visit during different seasons and even creepy places to add to your itinerary. Poking around, I just learned about a beautiful waterfall not far from where I grew up. I’m going to be sure to check it out next time I’m in town.

7. Trip Advisor

Trip Advisor is an all-in-one website where you can find and book hotels, restaurants and things to do along your route. The information is crowd sourced, so you’ll often find the most popular attractions in a specific area and not necessary the off the beaten path adventures.

8. Bring Fido App

Traveling with a dog? The Bring Fido app shows you locations of pet-friendly hotels, dog parks and hikes. A must for anyone who travels with a pet.

9. Roadside America

If you’re looking for quirky places, like the giant possum statue, smiley face water towers or a giant ball of string Roadside America is your website. The design is a bit old school, but you can view oddities on a map or list view and save the ones you want to visit. Super fun!  

10. Books!

In this digital age, books can still be a number one trip planning tool. I found one of my favorite campgrounds I visited from a book about overlooked state parks. Here are a few I recommend:

• Ultimate Road Trips: USA & Canada by my friend Andrew Collins. Andrew and I used to write for the same website years ago. This book will be released in August 2022 and I’m sure there will be something in there for every type of road trip. Andrew is a talented writer and researcher. I’ve pre-ordered my copy!

• Off The Beaten Path. Is a big beautiful book with great photographs. In it you’ll find information about places like the Museum of Minature houses in Carmel, Indiana and the National Cowgirl Hall of Fame in Fort Worth, TX.  

• 50 States, 5000 Ideas is another great colorful book that showcases beautiful destinations, little known facts, road trip ideas and also best movies, books, songs, art and plays about each state.  The companion 50 States, 500 campgrounds is also worth checking out.

11. Talk to Locals

When you’re out and about talk with locals at cafes and campgrounds. Stop in local café, post office or grocery store and ask for tips and advice about where to visit. Who knows better than the people who live there?

12. Campground Hosts and Other Campers

A few years back when I was in Moab, a campground host told me about a nearby hike that was a local’s favorite. In crowded Moab, it was nice to have a hiking trail mostly to myself and best of all, it ended at a sweet swimming hole. Another time, a campground host sent me to a unique sculpture—a field of wild horses out in middle of nowhere. Often they know the best hiking in the area, secluded beaches or off the beaten path cafes with the best berry pie.

13. All Trails App

If hiking is your thing, then the All Trails app is a must for finding places to get out and stretch your legs. When you’re driving along a beautiful stretch and think to yourself, I would love to get out and hike around here. Pull out this app and it will show you the best hikes that are close by.

14. Pinterest

I’m personally not a big Pinterest user, but some people find the visual search engine a great way to find fun and interesting attractions along a route. Simply put a destination in the search bar and look for interesting road trip idea. I just went down a worm hole of things to do and see in Montana.

15. Around Me App

Around Me is a great app for finding coffee shops, gas stations, bars, movie theaters and banks.

16. Be Open!

I often find places to pull of and check out because I saw a sign announcing a state park at this exit or a scenic route ahead. Keep your eyes open and look for interesting things to see and do.

What is your favorite way to find attractions along your travel route? I’d love to hear about places you’ve discovered and how you found them.

Disclosure: This post may contain affiliate links, which means I may get a commission if you decide to make a purchase via my links.