Vintage photos show what cross-country road trips looked like in the 1960s

Caroline FoxJul 30, 2024, 02:41 IST

Cars pulled up to the parking lot in front of Mount Rushmore in the 1960s.A.C. Shelton/ClassicStock/Getty Images

American families loaded up their station wagons and hit the road in the mid-20th century.
Families explored the US as the country was changing, exposing them to different ways of living.

With the cross-country interstate materializing, automobiles on the rise, a booming economy, and a growing travel bug, families loaded up their station wagons and hit the road in the mid-20th century.

Road tripping in the '60s and '70s was popular and affordable, and for most, these cross-country vacations were the first time families were experiencing life outside of their own towns.

Richard Ratay, author of "Don't Make Me Pull Over! An Informal History of the Family Road Trip," told Business Insider he remembers his family pulling into a roadside motel filled with other families from all across the country. Many Americans grew up road tripping, and the shared experience is something Americans still bond over today.

Since it's the best time of year for a road trip, here is a look back at Americans hitting the road, ready for family-bonding, exploration, and plenty of mishaps along the way.

In the early 1960s, Americans realized the relative ease and low cost of cross-country road trips, and started to pile into their cars.

The signature camper getting loaded up with endless supplies.H. Armstrong Roberts/ClassicStock/Getty Images

Amid the post-war economic boom, middle-class families had a new sense of disposable income.

Families could spend a little more on camping gear and road trip games to keep the kids entertained.Reg Lancaster/Express/Getty Images

With money to spend and the growth of the auto industry, Americans hit the road.

The open road promised new opportunities.H. Armstrong Roberts/ClassicStock via Getty Images

The interstate's debut promised open roads with far less traffic than we see today.

A bus headed toward the countryside on the open road.Smith Collection/Gado/Getty Images

If families needed advice on where to start, a strategic partnership between car manufacturers and cities created advertisements to lure families for a visit.

A postcard featuring Corn Palace in Mitchell, South Dakota.David Fox/Insider

Roadside attractions were built to lure families to new places, even if it meant abandoning your route to spend an afternoon climbing into the body of a giant Brontosaurus.

The Cabazon Dinosaurs in Cabazon, California.Found Image Holdings/Corbis via Getty Images

Roadside attractions were built to lure families to new places, even if it meant abandoning your route to spend an afternoon climbing into the body of a giant Brontosaurus.

Families carefully followed their AAA TripTik maps to find the roadside attractions and outlooks.

Cars pulled up to the parking lot in front of Mount Rushmore in the 1960s.A.C. Shelton/ClassicStock/Getty Images

On their road trips, some Americans would camp, opening them up to a new world of hiking trails, water sports, campfire cooking, and lots of Jiffy Pop.

Families set up camp at the Franklin Lake Campground of Nicolet National Forest in Wisconsin.CORBIS/Corbis via Getty Images

In order to haul around all the extra gear, and for somewhere to sleep, families often attached campers to their cars.

A family set up some chairs outside their pop-up camper.H. Armstrong Roberts/ClassicStock/Getty Images

Sometimes, families would leave the car and camper behind for the day and hit the road on bikes.

A mother and her daughters pulled off to enjoy some packed snacks.Smith Collection/Gado/Getty Images

For those still wanting to avoid the great outdoors, motels were an easy, right-off-the-road spot to spend the night.

A family played shuffleboard at the Seacomber Motel in Atlantic City.Eric Bard/Corbis via Getty Images

Kids who were lucky to pull in early enough would head to the motel pool.

Families mingled as their kids soaked up the sun at the Acra Manor Motel in New York.Aladdin Color Inc/Getty Images

Not all motels were on the side of the road. Others looked more like summer camps, where families could bond over activities before continuing on their way.

Families went boating on Lake George at the Flamingo Marathon Motel.Eric Bard/Corbis via Getty Images

To keep the kids entertained, families could play mini golf or shuffleboard.

A mother watched her son focusing on putting a hole in one.Eric Bard/Corbis via Getty Images

Some motels even had game rooms, where families would team up against others.

In the game room of the Thunderbird Motel, two men played a game of ping pong, while around them, several groups of people played card games.Aladdin Color Inc/Getty Images

But games weren't confined to motel rooms. After packing up the car and getting back on the road, it was time for the road-trip games to begin.

Activity books kept the kids happy on road trips.David Kennedy/Getty Images

Lost families would turn into rest stops to ask for help getting back to their routes.

A couple stopped to ask an attendant for help with their route.Camerique/ClassicStock/Getty Images

In many ways, road trips were golden opportunities for Americans to learn about their own country outside of history books or movies.

Driving through New Orleans.Kirn Vintage Stock/Corbis via Getty Images

But road-tripping in the '60s, a time of segregation, was not as easy if you were African American.

A segregated beach made roadside stops not easily accessible to people of color.Hulton-Deutsch Collection/CORBIS/Corbis via Getty Images

The "Negro Motorist's Green Book" was published in the 1930s for African Americans on the road, noting safe places for them to stop, grab a bite to eat, or spend the night.

A rest stop that welcomed African Americans in Fayette County, Pennsylvania.Walter Sanders/The LIFE Picture Collection via Getty Images

The "Negro Motorist's Green Book" was published in the 1930s for African Americans on the road, noting safe places for them to stop, grab a bite to eat, or spend the night.

Without a doubt, cross-country road trips played a central role in shaping Americans' brave, determined spirit.

A family got comfortable after setting up a picnic dinner and popping the camper up.Popperfoto/Getty Images

Road trips not only gave Americans a deeper understanding of their country, but they also created new adventures that families would bond over for a lifetime.

A big family photo before the trip begins.Smith Collection/Gado/Getty Images

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Vintage photos show what cross-country road trips looked like in the 1960s

In the early 1960s, Americans realized the relative ease and low cost of cross-country road trips, and started to pile into their cars.

Amid the post-war economic boom, middle-class families had a new sense of disposable income.

With money to spend and the growth of the auto industry, Americans hit the road.

The interstate's debut promised open roads with far less traffic than we see today.

If families needed advice on where to start, a strategic partnership between car manufacturers and cities created advertisements to lure families for a visit.

Roadside attractions were built to lure families to new places, even if it meant abandoning your route to spend an afternoon climbing into the body of a giant Brontosaurus.

Families carefully followed their AAA TripTik maps to find the roadside attractions and outlooks.

On their road trips, some Americans would camp, opening them up to a new world of hiking trails, water sports, campfire cooking, and lots of Jiffy Pop.

In order to haul around all the extra gear, and for somewhere to sleep, families often attached campers to their cars.

Sometimes, families would leave the car and camper behind for the day and hit the road on bikes.

For those still wanting to avoid the great outdoors, motels were an easy, right-off-the-road spot to spend the night.

Kids who were lucky to pull in early enough would head to the motel pool.

Not all motels were on the side of the road. Others looked more like summer camps, where families could bond over activities before continuing on their way.

To keep the kids entertained, families could play mini golf or shuffleboard.

Some motels even had game rooms, where families would team up against others.

But games weren't confined to motel rooms. After packing up the car and getting back on the road, it was time for the road-trip games to begin.

Lost families would turn into rest stops to ask for help getting back to their routes.

In many ways, road trips were golden opportunities for Americans to learn about their own country outside of history books or movies.

But road-tripping in the '60s, a time of segregation, was not as easy if you were African American.

The "Negro Motorist's Green Book" was published in the 1930s for African Americans on the road, noting safe places for them to stop, grab a bite to eat, or spend the night.

Without a doubt, cross-country road trips played a central role in shaping Americans' brave, determined spirit.

Road trips not only gave Americans a deeper understanding of their country, but they also created new adventures that families would bond over for a lifetime.