Rand McNally publishes retrospective on the ‘Great American Road Trip’

The Open Road Gift Set includes The Open Road retrospective of the American Road Trip, a Rand McNally Mid-sized Road Atlas, a decorative Wall Map, and gift box.
 The Open Road celebrates the legends, lore, songs and stories that have shaped the American open road
The Open Road celebrates the legends, lore, songs and stories that have shaped the American open road

Rand McNally has released a limited edition boxed gift set about the Great American Roadtrip.

The Open Road: Rand McNally and the Story of the Great American Road Trip is a nostalgic journey through transportation milestones, auto innovations, and roadside iconography – with some modern-day tools to help plan and memorialize the family road trip.

The set contains a 32-page book, The Open Road, giving an overview of motorists, road-side Americana, and the birth of the road trip. It also includes an up-to-date mid-size Road Atlas; an attractive, ready-to-frame wall map poster with the U.S. road network; and a gift box to hold the items.

The Open Road book chronicles the origin of the U.S. highway numbering system, the development of roadside services (“filling” stations, drive-in diners, inns and more) to support the growing number of road-trippers and the development of the Recreational Vehicle (RV) lifestyle. From the first cross-country trips of the 1900s to the Mid-Century “Golden Age” through to the high-tech road-culture of the 21st-century, this book takes the reader on a journey that spans generations of road trips.

Among other tidbits, the book explores:

  • How the drive between New York and San Francisco was reduced from 63 days to less than 7;
  • How the family car evolved from the Model T to the SUV;
  • When the so-called Tin Can Tourists become intrepid RVers;
  • Why a depot hack would be on the lookout for a Sterling Streamliner;
  • What makes U.S. Patent 1909537 so entertaining;
  • And, who was the Uniroyal Lady?

The set is available at select Walmart and Books-A-Million locations as well as online at randmcnally.com and on Amazon for a suggested price of $14.99.

Cadillac Ranch, Route 66 west of Amarillo, Texas. Courtesy Library of Congress
Cadillac Ranch, Route 66 west of Amarillo, Texas. Courtesy Library of Congress
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