The Automobile Opens the Map
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As automobiles became more dependable and roads improved, Americans gained a new freedom: the ability to travel long distances on their own schedules.
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Motels, Diners and Roadside America
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Businesses developed to serve motorists. Motels, gas stations, diners, tourist attractions and roadside signs became familiar parts of the American landscape.
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Travel Becomes Part of Everyday Life
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Road trips changed how families vacationed and how people thought about distance. The automobile turned many places that once seemed remote into destinations that could be reached in a day or two.
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Source & Rights
National Museum of American History — Crossing the Country
https://americanhistory.si.edu/explore/exhibitions/america-on-the-move/online/crossing-country
Use: Research and factual verification of early American automobile travel and the development of long-distance road travel.
National Museum of American History — Roadside Communities
https://www.americanhistory.si.edu/explore/exhibitions/america-on-the-move/online/roadside-communities
Use: Research and factual verification of roadside businesses, tourist cabins and motels.
Rights: Sources are used for research and factual verification. Article text is original and not reproduced from the sources.