Stops on the road.

The U.S. is full of great road trip routes, and being in a touring band, we get to cover a lot of them… here are some of my personal favorite stops that we’ve made over the years (and, in many cases, make sure to visit every time we’re in the area):

The World’s Largest Truckstop – Walcott, Iowa (Map, Website)
Located on the north side of I-80 between Iowa City and Davenport, this is a required stop for SoundRabbit on tour. Excellent people watching, excellent souvenir provisioning, excellent t-shirt gathering. There’s an all-you-can-eat hot buffet for breakfast and lunch (but they kick you out in between, so no double-mealing), and a full video library with DVD’s for purchase. Samurai swords, ninja throwing stars, crystal horses, power animal t-shirts, kids’ toys, a variety of pins and patches, and much, much more crowd the shelves. They also have a truck wash, a dog wash, a dentist, and a standard food court.

Beardslee Castle – Little Falls, New York (Map, Website)
This place is crazy… an eccentric wealthy guy decides to build a castle (legit – medieval style) as a home in upstate New York, and now it’s a restaurant and event center (weddings, etc.). The property is gorgeous, and the food is off-the-charts good. We were driving through upstate in 2008 on tour and had a last minute cancellation of a gig, so we jumped online in the van and started searching for venues on our route, to see if we could join a bill for the night. We ended up finding the Castle, called them, and they invited us to play there that night in the bar. We had no idea what to expect. We got there and found the place to be incredibly awesome. The people were super nice, they gave us a gourmet dinner of steak tips, baked potatoes, grilled asparagus, beer and wine, etc., and the bar was super cool – it’s in the basement of the castle, in a grotto-like series of stone rooms, and there was a great crowd of locals and staff. Call to check on their hours, as I think they might vary seasonally…

Cafe Europa – Willoughby, Ohio (Map, Website)
Located off of I-90 just East of Cleveland, Ohio, Cafe Europa has some of the best homestyle European food we’ve found on the road (and, really, anywhere outside of Europe). If you happen to stop in, be sure to tell John, the owner, that you’re a friend of SoundRabbit from Colorado. He’ll very likely start rocking Tree Trunk Airplanes on the stereo system in the restaurant by the time you’re starting your appetizers. We stopped at this exit for gas maybe 3 or 4 years ago and happened to see the restaurant across the plaza. It was lunchtime, so we stopped in. John greeted us, took our orders, and proceeded to give us gigantic helpings of goulash and warm buttered bread, sitting down with us at the table to visit during the meal. He asked about the band, asked for a CD, and was all around great company. The food is incredible – you’ll notice right away the glass windows under the counter, with all kinds of fresh-made pastries and desserts, pastas, etc. He’s also got a wide variety of beers, import sodas, and wines. We ate and visited for an hour or so, and as we were getting in the van in the parking lot, we heard Tree Trunk playing through the sound system. We’ve been in several times since, and he knows us as soon as we come in, puts on the CD, and gives us some awesome fresh cooked food.

Blanc Burgers – Kansas City, Missouri (Map, Website)
We played a show in Kansas City a few years ago and the techs recommended we walk around the corner to Blanc for dinner before the show. We were very, very glad we did. The kobe beef burgers are unreal, and the manager on duty that night gave us the lowdown on the proper “pairings” of burgers with wines, beers, and cocktails. Sounds silly for a burger place, but this is no normal burger place… nor is it cheap. These are gourmet burgers with a price tag around $15-$20 (when we were there), and the seasonings and sauces are over the top delicious. They serve french fries in little shopping carts, and the fries are awesome. The ambiance of the place is cool, uber modern (all white, sparse), and the staff were great. Highly recommended for a splurge road trip stop or a date night if you’re in town with your better half.

The Machine Shed – Urbandale, Iowa (Map, Website)
Breakfast, breakfast, breakfast. French toast, hot cocoa, eggs, bacon, omelets, sausages, you name it… just outside of Des Moines, this place is right on the interstate, so you can get in, get out, and get on the road quickly, or if you’ve got time to kill, you can stroll next door to the Living History Farm and learn about the early days of Iowa.

Prairie Dog Town – Oakley, Kansas (Map, Website)
File this one under “kitch” for sure. Located on the south side of I-70 in western Kansas, this place is tacked on to a gas station, not much else to stop at the exit for. We happened to stop here once and couldn’t resist the giant “Prairie Dog Town” and “See The World’s Largest Prairie Dog” signs. There’s a gift shop with all kinds of cheesy (awesome) t-shirts, postcards, etc., and then you have to pay $8 to go beyond the ‘gate’ to see the real stuff. Beers and I were the only ones compelled to do so, and without too many spoilers, suffice it to say that we say a pit of snakes, a two-headed sheep, a five-legged cow, a six-legged cow, and a ton of prairie dogs running practically across our shoes. Yes, yes, they can carry bubonic plague, but that’s not important. When you’re in the middle of Kansas and in need of a walk to stretch the legs, Prairie Dog Town is your best option. Any port in a storm. And if you’re lucky, you’ll meet the owner, Larry. Strike up a conversation with him if he’s there and you have time.