Inspiring Libraries Across America to Add to Your Road Trip Itineraries and Great Travel Memoirs on National Library Day

Isn’t spring just fantastic? The days are getting longer. The sun is shining brighter. The weather is getting warmer. The roads are finally clear for us to embark on our next big adventure.  If you’re looking for something to spark your imagination when planning a truly unique road trip, let this guide light your way.

Today, we’re taking a moment to appreciate National Library Day by highlighting incredible libraries across the USA!  Any of these amazing, impressive libraries would make a great jumping off point to plan a grand trip and make memories of a lifetime with your friends and loved ones.

Gorgeous and Inspiring Libraries Across America to Add to Your Future Road Trip Itinerary

• Milwaukee’s Central Library
• Stony Island Arts Bank
• The Poetry Foundation Library
• Chicago Public Library Chinatown Branch
• The Central Library in Indiana
• The Central Library in Missouri
• The Beinecke Rare Book and Manuscript Library at Yale
• The Boston Public Library
• George Peabody Library at Johns Hopkins University
• Hearst Castle Library
• The Library of Congress
• Los Angeles Central Library
• New York Public Library
• The Morgan Library and Museum
• The Seattle Public Library
• The Geisel Library

Looking for an inspired list of libraries to explore state by state? Photographer Robert Dawson and his son Walker spent a summer photographing libraries across the country for a special book about American Public Libraries.  Check out their recommendations here.

Visit your Local Library Before Your Next Trip

Bulk up on your summer reading with these wonderful road trip memoirs to check out at the local library or county library:

America Day By Day by Simone De Beauvoir is a wonderful memoir of the French author’s travels across America in 1947.  Going coast to coast from New York to Los Angeles via car, train, and Greyhound bus, she chronicles her adventures and chance encounters with unique individuals.

Flaming Iguanas by Erika Lopez puts a unique spin on the road trip memoir as an illustrated novel!  This is not your mama’s average travel story, though, featuring a colorful cast of characters and chronicled in the author’s quirky, offbeat perspectives on each new adventure!

Catfish and Mandala by Andrew X. Pham is sure to inspire travelers to take a chance and see the world from a new perspective!  Vietnamese born but California-raised, the author sells his worldly possessions and returns to Saigon in the wake of his sister’s passing.  Follow along on his incredibly personal journey as he bicycles across the globe from his home country of Vietnam to the Mexican dessert and even Japan!

A Woman Alone: Travel Tales from Around the World is a collection of stories from solo women travelers as they navigate their way through terrifying, heartbreaking, heartwarming, and hilarious adventures in new countries and cities.

Whatever You Do. Don’t Run: True Tales of a Botswana Safari Guide by Peter Allison is a hilarious collection of essays from his personal life in the African Bush as a safari travel guide.  From goofy tourists to wild animals, there’s plenty of tales to entertain and delight you.

We hope that these unique travel stories inspire you to log your own adventures and travel tales so that you can enjoy the memories for generations to come!

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