South African in search of real American food on Spring Road Trip

My South African husband and I (I'm American) are planning a spring roadtrip (starting at the end of May 2007). The planned route is roughly this: NY, DC, Cincinnati, central IL, across the plains to Rocky Mt. National Park, down to the North Rim of the Grand Canyon, Bryce, Zion, Las Vegas, Sedona and Verde Canyon, Petrified Forest AZ, Roswell NM, Carlsbad Caverns, Pecos TX, Forth Worth, Texarkana, Hot Springs AR, Memphis, Nashville, Gettysburg, and back to NY. We'll be taking scenic routes and camping at National Parks all along the way.

There will be plenty of time for side trips and all that, and what I'd like to do is find some excellent American food. You know the type... special roadside diners, the best chili, the best pizza, the best burgers, local specialties, and so on. We want to avoid the chains and locate places with character. We'd also like to stay on the low end, price wise.

Any suggestions?? .

Greetings, jemimajane, and welcome to the forums!

You might check out this page on this website that gives you many links to websites that focus on diners and other cool places to eat. I'm sure you'll get lots of ideas there.

And I'm sure some of the posters here that are familiar with the area you're traveling will jump in with their own suggestions.

Happy trails!

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Originally Posted by jemimajane

The planned route is roughly this: NY, DC, Cincinnati, central IL, across the plains to Rocky Mt. National Park, down to the North Rim of the Grand Canyon, Bryce, Zion, Las Vegas, Sedona and Verde Canyon, Petrified Forest AZ, Roswell NM, Carlsbad Caverns, Pecos TX, Forth Worth, Texarkana, Hot Springs AR, Memphis, Nashville, Gettysburg, and back to NY.

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This is the type of roadtrip we call The Quest, there are forms of the quest and this is one I would enjoy. One of our long-term contributors undertook one such quest in search of the perfect slice of pie in each state.

Since this trip plan has the potential of passage of time -- I am sure we will add to this as time progresses. But here are a couple of entries: The 2nd best margarita in the world in St. Charles, MO {I learned today that Bob is no longer serving those drink upstairs in the wine cellar -- he has moved to Arizona -- but the place is still work a stop!}; Most suprising menu in Cornville, AZ; Best stromoboli in Temecula, CA; Best & Least Expense Corditas in the World can be found in a former Baptist Church in Las Cruces, NM at Nopalito's Restaurant. More when my hunger pangs subside!

Mark

What a great sounding trip! Just in case you don't have alot of firm places to eat in mind by the time you've gotten underway, I've usually found it fun just to pull into whatever place looks interesting. You'll know the places when you see them, i.e. if you like rustic looking diners, those places will be easy enough to spot. Also, you'll probably encounter a wealth of fellow travelers along the way who'll provide plenty of good tips as well. And of course, let's not forget the locals...

I sometimes get into a town, usually well off the highway, and then look for non-chain restaurants that have full parking lots. These are often the favorites of locals and usually have pretty good food.