In this C-SPAN presentation, University of Mary Washington Professor (and SCA member) Christine Henry talks about the history of roadside attractions and her own experience traveling to a freshwater pond in Ohio called the Blue Hole.

By Mike Carsten – Historic preservation is vital to residents of Fredericksburg, Texas. Although there are many memorable places for commercial archeologists, here are my five faves.

This fascinating reading list, a mixture of academic journals, books, and newspaper articles curated by SCA board members Kimberly Ellis and Irene Lule, introduces us to a range of work on the related topics of race, architecture, and travel.

FULL ARTICLE by Elsa Court – The increase in the urban population combined with the stagnation of wages in the service industry have made it more likely for middle-class households resort to using budget motel rooms as semi-permanent accommodation.

By Douglas Towne – Las Vegas knows how to throw a party like no other. But no matter how cutting-edge Sin City soirees are today, there's no competing with the fiery bashes the city held in the 1950s.

In 2005, we published a short book review of Boring Postcards, by photographer Martin Parr. The original review is reposted here. But before taking the short trip back, it would be worth your time to take detour into Parr’s full oeuvre.

As part of our commitment to exploration of the scholarly history of the American roadside as it relates to issues of race, class and gender, we proudly present this Q&A with Alison Isenberg, author of Downtown America.

From the Q&A: Downtown America was once the vibrant urban center romanticized in the Petula Clark song — a place where the lights were brighter, where people went to spend their money and forget their worries. But in the second half of the twentieth century, "downtown" became a shadow of its former self, succumbing to economic competition and commercial decline. And the death

The SCA is building a list of academic works focused on the intersection of American culture and the American roadside. To kick things off, we invited Victoria W. Wolcott, Professor of History at the University at Buffalo, SUNY, to answer a few questions about her book, Race, Riots, and Rollercoasters.

From the Q&A: Contradicting the nostalgic image of urban leisure venues as democratic spaces, in Race, Riots, and Rollercoasters, author Victoria Wolcott reveals that racial segregation played a crucial part in their appeal. Wolcott shows how black activists and ordinary people fought such infringements on their right to access public leisure.

FULL ARTICLE By Ronald Ladouceur – The development and promotion of one product more than any other illustrates the power of modern banding both to manipulate and exploit cultural and racial anxieties and promote purchase by otherizing non-buyers.