See America

The Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum

Early in the morning of March 18, 1990, two thieves disguised as police officers robbed a Boston museum of thirteen works worth some $500 million – the greatest known property theft in history. Among the works was The Concert, one of only 34 known by Johannes Vermeer and thought to be the most valuable unrecovered painting at over $200 million. And The Storm on the Sea of Galilee, Rembrandt's only known seascape.

The story of the theft and its subsequent investigation is told in a thrilling new docuseries on Netflix. The unsolved heist is an epic tale, but it's not the subject of today's episode. Today, we're talking about the Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum itself, still one of the best museums in the world.

The PEZ Museum

PEZ. Known for its collectible dispensers depicting thousands of beloved characters and for its fruity brick-like candies, the brand has solidified its place in United States pop culture. From stocking stuffers to Easter baskets, PEZ is a nostalgic staple constantly innovating its appeal to kids and collectors alike. Nestled in Orange, Connecticut, with over 4,000 square feet of PEZ collecting goodness, one Museum offers a peek into all things PEZ.

Chicago's Museum Campus

If you’re looking for places to visit that are visually and audibly stunning, spark the imagination, are in close proximity, appeal to the whole family, and are educational to boot, one of the best and most unique ideas is Chicago’s own Museum Campus, located on the shores of Lake Michigan, a short distance from downtown. While two components of the Museum Campus include the historic Soldier Field football and soccer stadium (home of the Chicago Bears) and the gigantic McCormick Place convention center, it’s also home to three of the city’s most famous and beloved attractions: the Shedd Aquarium, the Adler Planetarium, and the Field Museum of Natural History.

The Heidelberg Project

Artist Tyree Guyton is on a mission to rehabilitate the image of his community through art. Discarded stuffed animals cling to a boat like barnacles, an old, bright pink hummer shell protrudes from the ground, colorful polka dots decorate an old two-story house and painted numbers ornament another. Tyree has transformed his city block and his community into the third most visited cultural site in Detroit.

This week on the See America Podcast, The Heidelberg Project.

The Georgia Peach Festival

Many popular tourist destinations owe a large part of their identity to a singular aspect of their culture. In France, locals will introduce you to the joys of any one of their thousand distinct cheeses, while thoughts of Brazil might bring to mind their stunning beaches.

You know that if you visit Arizona that one way or another, you’ll probably catch a glimpse of the Grand Canyon.

If your travels bring you to the great state of Georgia, at some point, unless you take great pains not to do so, you will eat peaches.

This week, the Georgia Peach Festival.

Meow Wolf

What is a “Meow Wolf”? Some have said it's a “psychedelic funhouse.” Some liken it to “Burning Man,” the outdoor music festival. Others say it’s an “intergalactic, interdimensional travel agency.” While most have no idea what we’re talking about. 

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Photo: Rusty Blazenhoff. 

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The Kennedy Space Center

Space Travel is starting to change dramatically, but the history of space travel is one of the most incredible pieces of America's story, and few places can it be better felt than in Cape Canaveral.

I'm Jason Epperson, and this is the See America Podcast. From coast to coast, we See America one mile at a time, discovering stops along the way that are eclectic, historic, ridiculous, breathtaking, inspiring, and humbling.

This week, the Kennedy Space Center. 

Lookout Mountain

In the southwestern corner of Tennessee, a mountain towers over the city of Chattanooga, at its peak, it's rumored that you can see 7 states. This destination is certainly one borne of natural beauty and history, but the dawn of auto tourism led it down a similar path as the Niagra Falls - commercial kitsch, with See Rock City signs plastering that 7-state region. That's ok, that nostalgia is historic now, 90 years later. 

This week, Chattanooga's Lookout Mountain. 

The Best Places in America to Pee

See America is back! We're kicking off season 7 with a fun roundup of some of the most interesting and amazing bathrooms in America, along with the best places to stop when you have to do your business on a road trip!

The Nashville Parthenon

This week, we are adding to our ever-growing list of episodes highlighting international landmark replicas that dot the American landscape with a road trip to the iconic Parthenon, located not in Athens...but in Nashville, Tennessee.