See America

It's surely not a stretch for me to say that most people imagine that all the stunning major hotels in the US are in popular tourist destinations. But what if we told you one that has been called the 8th wonder of the world—an architectural marvel with nearly 250 exquisitely appointed suites, a world-class spa, 45 holes of championship golf, and an atrium dome that was once the largest in the world—is in a town called French Lick, Indiana?

Normally on this show, we take you to a single destination, but this week we're changing it up a bit. We're going to take a journey across the country to the final resting places of —some famous, some infamous, some completely unknown. These people all left their mark at the last possible moment, with some of the strangest tombs you'll find on earth.

The Great River Road follows the Mississippi River’s length, on both sides, providing access to much of this beauty, mixed with the industrial history of America. We’ve covered several Mississippi river towns on this show - Minneapolis, Rock Island, St. Louis, Memphis, New Orleans - but there’s one town where you can get the quintessential Mississippi river experience. A town where much of the popular image of the Mighty Miss’ was born, home to Samuel Clemons, who would use a Mississippi River term to craft his pseudonym: the second mark on the line that measured depth signified two fathoms, or twelve feet—safe depth for the steamboat—Mark Twain.

 

Jack Daniel’s may sound like a ubiquitous, mass-produced brand, but it’s always been made the same way, in the same place, the same way it was made by the man whose name is on the label.

Many historians cite the first bank robbery in the United States as February 13, 1866 when associates of Jesse and Frank James robbed the Clay County Savings Association in Liberty, Missouri. If that date sounds way to modern, your history senses are keen. To find out more about the real first U.S. bank robbery you’d have to travel back to 1798, 68 years before Jesse and Frank James, and 1,127 miles northeast to the city of brotherly love.

This week, Carpenters’ Hall in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.

Lizzie Borden took an axe,

And gave her mother forty whacks; 

When she saw what she had done,

She gave her father forty-one.

Actually, the bordens received only 29 whacks, not the 81 suggested by the famous ditty, but regardless, Lizzie Borden’s alleged murder of her parents is one of the most famous murder trials in history. 

This week, on our special Halloween edition of the podcast, the Lizzie Borden Bed & Breakfast / Museum, where you too can sleep if you dare, as the specters of Andrew and Abby Borden haunt the house.

New York City. The bright lights of Broadway shine on no less than 40 of the greatest stages on earth, and yet, one venue in the Big Apple outshines all others. This week, Radio City Musical Hall.

Up until about 30 years ago, there wasn’t much that made the North Star State  — Minnesota — a destination for international tourists. It’s 10,000 lakes included. That all changed on August 11, 1992, when 10,000 people all had their first day of work in Bloomington, a suburb of the twin cities, at what would become one of the most popular tourist destinations in America, second only to Times Square. 

This week, the Mall of America.

In Wiltshire, England sits a prehistoric monument of epic proportions. Featuring a ring of standing stones each around 13 feet high, seven feet wide, and weighing about 25 tons, Stonehenge is a household name shrouded in folklore and fame. Constructed between 3,000 BC and 2,000 BC it has been legally protected since 1882 and was made a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1986. It’s an awe-inspiring and curious site for sure, and if we ever do a See the World Podcast, Stonehenge will be on the shortlist. But what if you can’t make the road trip to England to take in these stone wonders for yourself? Well, don’t worry, because here in the states we have our very own tribute to this magnificent monument, one that only dates back 33 years, and has replaced 25-ton stones with cars—and you only have to go as far as Nebraska to see it.

This week, Carhenge, the 38 car tribute to England’s Stonehenge in Alliance, Nebraska. 

America is home to lots of things that we get to claim are the biggest and greatest, but there’s one facility in the U.S. that probably deserves more bragging rights than any other, and it’s not one that’s often talked about. It’s the biggest library in the world, and It also just happens to be one incredible display of American architecture. 

This week, the Library of Congress.