the Crystal Shrine Grotto

Our next stop along our cross country trip was the 

Crystal Shrine Grotto

in Memphis, TN.

This one was literally a stones through from our hotel,

so we stopped in early morning on our way out of town.

Much to my dismay, Memphis has a lot more

to offer than the glitter and glitz of Elvis.

But this was a fantastic alternative.

This amazing man made cave won me over 

when I read that it was located in a cemetery.

The amazing works, that were created in 1935

by Folk Artist Señor Dionicio Rodriguez,

boasted so much mystery and awe. 

The pictures do the religious works absolutely no justice.

This is one that you are going to have to see on your own.

Again, a huge thanks to Road Trippers for helping 

us to discover such hidden gems (pun fully intended).

To learn more on the full history of the Grotto click here.

The Crystal Shrine Grotto is located at:

5668 Poplar Avenue
Memphis, TN 38119

the USS Alabama

Thanks to the app Road Trippers,

we were able to snag this great stop early on 

in our second day of driving.

We left out of Pensacola early in the morning and 

we were at the USS Alabama in no time.

I have been on my fair share of Military ship tours,

I have been fortunate enough to have that as a close part of my childhood and life.

But never have I seen the awe on a little boys face when he sets eyes 

on a battleship of this magnitude, never before this that is.

Exploring the ship like a 4 year old put it all in a completely 

different perspective.

Both the boys really enjoyed this one, and we could have 

spent the entire day checking out every nook and cranny of this place.

As an adult and photographer I found so much interest in all of the details on the ship.

I can't tell you how many pictures I took of tubes and pipes and wires.

There is something so ironically beautiful to me in all of the industrial utilitarian components.

This trip cost the three of us about $30,

but the cost of admission was totally worth if for the hour

of exploration and fine dose of history.

And the boy will always 

remember where he got his super sweet 

F-16 toy now.

the USS Alabama is located at:

2703 Battleship Pkwy

 Mobile, AL 36603

The Tallahassee Automobile Museum

The Tallahassee Automobile Museum was the first of many 

fun filled stops on our drive across the country.

We knew that we would have to break up our big adventure with little 

memories like this one in order to keep sane on a five day trip.

First, I must say that while every other second of our trip was planned 

and researched with the app Road Trippers,

this stop was just a happy accident.

We stopped across the street for gas and the giant 

Bat-mobile in the front lawn of the museum grabbed our attention.

I was sold from the beginning or our tour.

There were rows and rows and rows of every 

bad ass car that you could possibly imagine.

It was overwhelming and incredibly impressive to learn that the entire collection,

everything in the giant two story building was all owned 

by one person.

Then to later find out that not only was it privately owned, but every machine,

not just every car, but every machine

in the building worked….perfectly.

The museum should change its name to 

The Tallahassee Boys Toys Museum, 

because it was so much more than cars.

I am pretty sure they had one of every kind of golf club ever made.

As well as over 200 fully operational boat motors.

Oh and did I mention all the original Bat Man stuff?

Cars, subs, motorcycles, costumes and props from the movies.

Needless to say my boys mind was blown.

And don't forget about good ole' EK amongst the collection 

of two wheeled boy toys! 

Not pictured:

tons and tons of tin toys & every kind or gun and case knife ever made.

If you are in the area or just passing through,

I highly recommend the stop.

While it was one of the more costly stops on our trip it was highly worth 

the price of admission to see all of these bits and 

pieces of Automotive and American history.

The Tallahassee Automobile Museum 

is located at:

6800 Mahan Drive
Tallahassee, Florida 32308