16 Places Every Family Stopped at During Road Trips in the 1970s That Are Rare Today

Bright signage, printed maps, full-service stations, motel coffee shops, and roadside counters made 1970s family road excursions a routine. Parents sought reliable food, fuel, restrooms, instructions, and tiny treats, while youngsters timed the voyage with mascots, souvenirs, milkshakes, postcards, and fruit kiosks. Many of these stations disappeared as interstates expanded, self-service proliferated, digital aids supplanted maps, and fast food changed highway culture. A warm vision of travel before screens, internet reviews, and rapid replies remained. These were more than roadside breaks. These modest family scenes filled the miles with patience, surprise, and togetherness, one unforgettable exit at a time.

1. Stuckey’s Roadside Stores

In the 1970s, families could see the brilliant turquoise Stuckey’s roofs from miles away on long highway travels. Parents pulled in for petrol, pecan log rolls, postcards, tourist trinkets. Children stretched their legs alongside congested display racks. The businesses were noisy and happy with sweet smells and spinning postcard stalls. Most cars didn’t have dependable navigation systems, so travelers usually bought maps. The eventual gradual growth of the interstate highways hurt many of the original Stuckey’s locations. Today, barely a handful operate, compared to the huge roadside empire that families frequented regularly.

2. Howard Johnson’s Restaurants

Howard Johnson’s orange roofs and looming signage made it one of the most distinctive stops on a road trip in the 1970s. Families packed into tables for fried clams, grilled hot dogs, and the chain’s famous twenty-eight ice cream options. Kids marveled at the colorful tablecloths as parents, tired from hours of driving, bought coffee. Often, eateries were situated next to motor lodges, handy for an overnight stop on a cross-country holiday. The restaurant gained the trust of travelers who found the food familiar, no matter what state they visited. Later on, fast food businesses with quicker service supplanted many sit-down roadside restaurants. Surviving Howard Johnson’s restaurants today are rare remnants of a slower, more convivial way of travel.

3. Full Service Gas Stations

Most 1970s road trips stopped at full-service gas stations where attendants handled almost everything. Without drivers leaving their cars, uniformed staff pumped petrol, checked tire pressure, washed windshields, and sometimes checked oil levels. As cars drove over service lines, kids witnessed air hoses whirl and heard bells. Loyal clients received drinking glasses, maps, and stamps at several stops. Toilets were commonly near drink and salted peanut vending machines. Over the next few decades, businesses replaced human service with self-service stations to cut personnel costs. Outside of specialty areas, full-service roadside stops were rare.

4. Sambo’s Restaurants

Hunger on the roadside became vocal in the back seat, and families pulled into Sambo’s restaurants. The chain featured pancakes, burgers, coffee, and children’s meals in bright dining rooms decked with storybook décor. Parents enjoyed the predictable menu, and children liked the bright signage that sprang up along highways and motel strips. Stopping there seemed relaxed, warm, and quick enough to keep the trip moving. By the late 1970s and early 1980s, the brand was affected by debates over its corporate name and changing restaurant trends. Most of the places vanished, and the once familiar roadside stop became a rare recollection of long trips and sticky syrup bottles.

5. A&W Drive-Ins

Every exit featured a fast-food cluster, and families looked for A&W drive-ins with their orange signs and frosty mugs. Children sat in parked automobiles as waitresses brought platters of root beer, burgers, chips, and chili dogs to the windows. The halt was like a little roadside show, windows rolled down, paper wrappers draped over laps. Parents liked the vacation because no one had to dress up or wait long. Many A&W establishments survived, but the original carhop style became much harder to find. The customary halt for a cool root beer in a glass mug progressively transformed into a memorable treat.

6. Rexall Drugstores

A family road trip in the 1970s sometimes involved a meandering meander through a Rexall drugstore in a tiny town. Parents bought medication, film, postcards, batteries, and travel-size toothpaste. Kids examined candy bars by the counter. Some of the old establishments still had soda fountains where passengers could get milkshakes, floats, or grilled sandwiches before heading back out onto the highway. The store was functional but curiously exciting because it had everything a tired family suddenly needed. Chain pharmacies become bigger, cleaner, and less personal. Many independent Rexall outlets went out of business, leaving memories of wooden counters, spinning chairs, and clerks who knew every shelf by heart.

7. Fotomat Kiosks

Families would commonly stop at a Fotomat shop after snapping photos at national parks, roadside sculptures, or family reunions. The little yellow booths sat in parking lots next to grocery stores and shopping complexes, waiting to receive rolls of film. Parents dropped off cartridges through a little window and picked up prints on the way back, or once they got home. Children held their breath to see what fuzzy photos would get through. It was a routine halt, but it had the tension of trip memories still contained in film. These booths were soon replaced by one-hour labs and digital cameras. Today, Fotomat kiosks are rare artifacts of road trips based on patience.

8. Kmart Cafeterias

For families on the road, Kmart cafeterias provided an affordable, peaceful oasis away from the heat and highway noise. Families shopped for socks, road snacks, beach towels, or forgotten toothbrushes and then carried trays through the restaurant line. Kids selected gelatin cups, fries, or pie slices, while parents got coffee, meatloaf, or sandwiches. It was less rushed than fast food and more reasonable than a restaurant. Blue Light Specials occasionally enticed shoppers further into the store before returning to the car. As bargain shopping evolved and in-store dining declined, most Kmart cafeterias disappeared. Today, that short lunch stop was largely for anecdotes about the family and memories of previous shopping places.

9. Woolworth Lunch Counters

Woolworth’s lunch counters offered families a reliable location to sit during long trips through city streets and older shopping districts. Parents ordered coffee, club sandwiches, and hot dogs. Children twirled slowly on chrome stools. The counter was busy yet welcoming, with soda fountains, pie cases, and staffers working briskly behind the line. After dining, travelers could buy socks, toys, thread, or school supplies. The stop was a short errand for lunch. With the closing of five-and-dime businesses, these counters disappeared from everyday travel. Only repaired samples and museum pieces today showed how frequent such roadside lunches once were.

10. Motel Coffee Shops

Motel coffee shops were a godsend when families checked out early and had to eat breakfast before another long stretch of highway. Under dim lights, Holiday Inn coffee shops provided eggs, toast, pancakes, orange juice, and strong coffee. Children sank into vinyl booths, still drowsy from the next room. Parents studied paper maps. Servers replenished glasses, calling everyone honey. It was a basic, warm supper, with the smell of bags in the car. Later, free continental breakfasts and chain restaurants altered the face of motel dining. Many roadside hotel coffee shops are gone now, just markers, memories, and old matchbooks remain to mark their passing.

11. Roadside Telephone Booths

Outside gas stations, eateries, and motel offices were glass telephone booths, and families used them when plans changed on the road. Parents tossed pennies, opened folded address books, and contacted relatives to indicate they were late or nearby. Children put their faces to the window as trucks rattled past. The booth offered solitude, shade, and a fleeting sense of control amid perilous travel. Sometimes a parent might phone a motel ahead, request instructions, or report car difficulties. These roadside calls were later made redundant by mobile phones. Working phone booths are a rarity these days, and the ancient custom of counting pennies before calling home has all but disappeared.

12. Orange Julius Stands

Orange Julius stands were bright little incentives in family stops at malls, bus stations, and highway shopping plazas. When everyone was hot, tired of the roads, and bored, travelers ordered the frothy orange drink. Children watched staff mix the creamy drink behind the counter, then carried paper cups through congested corridors. Parents appreciated the little break as it didn’t feel quite as heavy as a full lunch. Families teamed the drink with pretzels, sandwiches, or candy and then headed back to the car. Many Orange Julius sites either became Dairy Queen locations or disappeared from the old-style stands. It was considerably tougher to find the original single stop today.

13. Sinclair Gas Stations

Families would stop at Sinclair gas stations because the green dinosaur sign was easy for youngsters to spot from the back seat. The stations sold gas, maps, oil, and little travel things, but the true delight was Dino. Kids pleaded for dinosaur stickers, trinkets, or mementos while parents examined the route. The stop made gasoline feel like an adventure, not just a necessity. Some stations even included giant dinosaur statues for a quick photo op before a break. Classic Sinclair stops became less popular as the brand changed and many older stations closed.

14. Local Tourist Information Booths

State lines, town entrances, and highway pull-offs used to have local tourist information booths to provide families a reason to pause before deciding on the next attraction. Parents snatched paper pamphlets for caves, forts, wax museums, beaches, and historic residences. Kids grabbed colorful brochures and fought about which spot appeared the most fun. A friendly attendant typically offered up routes, restrooms, lodgings, or places to eat. The booth made travel feel personal because the advice came from someone who knew the place. That behavior later changed with online maps and travel apps. Many modest booths shut down today, and the heavy stack of brochures became a quieter road trip recollection.

15. Shoney’s Big Boy Restaurants

Shoney’s Big Boy restaurants were regular family destinations along many a Southern or Midwestern road trip throughout the ’70s. The Big Boy statue outside was a nice landmark, especially for kids who had been in the car for hours. Inside, families ordered burgers, fried shrimp, breakfast dishes, pie, and sweet tea. Parents appreciated the table service, kids liked the mascot, and the dessert cases. The stop was reliable, friendly, and just exceptional enough for the trip. Competition and changing dining habits over the years eroded the chain’s reach. Many of the old Shoney’s sites had long been gone, and the monument became a sentimental sight.

16. Roadside Produce Stands

Roadside produce stands allowed families a slower, fresher stop than any major restaurant could provide. Parents stopped for peaches in Georgia, oranges in Florida, cherries in Michigan, or boiled peanuts in the South. Children scrambled from the scorching automobiles and walked about wooden crates, hand-scrawled signs, and dirty scales. The stop was smelling of fruit, light, and vast meadows. Families bought paper bags of food that were somehow connected to the place they were passing through. With supermarkets, convenience stores, and faster travel, these stops have become less frequent. Roadside produce stands persist today, but many of the traditional family-run stands are rare along busy highways.

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