Childhood memory vacations!!!

[theantiquetiger]

For those of us old farts (40 and over), what are some great memories of trips and vacations when you were a kid.

This recent garage sale find brings back some memories. We didn't take vacations, we took trips. We always drove (I later found out my dad was scared to fly), we stayed in the cheapest motels and motor lodges(no hotels). We had no destination (other than visiting relatives on the way). We would hit every road side tourist spot, etc. We mostly traveled in the Eastern US (from Louisiana up to West Virginia, and all states south of there) and to Oklahoma. I now wish we would have done the Route 66 trip.

My greatest memory was one time we got two flat tires, so we were stranded near the GA/TN border, right near Lookout Mtn. We spent all day a at a road side arcade/freak show, just off I-59. This was in the early 80's and arcades were big, but this arcade only had 5 cent and 10 cent pinball machines and really cheap, old manual arcade games. In the back was a Freak Show with things like two headed sheep and other freaks of nature.

The 4 or 5 hours we stayed there that afternoon is one of the greatest memories of my childhood trips.

[GordoCrisp]

Ah yes, the trip: Sweating in the back seat of the Ford Country Squire station wagon.

Hamburgers, orange soda, Holiday Inns, and strange motels with rattling air conditioners and roll-away beds.

I recall fighting with my little sister A LOT. She always crossed the invisible line I drew across the vinyl seat.

[theantiquetiger]

Ah yes, the trip: Sweating in the back seat of the Ford Country Squire station wagon.

Hamburgers, orange soda, Holiday Inns, and strange motels with rattling air conditioners and roll-away beds.

I recall fighting with my little sister A LOT. She always crossed the invisible line a drew across the vinyl seat.

Sleeping across the hump in the floor or in the backwindow because your bigger brother had the back seat. I do remember the invisible line in the back seat.

All this without iphones/ipods, car A/C. Walkman's were just out, but very expensive. We listened to John Denver, Justin Wilson, and Jerry Clower tapes.

My dad wouldn't spring for the $5 roll away bed, we slept on the floor (now I think how nasty those floors were)!!!

[GordoCrisp]

It must of been 1978, my Dad invested in a CB Radio!

Oh man, what a ridiculous thought now!

"Come on back, good buddy..."

[theantiquetiger]

We had a CB in the 70's when we had a forest green VW van with shag carpet and white mag wheel. Our handle was "The Green Machine". Little did we know, that van is worth 20x what we paid for it back then.

[Nostalgiabuff]

loh yeah, we had the 9 passenger wagon with the wood panel design on the outside......and being afamily of 7 with the camper in tow we were always jam packed in the car. usually had at least one friend with us too. good times

[Duncan]

One vacation memory that I've been trying to pin down has to do with car candy. I remember getting a roll of smooth pink wintergreen mints, a bit on the mild side. I'm thinking that they came from HoJo's, but I have yet to find a pic anywhere.

And, yeah - we also had a CB, though we never transmitted. Good call, Dad.

[UnderdogDJLSW]

^oh man, I forgot about those pink mints in the roll like lifesavers. Now I am going to be thinking about those, too. I get a familiar gibe when you said Howard Johnson's, but I think they were beachnut.

We took a lot drives to NY. I remember these yellow happy face pillows we had in the car and sleeping many a trip away.

[Red Hulk]

I remember going to the shore in the late 70s Briganteen Castle was pretty cool too and you didn't have to pay to go on the beach.

[Mikey]

A big childhood vacation memory for me has always been going to Gettysburg and going up into the Gettysburg tower.

We went there at least twice a year.

When they blew it up it was like a stab in my nostalgic heart.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QnHQ1PU2zGw

m

[megoapesnut]

My grandparents had a place in Lewes, Delaware. I spend many a weekend and many weeks there in the summertime. Riding my bike around the town, going to the beach, walking the Rehoboth boardwalk. I saw Jaws for the first time in the tiny theater in Lewes (didn't get in past my ankles for the rest of the summer). We rent a house on the beach in Lewes every year now and my kids are getting many of the same experiences.

[megomania]

In '76 or '77 my grandparents drove me, my aunt, and my uncle from Seattle to Disneyland via Las Vegas in their Maverick. Imagine no A/C driving through Nevada in the summer, a 6-year old, 11 year-old, and 15 year-old crammed in the back. Not sure what they were thinking but it was fun.

That's just one of many.

-Chris

[Spawn67]

My grandparents had a place in Lewes, Delaware. I spend many a weekend and many weeks there in the summertime. Riding my bike around the town, going to the beach, walking the Rehoboth boardwalk. I saw Jaws for the first time in the tiny theater in Lewes (didn't get in past my ankles for the rest of the summer). We rent a house on the beach in Lewes every year now and my kids are getting many of the same experiences.

We had our summer vacations in Ocean City and Rehoboth as well. We would spend a week with my grandparents in Rehoboth and a week with my parents in Ocean City. I have nothing but good memories of those summers.
My brother went to the Rehoboth boardwalk last year and said it was pretty much the same as it was when were kids with all the same places still being there. Is that true Megoapesnut?

[megoapesnut]

My brother went to the Rehoboth boardwalk last year and said it was pretty much the same as it was when were kids with all the same places still being there. Is that true Megoapesnut?

Yeah, pretty much. It looks quite a bit like it did. Two things are jarringly different, though, at least for me. The boardwalk used to be elevated quite a bit above the sand so you could walk under it (one of the reasons I love the song "under the boardwalk"). Now they have the sand built up and sloped up to the boardwalk so you walk right onto the sand, rather than down steps. And you (obviously) can't walk under it anymore. Also, do you remember the target shoot with the rifles? Put in a quarter and you got 20 shots to shoot the outhouse and other western themed stuff. That was there up until about 5 or 6 years ago. Then it was gone all of the sudden. I really miss that

[toys2cool]

never went anywhere but Disney