In a southwest Virginia fairground, thousands of musicians gather every August to keep a centuries-old tradition from flickering out.
road trip
Posted inFeature
Still On Its Way to Cleveland
Nine months, 25,000 miles, one phone cord, and the kindness of strangers.
Posted inEditor's Pick
The Real Life Mermaids of Florida’s Weeki Wachee Springs
“The fragility and fantasy of old America.”
Posted inEditor's Pick
Route 66 Is Turning 100 This Year. It Still Has Stories to Tell About America.
“The country’s legendary main street celebrates its centennial against the backdrop of the nation’s 250th birthday. Could there be a better time for a road trip?”
Posted inCuration
The Top 5 Longreads of the Week
In this edition: inside a cyberscam compound, behind bars but ahead of the times, up into the beyond, away from home, and under the night sky.
Posted inEditor's Pick
Will Dad and I Ever See Texas the Same Way?
“A noted Texas historian and his adult child get behind the wheel to see if they can finally view their home state the same way.”
Posted inEditor's Pick
I Tried to Toughen Up My Son. Things Didn’t Go as Planned.
“A trip to the Badlands with my 8-year old offered lessons in boyhood — and manhood.”
Posted inEditor's Pick
Dislodged
In this beautiful personal essay, Josh McColough recounts a road trip with his daughter along the coast of California and makes poignant observations about humanity and our vulnerable environment. Still, we too often move through life not considering our size and stature relative to forces and objects that humble us. Geologic time. Plate tectonics. A […]
Posted inCurrent Events, Feature, Profiles & Interviews, Science & Nature, Story
Notes for a Post-apocalyptic Novel
When things get hard, we look to our most fundamental relationships. This is the story of a son, a father, a camper van, a pandemic, and the ties that bind.