Part Of America's First Coast-To-Coast Highway Offers A Scenic Road Trip In Pennsylvania

From taking a scenic weekend drive to piling in an RV for an extended road trip, hitting the open roads is a quintessentially American way to travel across the United States. While there are now over 164,000 miles of highways (and over 4 million miles of public roads), the ambitious Lincoln Highway, which was dedicated in 1913, was the country's first coast-to-coast road, paving the way for Route 66 and the interstate road system under President Dwight D. Eisenhower in the 1950s. And today, you can still trace one of its most scenic stretches through Pennsylvania.

In 1913, long before cars and pit stops became mainstream, entrepreneur Carl Fisher and other business magnates from the auto industry formed the Lincoln Highway Association with a plan for a toll-free, transcontinental roadway. The group helped create a highway running from Times Square in New York City to Lincoln Park in San Francisco, binding small towns and big cities together and named after President Abraham Lincoln. In Pennsylvania, it traversed the historic Philadelphia to Lancaster Pike and the Conestoga Road to Pittsburgh. A 200-mile stretch of the road on U.S. Route 30 is regarded as one of the best-preserved sections of the highway, offering a window into Pennsylvania's charming towns and beautiful views of the Allegheny Mountains.

If you're planning a trip on the Lincoln Highway across the Keystone State, the route today runs along two major highways. It follows U.S. Route 1 from Morrisville across the Delaware River from New Jersey to Philadelphia, before heading west on U.S. Route 30. The road then continues through York, Gettysburg, Pittsburgh, and Beaver before crossing into Ohio. While passing through Philly, history buffs may want to take a slight detour to cross America's oldest bridge, the Frankford Avenue Bridge.

In the road's early days, the Lincoln Highway Association recommended drivers plan on a month to go coast to coast and stop whenever possible for gasoline. Even though gas stations are now plentiful along the route — and your vehicle can go much faster than the cars of yesteryear – there are still plenty of worthwhile stops for all types of travelers along the officially designated Heritage Corridor of the Lincoln Highway. American history buffs won't want to miss stopping in Gettysburg, the site of Lincoln's Gettysburg Address and the pivotal Civil War battle, and the Flight 93 National Memorial outside of Shanksville. However, there are quirky and light-hearted stops as well. Discover what a road trip was like nearly a century ago at the Lincoln Highway Experience Museum in Latrobe, stop for photo-ops at the Coffee Pot in Bedford and the Haines Shoe House in York, or satisfy your sweet tooth at Mister Ed's Elephant Museum & Candy Emporium in Orrtanna.

In addition to the charming towns and roadside stops, the Lincoln Highway crosses the beautiful Allegheny Mountains outside of Bedford; while the summits gave motorists (and their radiators) fits decades ago, the route passed by Grand View, noted to be "one of the most scenic drives to be found in the state of Pennsylvania or the entire east coast" in one of the route's original guidebooks (via Pennsylvania Center for the Book). A century later, motorists still find the mountainous route beautiful, especially in the fall months.

If you're looking to fully cross Pennsylvania on the Lincoln Highway, it will take over eight hours, and you may have to punch in several waypoints into a mapping application to traverse the full route. Make sure you do so in advance, as Pennsylvania is cracking down on drivers who use their phones while driving.

The Lincoln Highway also arguably gave birth to the great American road trip and many common signs and stops now lining highways and interstates across the country. On your journey, you'll find all the usual fast-food joints and chain hotels, along with several notable eateries and places to get some rest. If you're looking for homemade soup or Salisbury steak for dinner, stop by the Gateway Family Diner in Gettysburg. Latrobe's Lincoln Highway Experience Museum has a 1930s diner serving free coffee and pie, or go across town to Chef Dato's Table, which serves up burgers, sandwiches, pasta, and desserts. Past visitors on Google rave about the apple dumplings in particular. In Bedford, swing by the Jean Bonnet Tavern, a historic watering hole that has stood since the 1760s and was used as a campsite for Washington's militiamen during the Whiskey Rebellion.

Drivers looking to get some rest and a dose of nostalgia can opt to stay at the Haines Shoe House outside of York or at the Lincoln Motor Court near Bedford. The motor court is said to be the last one on the Lincoln Highway and one of the last-standing motor courts in the U.S. In this classic style of roadside accommodation popular in the 1940s, guests stay in cabins with original decor and fixtures, as well as modern comforts, including air conditioning and heaters. The establishment has dozens of five-star reviews on Google and is noted for its friendly atmosphere and outdoor area ideal for enjoying a game of cornhole or a cup of coffee away from the road. Drivers looking for a modern-day hotel will find local hotels as well as major chain hotels along the route, including Holiday Inn Express and a Hampton Inn. If you're itching to get back into the big city, stop in Pittsburgh, noted to be one of the most beautiful cities in the country.