Rating: 
Summary: More than a guide, its a trip
Review: This is a book to have laying around to just pick up at odd moments and start enjoying. True , the directions are scanty (you'd have to work to find alot of these places) but thats got to be part of the fun. And it needs updated, but thats where the website comes in ROADSIDEAMERICA.COM, which is how I found this book in the first place: Add your own entries, updates, etc. A joy if you never even hit the road. I'm giving copies to my British in-laws. Will give you a new appreciation of American culture.
Rating: 
Summary: not a guide book
Review: this is a truly ecclectic book, disorganized at best. it covers lots of topics, but by subject matter. it's worthless as a tour guide unless you want to read the whole book and bookmark the pages that are in the geographic locale you plan to visit. there is a state index in the back, but it's worthless too. i was quite disappointed. use the web site to plan your journey - it's *much* easier!
Rating:
Summary: Best weekend you ever spent!
Review: This, along with their hilarious website at http://www.roadsideamerica.com, is the perfect planning guide for the American Road Trip. Not only have they done their research on these crazy sites to visit, but choosing one of their themed trips alone makes one great weekend! Highly, highly recommended for anyone with a taste for the weird.
Rating: 
Summary: Great Book, but a few cautions
Review: Unmistakably, this is a wonderful book. I used the first edition for years, then the revised edition since it appeared in 1992. It has served as the basis for more than one weekend trip, and rarely leads one to a deep disappointment. However, you have to rein in expectations, and be prepared for a search.The most significant drawback to the book is simply its age. While most of the features will be around for a long time, they may no longer be as available as the book might imply. Once in Forest City, NC, a search for Charlie Yeltsin's bottle house took several hours, a whole host of inquiries in town and around, interpretations of vague recollections, etc. When we finally found it, the house was on private land, with caged barking dogs adding a distinct foreboding to our exploration. We were able to explore it, but all the time cognizant of a possible irate owner with a shotgun. Our persistence was rewarded with a delightful attraction, though in dire disrepair. So, be prepared for this sort of adventure. As another reviewer has observed, many of the references in the book barely provide a rough location, so it is not intended for the casual exploration. The attitude pervading the book is right on the money, and at the very least provides a list of waiting adventures.
Rating:
Summary: Great Book, but a few cautions
Review: Unmistakably, this is a wonderful book. I used the first edition for years, then the revised edition since it appeared in 1992. It has served as the basis for more than one weekend trip, and rarely leads one to a deep disappointment. However, you have to rein in expectations, and be prepared for a search. The most significant drawback to the book is simply its age. While most of the features will be around for a long time, they may no longer be as available as the book might imply. Once in Forest City, NC, a search for Charlie Yeltsin's bottle house took several hours, a whole host of inquiries in town and around, interpretations of vague recollections, etc. When we finally found it, the house was on private land, with caged barking dogs adding a distinct foreboding to our exploration. We were able to explore it, but all the time cognizant of a possible irate owner with a shotgun. Our persistence was rewarded with a delightful attraction, though in dire disrepair. So, be prepared for this sort of adventure. As another reviewer has observed, many of the references in the book barely provide a rough location, so it is not intended for the casual exploration. The attitude pervading the book is right on the money, and at the very least provides a list of waiting adventures.
Rating:
Summary: What an awesome book!
Review: Very cleverly written . . . the authors have a tongue-in-cheek style yet seem to feel a genuine affection for the tacky, the kitschy, and the weird. Guidebook-dependent travelers looking for directions and hours of operation should steer clear - this book awakens the adventurer inside and coaxes us all onto the road to find our own amazing attractions!
Rating:
Summary: Good intentions marred by low detail and poor organization
Review: While the authors' hearts are definitely in the right place, their lack of thoroughness and haphazard organization severely mars this book's usefulness as an actual working travelguide. By sorting the items under topics (e.g., "Gators" "Elvis", etc.), the book turns into a good bedside reader, and a poor guide to "what's here." Providing a geographical index (by state, then city) in the back, means that you're constantly flipping back and forth to try and figure what's near you. And with no map to locate a city within a state's boudaries, it's difficult to tell whether you're within a hundred miles or more. The only solution is to employ a map (paper or web-based) to figure this out. Add to this a complete lack of addresses, phone numbers or hours, and you'll find yourself searching through a phonebook as well. It's a useful source of ideas, but leaves the reader to do way too much of the legwork.
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