Why does this year need a fancy title like “2026 Road Trip Bucket List”?
Let’s be real – somewhere along the way, Zach and I lost our mojo. We’ve been rolling through the same triangle route (Florida, Arkansas, Michigan, repeat) for years now, and lately it’s felt more like we’re just… existing on the road instead of actually experiencing it.
So here’s the deal: 2026 is going to be different.
We’re going EPIC. We’re hitting the weird stuff, the quirky stuff, the roadside attractions that made us fall in love with this bus life in the first place. I’ve been keeping lists in my binder (yes, I still use paper like a dinosaur) of all the places we’ve wanted to visit, and it’s time to actually DO IT.
This isn’t just a list of “things to see” – every single stop on this 2026 road trip bucket list has a story, a reason, a piece of nostalgia, or just pure “what the hell, let’s go see THAT” energy. Some of these we’ve been chasing for YEARS. Some are part of a bigger series we are building. And three of them? Well, those are wish list items – the “if we can swing it” detours that would make 2026 absolutely perfect.
So buckle up. Here are the 12 bucket list locations (plus 3 wishes) that will make 2026 our best year on the road yet.
Our 2026 Road Trip Bucket List: 12 Quirky Stops Across 10 States
1. Flashback Pizza & Milkshakes – Rogers, Arkansas
Status: Not yet visited
This 1980s retro diner has been calling our names forever. We’re talking neon, arcade games, throwback vibes, and pizza. It’s basically everything we loved about growing up in the ’80s condensed into one restaurant. Plus, it’s in Arkansas, which means it fits perfectly into our route. This Jersey girl loves her pizza, so let’s see what Arkansas has to offer!
2. Leaning Tower of Niles – Niles, Illinois
Status: Not yet visited
Part of our Mini vs. Mega series! We’ll never make it to the real Leaning Tower of Pisa (let’s be honest), so this half-scale replica in the Chicago suburbs is our next best thing. It’s quirky, it’s a roadside photo op, and it continues the theme of finding America’s miniature versions of world-famous landmarks. This 2026 road trip bucket list item checks multiple boxes.
3. Home of the Popeye Creator – Chester, Illinois
Status: Not yet visited
Chester, Illinois is the hometown of E.C. Segar, the guy who created Popeye, and they’ve got over 20 statues scattered throughout the town celebrating their most famous son. TWENTY STATUES. This is nostalgia, public art, and small-town Americana all rolled into one. Speaking of Popeye, we already visited Popeye’s Garden in Alma, Arkansas, so this feels like continuing that story.
4. Giant Popcorn – Jasper, Indiana
Status: Not yet visited
It’s a giant piece of popcorn. That’s it. That’s the whole reason. If you’ve been following Right at the Light for any length of time, you know we’re suckers for oversized roadside attractions, and this one delivers. But here’s the bonus – the Jasper Gift Basket and Popcorn Company isn’t just about the giant popcorn photo op. They’ve also got chocolates, different flavors of popcorn, and even PLANTS. So we can get our roadside attraction fix AND do some shopping.
5. School Bus Covered Bridge – Prestonburg, Kentucky
Status: Not yet visited
A covered bridge made from an old school bus? As people who literally LIVE in a converted school bus, this feels like visiting a distant cousin. It’s quirky, it’s creative, it’s functional art, and it’s the kind of “only in America” attraction that makes road tripping so damn fun. We have to pay our respects to another bus that found a second life doing something unexpected. Plus, it’s going to make for great photos. Kentucky, we’re coming for you.
6. Whole Foods Art-O-Matic – Lansing, Michigan
Status: Not yet visited
OK, hear me out. I’ve been hunting for an Art-O-Matic vending machine since we started this journey YEARS ago. These things are like unicorns – they barely exist, and when they do, they’re usually broken or gone. But Lansing’s Whole Foods supposedly has one AND a rare in-store nut grinder (also a unicorn in the Whole Foods world). This is my white whale, and 2026 is the year I finally find it.
7. Huge Jukebox & Metalmorphosis – Charlotte, North Carolina
Status: Not yet visited
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Two-for-one stop! Charlotte has a massive jukebox at The Penguin Drive-In that’s been on our list for a minute. My dad is a huge fan of vinyl (he has a jukebox in his living room) so I feel a connection to them! This may be the first stop of many!
PLUS!! We’re going back to the Metalmorphosis statue – a giant mirrored head that actually MOVES. The first time we visited, it was NOT moving. Now it’s finally functioning again – and we need to see this thing in action.
8. North Carolina’s Smallest Post Office – Cashiers, North Carolina
Status: Not yet visited
I’ve always had a soft spot for tiny post offices—I grew up in a small town where mail delivery was complicated enough that half the town had addresses from the next town over. There’s something nostalgic about finding these little holdouts that are still operating, still serving their communities. We’ve already visited Michigan’s smallest post office, and I want to keep collecting them as we travel.
9. Seurat Topiary Park – Columbus, Ohio
Status: Not yet visited
This park recreates Georges Seurat’s famous painting “A Sunday Afternoon on the Island of La Grande Jatte” entirely in topiaries. It’s art, it’s horticulture, it’s completely unique, and it’s the kind of attraction that makes you go “wait, WHAT?” We’ve seen plenty of quirky roadside attractions, but living art that doubles as a recreation of a masterpiece? That’s a new one, even for us.
10. World’s Largest Sweet Tea – Summerville, South Carolina
Status: Not yet visited
World’s Largest anything = automatic bucket list material. We’re adding South Carolina to our route, and the World’s Largest Sweet Tea is calling our names. Because if you’re going to the South, you better pay homage to sweet tea. It’s the law.
11. Little Debbie Sculpture Park – Collegedale, Tennessee
Status: Not yet visited
Life-sized sculptures of Little Debbie snack cakes. Oatmeal Cream Pies. Zebra Cakes. Cosmic Brownies. ALL AS STATUES. I’ve tried to get here TWICE and failed both times, so this feels like destiny. It’s quirky, it’s nostalgic, it crosses over multiple blog categories, and it’s going to be absolute content gold.
12. Spangler Candy Tour – Bryan, Ohio
Status: Not yet visited
Dum Dums lollipops, candy canes, and all the hard candy nostalgia you can handle – Spangler Candy has been making sweets since 1906, and they offer factory tours where you can watch them make those iconic Dum Dums we all grew up with. Bryan, Ohio is already on our route, and seeing how they crank out millions of lollipops is definitely bucket list material. Plus, we’re suckers for hard candies (pun intended).
The Wish List: 3 Dream Detours for Our 2026 Road Trip Bucket List
These three locations didn’t make the main list because they’re either time-intensive, require significant detours, or might not fit into our schedule – but if we can swing it, they’d make 2026 absolutely perfect.
1. Crater of Diamonds State Park – Murfreesboro, Arkansas
This is the only place in the world where you can dig for diamonds and keep what you find. We keep talking about going—we even spent two days digging at a quartz mine, so we’re clearly willing to put in the work—but we’ve never actually sat down and planned this one out. If we can finally get our act together and make it happen, finding an actual diamond would be incredible. Wish list for sure.
2. Dunkin’ Donuts Fish Tank from Tanked – Riviera Beach, Florida
Remember that show “Tanked” on Animal Planet? They built a custom fish tank for a Dunkin’ Donuts location in Florida, and it’s STILL THERE. You can literally walk into this Dunkin’ and see a massive aquarium. Florida is already part of our route, so if we can make the detour, this is happening.
3. Neosho Fish Hatchery Tour – Neosho, Missouri
One of the oldest federal fish hatcheries in the country, Neosho has been raising rainbow trout since 1888. They offer tours where you can see the entire operation—from tiny fry to full-grown trout ready for stocking in rivers and streams across the country. Zach has been talking about visiting for years, and since we drive through Missouri regularly anyway, it’s time to actually pull off the highway and make it happen.
Follow Our 2026 Road Trip Bucket List Journey
Throughout 2026, I’ll be updating this post with links to the individual detailed posts as we visit each location. Each attraction will get its own full write-up with photo galleries, practical visitor information, and all the quirky details that make Right at the Light what it is.
You can also follow along in real-time on our social media – we’re on Facebook, Instagram, Pinterest, X, and Bluesky. Watch for updates, behind-the-scenes stories, and probably some unexpected detours along the way.
Here’s to making 2026 the year we get back to what Right at the Light is all about: weird roadside America, quirky attractions, and the kind of travel that makes you smile.
The 2026 bucket list challenge? It’s ON like Donkey Kong !
