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Passions and Places

A travel + outdoors blog

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5 Offbeat Road Trip Stops: Unique Places to Visit in Arizona

December 15, 2020 By Jen Ambrose 16 Comments

Desert landscape of shrubs and red rocks with a blue sky.

Take it from us – there’s so much more to Arizona than the Grand Canyon. For an off-the-beaten-path experience, put some of these stops on your itinerary!

Filed Under: Arizona, North America, Off the Beaten Path, Road Trips, U.S. Tagged With: bisbee, Jerome, Kingman, Petrified Forest National Park, Saguaro National Park

Bisbee, Arizona: The Funkiest Town You’ve Never Heard Of

January 3, 2020 By Ryan Victor 105 Comments

White brick exterior wall with tan mural reading “Historic Bisbee Est. 1880. Shoppes, Restaurants, Galleries, Museums, Lodging, RV Park, Queen Mine Underground Tour.”

Love funky artistic communities, laid-back hippie vibes, and lots of interesting history? Believe us when we say – Bisbee, AZ, is the town for you!

Filed Under: Arizona, North America, Off the Beaten Path, Road Trips, U.S. Tagged With: abandoned places, bisbee, erie street, ghost towns, lowell, tombstone, Travel Styles, Tucson

Exploring the Best and Quirkiest Attractions in Jerome, AZ

July 19, 2019 By Ryan Victor 10 Comments

If you like offbeat towns, you’ll love Jerome, AZ. It’s home to a Claymation-esque museum and a massive stockpile of rusted out cars, among other unusual things – oh, and the town is purported to be haunted. It’s a quintessential road trip stop and an easy day trip from Phoenix, too.

Filed Under: Arizona, North America, Off the Beaten Path, Road Trips Tagged With: abandoned places, ghost towns, Jerome, Phoenix, Travel Styles

Anaconda, MT: An Offbeat Stop on a Montana Road Trip

April 11, 2019 By Ryan Victor 12 Comments

An outdoor mural of buildings and the text “Historic Anaconda. Where Main Street Meets the Mountains.”

When we planned a road trip starting in Montana, we knew the little town of Anaconda would be one of our first stops. With some offbeat attractions and almost no other visitors, it was exactly the type of place we wanted to explore.

Filed Under: Montana, North America, Off the Beaten Path, Road Trips Tagged With: abandoned places, Anaconda, ghost towns, Granite Ghost Town, Lost Creek State Park, Philipsburg, Travel Styles

A Motorcycle Adventure to Cambodia’s Bokor Hill Station

July 7, 2017 By Ryan Victor 12 Comments

Cambodia is ripe with opportunities for adventure travel, and Kampot is no exception. Just 20 miles away is the Bokor Hill Station, a now-abandoned hill station developed by French colonists in the 1920s. Today, it’s a renowned spot for urban exploration, and it makes a great day trip from Kampot. There are plenty of organized tours to Bokor, but you can also rent a motorcycle in town and ride up independently for more adventure. Either way, you’ll enjoy the refreshing cooler temperatures and stunning views of southern Cambodia.

Bokor Hill Staton in Cambodia had been on my radar as a top urban exploration site for a while before we visited. It’s full of interesting abandoned old buildings, including what used to be a luxurious French hotel, and it makes a great motorcycle trip from Kampot.

Filed Under: Asia, Cambodia, Educational and Experiential, Motorcycling, Nature and Outdoors, Road Trips Tagged With: activities, Bokor Hill, Kampot, Travel Styles, urban exploration

Seeing History Repeat Itself: An Alabama Road Trip

June 7, 2017 By Ryan Victor Leave a Comment

This Alabama road trip was the final segment of a longer trip through the Deep South, focused on human rights and social justice. A historical itinerary like this one is a great way to travel through Alabama. Birmingham, Montgomery, and all Selma offer great museums and opportunities to learn about the Civil War, the history of slavery, and the Civil Rights Movement.

The final state on our road trip through the South was Alabama, home of a gigantic steel statue, some delicious bagels, and several amazing museums. From protests to voting rights to immigration, it turns out Alabama has a lot to teach us about history and about issues facing the country today.

Filed Under: Alabama, Educational and Experiential, North America, Off the Beaten Path, Road Trips, U.S. Tagged With: Birmingham, Montgomery, Selma, Travel Styles

Learning about History and Culture on a Mississippi Road Trip

June 3, 2017 By Ryan Victor Leave a Comment

As part of a longer route through the Deep South, our Mississippi road trip included historical sites and museums that taught us all about slavery, race issues, the Civil Rights Movement, and even Muslim culture. This historical road trip itinerary includes Natchez and Jackson, MS, and follows part of the famed Natchez Trace.

Mississippi might not be high on your bucket list, but it’s a great place to learn about civil rights history. The state’s capital of Jackson also surprised us in a lot of ways, from its museum on Muslim culture to its delicious vegan restaurant.

Filed Under: Educational and Experiential, Mississippi, North America, Off the Beaten Path, Road Trips, U.S. Tagged With: Jackson, Natchez, Natchez Trace, Travel Styles

Exploring Louisiana from Baton Rouge to Bayou Country

May 21, 2017 By Jen Ambrose and Ryan Victor 2 Comments

Many people who travel to Louisiana only visit New Orleans, but it’s not too representative of the rest of the state. As it turns out, Southern Louisiana is a great place to learn about history, politics, climate change, and oft-forgotten communities. Follow along on our road trip to see the best things to do in Baton Rouge and then explore the Louisiana bayou. Stops include Houma, Thibodeaux, Cocodrie, Montegut, and Isle de Jean Charles, the setting of the film Beasts of the Southern Wild.

As much fun as New Orleans is, there’s more to see in Louisiana. Our road trip took us to the highlights of Baton Rouge and then to Houma and the bayou, a place where land becomes water.

Filed Under: Educational and Experiential, Louisiana, North America, Off the Beaten Path, Road Trips, U.S. Tagged With: Baton Rouge, Houma, Travel Styles

Stories in Ruins: Photo Essay of a Mississippi Ghost Town

April 28, 2017 By Ryan Victor 10 Comments

What’s a road trip through the American South without a stop at a ghost town? This photo essay tells the story of Rodney, Mississippi, a formerly important port town with some interesting Civil War history. Today, it offers a unique and quiet beauty to the few visitors who head that way. But at only an hour from Natchez, a visit to Rodney is a fun thing to do if you’re in the area.

The ruins of Rodney, Mississippi, tell the story of a thriving Southern town decimated by the Civil War and the changing course of a nearby river. The churches and houses are abandoned now, and we loved experiencing their quiet beauty.

Filed Under: Educational and Experiential, Mississippi, North America, Off the Beaten Path, Road Trips, U.S. Tagged With: abandoned places, ghost towns, Natchez, photo essay, Rodney, Travel Styles

A Human Rights + Social Justice Road Trip in the American South

April 25, 2017 By Jen Ambrose 18 Comments

Road trips just might be the best way to travel in the American South. Our trip through Louisiana, Mississippi, and Alabama was focused on history, civil rights, human rights, social justice, and the environment. The route included New Orleans, Natchez, Birmingham, Selma, and more, with stops at some of the region’s best museums and monuments. See our full road trip itinerary, and get our best tips to plan your own visit to the South.

The South might not be too touristed, but it’s full of sites all Americans should see. Our Southern road trip taught us so much about this country’s past and about human rights and social justice, both historically and today. Relive the journey with us, and get some tips for planning a trip of your own.

Filed Under: Alabama, Educational and Experiential, Louisiana, Mississippi, North America, Off the Beaten Path, Road Trips, U.S. Tagged With: American South, civil rights, human rights, New Orleans, Travel Styles

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Close-up of a white man and woman both wearing black with trees in the background, and an overlaying green banner that says "Welcome!"

Hi! We’re Jen and Ryan, an American couple on a journey to travel the world while working from the road. We’re passionate about outdoor adventure, responsible travel, and getting off the beaten path. Passions and Places is a space for us to share our stories and tips with you, but most importantly, we hope to inspire you to seek your own adventure.

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