Classic American Road Trips: Walking Tours of Towns along the Dixie Highway (Look Up, America!)

As automobiles began to crowd horses off America's roads in the early 1900s Carl Fisher was making battery-powered headlamps in Indianapolis, Indiana. He was always looking for a way to promote automobile use to sell more headlamps and he was one of the businessmen who raised money to build the Indianapolis Motor Speedway and launch the most famous auto race in the world.

In 1910 Fisher invested in land in Florida and he now had reason to promote not only automobiles but a destination for all those new motorists as well. Fisher had been an energetic cheerleader for the Lincoln Highway that was the nation's first transcontinental road project and in 1915 he began spreading his ideas for an interstate highway between Chicago and Miami. More than 5,000 enthusiasts representing over 100 communities showed up for a meeting in Chattanooga where the Dixie Highway Association was formed. There was so much enthusiasm that two routes were mapped out and a series of connectors led to places like Sault Ste. Marie in Michigan and Ontario in Canada.

The construction of the Dixie Highway was mostly completed by 1926 and became the first auto road to link the rural south with the industrialized midwest. A;most four thousand miles of road had been upgraded to paved brick or concrete and designated as part of the Dixie Highway.

While east-west routes in America could easily claim a single United States route number, the slanted Dixie Highway had to make do with connecting routes. Much of the southern route was traveled along Route 41, in Kentucky and Tennessee it was Route 25 and in MIchigan it was Route 27 for instance.

Touring guides were printed for travelers along the Dixie Highway and some individual towns worked hard to entice motorists on the route. the interstate highway system began to eat away at Dixie Highway traffic in the 1950s and in 1977 Interstate 75 was completed between Sault Ste. Marie and Tampa, Florida. The historic tourist road faded into oblivion. Most is completely gone although some stretches, such as US 25 from the Ohio river in Covington, Kentucky to Greenville, South Carolina can still be traveled today.

Most of the Dixie Highway therefore must be traveled in spirit, following the general direction as America's earliest auto travelers a century ago. There is no better way to see the towns of the Dixie Highway than on foot. And there is no better way to appreciate what you are looking at than with a walking tour. Whether you are visiting a new town or just out to look at your own town in a new way, a walking tour is ready to explore when you are. Each walking tour describes a mix of historical and architectural and ecclesiastical landmarks. A quick primer on identifying architectural styles seen on America’s streets can be found at the end of the book.

Chicago
Indianapolis
Cincinnati
Lexington
Knoxville
Chattanooga
Asheville
Greenville
Augusta
Savannah
Jacksonville
St. Augustine
Miami