Chevy had it right: See the USA (and its crudest places)

There’s a funny scene in the 1983 Chevy Chase movie Vacation, where the irrepressible ex-“Saturday Night Live” star, as the beleaguered Clark Griswold, is driving his family from Chicago to a prominent southern California amusement park while taking (willingly or unwillingly) the scenic route.

Griswold, as the sentimental but clueless Dad who tries without success to interest his bored pair of teenagers in off-beat sights along the way, finally gives up and chides them:  “OK! But don’t blame me that you won’t get to see the world’s second-largest ball of twine…”

If you’re vacationing this summer and twine isn’t your thing, and want to see something a little offbeat that lends some cachet to your vay-kay, why not tour some oil and gas museums and see some vintage oil and gas stations along the way?

If you’re reading this, chances are you’re somehow connected to, or have at least some interest in, the oil and gas business. That credential alone gives you a reasonable chance of coming away from these museums with a renewed appreciation of the fundamental imprint the industry has stamped on the area you’re touring.

Oil and gas museums are typically located in big producing areas such as east Texas, Oklahoma, Pennsylvania, Louisiana, Kansas and California.

Some exceptions include the Northwoods Petroleum Museum in Three Lakes, Wisconsin, out in the boonies near the Michigan border–although it’s more devoted to gas station and vintage car and motor oil memorabilia than oil exploration. You can take a video tour of it on YouTube, to the sounds of Beach Boys cruisin’ songs:  “I Get Around,” “Little Deuce Coupe,” “409” and others. Illinois and Indiana also have oil museums.

A sampling of museums is listed here:

The Mid-Continent Oil & Gas Association of Oklahoma also offers a historic tour of petroleum-related sites in the state on its web page.

In addition, here’s another site of museums and restored gas stations:

The American Petroleum Institute also has a museum page:

And a page that contains tinier oil museums:

As for old gas stations, they’re something to see primarily if you’re passing through an area and have a yen for nostalgia. In some cases, the stations are closed but the old building remains, even if run-down and vacant for many years. If you’re interested, call the municipality to find out if it’s still there; most cities and towns have web sites. Some of the vintage stations are still in business and look so friendly they entice you want to drive in and filler’ up–although unfortunately they charge today’s pump prices.

Old-style oil and gas pumps, as well as old metal gas station signage, are sought-after collectibles these days. If you’re an old-timer, or a fan of old movies, you may remember the glass bulbs that advertised the logo of filling stations (that’s the old-fashioned word for gas station, young’uns).

Besides the site of restored gas stations listed above, here’s a list of interesting old gas stations, by state.

Oh–and while you’re in Parkersburg, West Virginia at that oil museum, you can also drive by that city’s Muffler Man.  Over the years, Muffler Men–oversized fiberglass statues advertising businesses, but which have become roadside attractions in themselves–have gained a kooky but loyal following. There’s a slew of them out there, maybe one or several in your home town:

So take a look.  It’s gotta beat the world’s second largest ball of twine.

Platts