Join Thomas and Becky Repp as they team up with Gary Mantz to bring you a new road trip adventure each week. American Road Trip Talk is your chance to discover the backroads that embody true Americana. As the owners and producers of award-winning American Road magazine, Thomas and Becky want your future road trip to be both interesting and exciting. By teaming up with veteran radio broadcaster, Gary Mantz, they offer up valuable road trip planning information.


Latest Episodes

Two-Lane Pilgrim’s Pride in New England

Autumn in New England sets a table of natural splendor for modern pilgrims who find something close to heaven on the winding roads of a heritage region. Jamie Jensen has been there and done that more than once. He joins us with tales from his travels.

Illumination: Tree Lights at the Morton Arboretum

This season, see Illumination: Tree Lights at The Morton Arboretum near Chicago! From Nov. 19 through Jan. 7, 2023, guests can explore 18 different features along a tree-lined one-mile walking trail immersed in color and light. What better time to visit than during the Centennial celebration of a suburban arboreal paradise? Dec. 14 is the date of the Arboretum’s founding in 1922.

Remembering Car Culture Heroes Lost in 2022

After many years of sharing their passion for style and performance with the world, some very bright lights of car culture have passed on in 2022. Their departure leaves a void, yes, but their brilliance remains behind to inspire the advance of automotive technology. Mark Greene of Cars Yeah is on hand to share their stories.

Happy Halloween Haunts in Puget Sound 2022

For those who dare, the Halloween fright season has arrived! With it comes a plethora of choices for enjoying a darned good scare thanks to ghoulishly creative folks around Seattle and Puget Sound. Matt Shea visits to share the spooky details.

A Lake Michigan Mosaic

Meet author Fred Carlisle. His work, The Lake Effect, is grounded in personal experiences but moves to wider considerations that include the aesthetic, emotional, historic, economic, and social effects of Lake Michigan. The book captures the lake’s mesmerizing beauty in summer and winter.

Grovers Mill, NJ and The War of the Worlds

The tiny community of Grovers Mill, New Jersey was made famous by Orson Welles’ October 30, 1938 radio broadcast of The War of the Worlds, where it was depicted as the first landing site of a Martian invasion. The Martians never actually showed up but that didn’t stop much of the nation from becoming terrified as the fictional attack was accepted as real by thousands of listeners. Karl Petry knows the spot and shares the story of The Night That Panicked America.

Subterranean Wonderland at Luray Caverns

In the pristine Shenandoah Valley of Virginia, close by a National Park, Luray Caverns invites you to explore beneath the tableau of beauty and discover the largest and most popular caverns east of the Mississippi. A world of magic and majesty, a “fairyland in stone” has been 4,000,000 centuries in the making.

Classy Cars of Classic TV (encore)

Everyone has a favorite car from the sensational (or campy) days of television in the 60’s, 70’s and 80’s. The Batmobile, perhaps? How about that jalopy The Monkees drove around town? Or The General from The Dukes of Hazzard? Geoffrey Mark visits with stories of the rides that brought style and muscle to TV shows of days gone by.

Memory Makers at the Muscogee (Creek) Nation

We chat with Muscogee (Creek) National Council Speaker Will Lowe about exciting places to visit in the tribe’s eleven-counties. From the Nation’s original capitol built in Indian Territory to exciting nightlife at the renowned River Spirit Casino Resort, it’s a road trip to remember!

NFL Tailgating: Bigger and Better Than Ever

In the hotly competitive world of pro football, NFL tailgating is big-time fun and serious business. On game day, throngs of fans meet and greet to drink and eat in anticipation of the day’s gridiron clash. There is even a Tailgating Hall of Fame! Matt Shea reports on how things play out each week in parking lots around the league.