Instagram Photos From the Good Traveler -- National Geographic

Vagabond journalist Aric S. Queen—aka the Good Traveler—is on a classic American road trip. He's finding uncommon stories of everyday people—and documenting his trip with Instagram shots. Follow along @goodtraveler.

White Sands National Monument
Photograph by Aric Queen
Near Alamogordo, New Mexico
The Good Traveler, Aric Queen, heads up a dune at White Sands National Monument for a sandboarding run. The national monument protects the world's largest gypsum dunefield—275 square miles of desert covered in gleaming sand.
>> Read more from The Good Traveler
Dave's Pawn Shop
Photograph by Aric Queen
El Paso, Texas
"Vampire hearts. Shrunken heads. And a lot of Elvis," Queen writes of this eclectic space in El Paso, hailed as the "greatest pawn shop in America."
>> Read more from The Good Traveler
"Prada Marfa"
Photograph by Aric Queen
Valentine, Texas
Popping out of the dusty Texas landscape near the quirky town of Marfa, this pop art installation was conceived by artists Elmgreen and Dragset to resemble an actual Prada store.
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San Antonio River Walk
Photograph by Aric Queen
San Antonio, Texas
Visitors to San Antonio's famous River Walk take a boat tour of the public park, which features shops, restaurants, hotels, and more.
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Hangout Music Fest
Photograph by Aric Queen
Gulf Shores, Alabama
The Flaming Lips perform Pink Floyd's Dark Side of the Moon at the Hangout Music Fest, a three-day music festival held on an Alabama beach.
>> Read more from The Good Traveler
Jackson Square
Photograph by Aric Queen
New Orleans, Louisiana
A statue of Andrew Jackson on horseback rises before the St. Louis Cathedral, a New Orleans landmark.
>> Meet Irvin Durand: Ambassador of NOLA goodness
Beignets
Photograph by Aric Queen
New Orleans, Louisiana
Chicory coffee and fried beignets liberally coated with powdered sugar are a New Orleans tradition.
>> Read more from The Good Traveler
Camping
Photograph by Aric Queen
Meridian, Mississippi
"My cheapest hotel room to date—40 feet from the water moccasins," Queen says.
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Hank Williams Gravesite
Photograph by Aric Queen
Montgomery, Alabama
Country legend Hank Williams's gravesite in Oakwood Annex Cemetery includes a marble replica of his cowboy hat.
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Bonaventure Cemetery
Photograph by Aric Queen
Savannah, Georgia
Spanish moss drips from trees near singer Johnny Mercer's grave in Savannah's Bonaventure Cemetery. The graveyard was made famous in John Berendt's Midnight in the Garden of Good and Evil.
>> Video: Savannah from a bicycle
Savannah Theatre
Photograph by Aric Queen
Savannah, Georgia
The historic Savannah Theatre first opened its doors in 1818 and is billed as the U.S.'s oldest continuously operating theater.
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Gullah Weaving
Photograph by Aric Queen
Lady's Island, South Carolina
A woman practices traditional Gullah weaving on Lady's Island, an area near the city of Beaufort. Gullah are descendents of enslaved Africans who settled on the isolated barrier islands between Jacksonville, Florida, and Wilmington, North Carolina.
>> The Gullah: A disappearing culture
Biking
Photograph by Aric Queen
Charleston, South Carolina
Biking is the "second best way to get around Charleston," says Queen, "the first being walking very, very slowly."
>> Gallery: Charleston in black and white
Shrimp 'n' Grits
Photograph by Aric Queen
Charleston, South Carolina
Shrimp 'n' grits is a traditional Charleston specialty.
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Sheldon Church Ruins
Photograph by Aric Queen
Beaufort County, South Carolina
Originally built in the mid-1700s, this church was burned by the British during the Revolutionary War. It was rebuilt and burned again in 1865.
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Sunday Hats
Photograph by Aric Queen
Charleston, South Carolina
Sunday means church and finery for many in Charleston.
>>Gallery: Charleston in black and white
Poogan's Porch
Photograph by Aric Queen
Charleston, South Carolina
The yellow house that's home to Poogan's Porch restaurant is rumored to also house the ghost of former resident Zoe St. Amand.
>> Gallery: Charleston in black and white
Elsewhere Artist Collaborative
Photograph by Aric Queen
Greensboro, North Carolina
Toys—for play, not sale—line the walls at the Elsewhere Artist Collaborative, a museum and studio in Greensboro.
>> Video: The Elsewhere Museum
Goolrick's Modern Pharmacy
Photograph by Aric Queen
Fredericksburg, Virginia
Goolrick's Modern Pharmacy has been serving chicken salad and filling prescriptions since 1863.
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Beta Bridge
Photograph by Aric Queen
Charlottesville, Virginia
The Beta Bridge on the University of Virginia campus has been painted—and repainted—over and over since 1978.
>> Read more from The Good Traveler