The large-scale version of the Rand McNally Road Atlas is filled with the same useful U.S. travel information as the standard road atlas, but has larger type and easier-to-read maps that are 25 percent bigger. It contains nearly twice as many map pages as the classic Road Atlas.

The atlas has handy travel information like emergency cell phone numbers, hotel and rental car web sites, mileage charts and a driving times map. That’s not to mention the 124 pages of Rand McNally maps for all 50 states, Canada and Mexico. The fun facts, sights to see and “Mileages Between Cities” charts found in the maps’ margins keep travelers moving in the right direction. For the first time, the large-scale atlas features a sturdy spiral binding, allowing the book to lay flat when open. The Large Scale Road Atlas, available at select retailers and online retails for $19.95.

Off the Beaten Track
Climb in your car and head out to any of these five drives. All hand-picked by the editors of Rand McNally’s new 2008 Large Scale Road Atlas, the trips highlight lesser known shops, attractions and restaurants along each featured route.

1. “Simply Irresistible” (Santa Barbara to Monterrey, Calif.): Walk through rows of lavender plants at the five-acre Clairmont Lavender Farm in Los Olivos, then watch as organic lavender oil is made using a copper still. Take a trip along the 17-Mile Drive in the Del Monte Forest, a private toll road that curves between the Pacific Ocean and multimillion-dollar estates and world-famous golf courses.

2. “North by Northwest” (Bayfield to Eagle River, Wis.): Charter the Esprit sailboat at Dreamcatcher Sailing Charters in Bayfield, and learn about Lake Superior ecology from Captain John Thiel. Stay a night at the Chanticleer Inn in Eagle River, and enjoy a surf-and-turf dinner overlooking Voyaageur Lake.

3. “Discover America’s Past” (Historic Jamestown to Yorktown, Va.): Try the French Country Platter of assorted pates, meats, cheeses and breadstuffs al fresco at Gabriel Archer Tavern at Williamsburg Winery. Take in a performance of Celtic and contemporary Irish song and dance at Abbey Stone Theatre in Williamsburg.

4. “High Tide, Low Stress, Big Adventure” (Prince Edward Island and the New Brunswick Coast, Canada): Catch glimpses of cormorants diving and seals playing from the top of the East Point Lighthouse in East Point, PEI. Take a daylong kayaking adventure off Deer Island, NB, courtesy of Seascape Kayak Tours.

5. “Culture in Cowboyland” (Fort Worth, Texas, to Tulsa, Okla.): Browse Mexican, Moroccan, traditional African and Indian housewares and furniture at Cierra Furniture in Dallas. Then treat yourself to dark chocolate espresso crème Oklahoma Black Gold Bars at Bedre Fine Chocolate, Pauls Valley, Okla.

Visit www.randmcnally.com and click on Paper Maps and Atlases for more information.

Claire Yezbak Fadden is the Associate Editor of LifeAfter50.com.