(First published February 2-24, Updated July 2025)

One of the under appreciated joys of traveling by car or RV is the ability to take a detour off the highway and visit small towns along the route. While scrolling through our Photos Library we discovered that we had captured images of a number of murals in small towns over the last four years of travel. Here are a few of our favorites.

Lunenburg, Nova Scocia, Canada. Fishing town and UNESCO site on the Atlantic Ocean.

While heading to Three Rivers Petroglyph Site we passed through the city of Tularosa, New Mexico and discovered a mural that highlights the Sacramento Mountains and the world’s first atomic blast which occurred nearby.

Shamrock, Texas was named by the town’s first postman who clearly was of Irish heritage. The scenes inside the letters represent local landmarks and the iconic Route 66.

Murals are works of art that are sometimes used to showcase the cultural history of a community. In the mural below, the City of Baraboo, Wisconsin pays homage to both its circus roots.

Murals don’t happen without the contribution of many members of the community. Murals, as with most works of public art, bring people together.

The City of Moab, Utah celebrates both nearby Canyonlands and Arches National Parks and many outdoor activities in its mural.

It takes a lot of paint and painters to create a mural.

Laramie, Wyoming has more than 20 murals in its down town. This one about the short life of a criminal.

Not all murals get the respect they deserve. The yard in front of the Red Rock Center for the Arts mural in Fairmont, Minnesota could use some decluttering.

Here is one final mural that is a personal favorite of ours. We had to “travel” 1,100 feet from our home in Eastern Pennsylvania to see it.

We find that artist, Eurhi Jones in her Hometown Ecology mural, artfully captures the community and beauty of our area. A big thanks to Dan Goldberg, the owner of Main Line Cycles, who “donated” the wall. The mural makes us smile each time we pass by!

We are so fortunate be living at a time when we can easily take terrific photographs and to carry them with us on our phones, tablets and laptops instead of storing them away in a box. You should take a look at your photo library. You might be surprised by what you find.

The temperature reached 60 degrees yesterday near Philadelphia. Maybe Punxsutawney Phil was right. Spring will be here soon.