America's Grandest Gas Stations

The start of the holiday season also marks the start of a travel tour de force. The season filled with family, friends, and hearty meals is also often filled with miles and miles of travel. While some will brave TSA lines and potential lost luggage, millions of Americans will be hitting the road to reach their holiday destinations. Inevitably, this comes with a stop at a gas station or two. Most are routine stopovers with little to see more than cheap snacks and lottery tickets, others are marvels of architecture and history that add wonder to the journey. 

When travelers pull into this tiny gas station in Cloquet, Minnesota with a lookout tower, they are stopping at a piece created by an architectural legend. The Frank Lloyd Wright Gas Station was originally designed as a home for a Cloquet resident, who happened to be in the petroleum business. Across the country in the deserts of Hanksville, Utah, a stop at the Hallow Mountain gas stations means walking into a rockface. The convenience store that services the stations was built directly into the rocky Utah terrain, offering an escape from the heat.

From a gas station inspired by a political scandal to an Art Deco delight, here are 13 gas stations that offer a welcome reprieve from the open road.