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Leslie Goddard, Ph.D., is an award-winning historian, author, actress and lecturer who has been presenting on topics in American history and women’s history for twenty years. Born in Illinois, Leslie is known nationally for her work bringing women’s history alive. Her repertoire of famous women includes television personality and cook Julia Child, first ladies Eleanor Roosevelt and Jackie Kennedy and more. Her acclaimed portrayal of art collector and Chicago socialite Bertha Honore Palmer won the Philip A. Danielson Award from Westerners International.

Have you ever slept in a wigwam? Or taken a selfie with Paul Bunyan? Ever stepped inside an alligator’s mouth? Since Americans took to the highways for long-distance travel in the 1920s, entrepreneurs have been dreaming up unusual structures to attract passing motorists. Although the heyday passed with the arrival of interstate highways, thousands of quirky roadside attractions remain. Join pop culture historian Leslie Goddard, Ph.D. to explore these unique structures and what they tell us about the history of road travel.