The Ultimate Road Trip Playlist Challenge

PA Route 6 Takes the Crown in the Ultimate Road Trip Playlist Challenge – But the Real Winner is Pennsylvania

Over the last few weeks, three of Pennsylvania’s most historic roadways — PA Route 6, the Lincoln Highway, and the PA National Road — came together for something a little unexpected: a friendly playlist showdown.

The idea was simple: what if each corridor built a playlist that captured the sound of their region — the feel of the open road, the character of the towns, the history behind the landscapes?

The result was the Ultimate Road Trip Playlist Challenge, a first-of-its-kind collaboration between three Pennsylvania Heritage Areas. Together, we invited communities across the state to help shape playlists that honored the places we call home. Aaaand we got a little competitive.

While PA Route 6 came out on top (HUGE congratulations to them by the way!) the real achievement wasn’t about who “won.” It was about how music brought us together.

While our roads keep us connected from town to town, it’s music that keeps us connected from person to person.

Each playlist became a story of it’s own — a blend of local favorites, road trip classics, hidden gems, and homegrown pride. From bluegrass and folk to rock and soul, the submissions told stories far beyond what a brochure or historic marker ever could.

And behind it all was the collaboration.

This wasn’t just a competition between heritage corridors — it was a celebration of what our heritage areas share: a love for Pennsylvania’s communities, history, culture, and the things that keep us Pennsylvania.

So whether you’re winding through the northern hills of Route 6, tracing the early transcontinental path of the Lincoln Highway, or riding the legacy of America’s first federally funded road on the National Road — we hope you’ll press play and take the journey with us again. We’ll be sure to build more playlists for you to enjoy along the way. 

🎧 The playlists are still live. The music still matters. Rock on!
Keep listening. Keep exploring. And let the soundtrack of Pennsylvania stay with you, wherever you go.

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Get to know the Heritage Corridors of PA

Three officially designated Pennsylvania Heritage Areas have joined the challenge:

• PA Route 6 Heritage Corridor
  Stretching across the northern tier of the state, covering 11 counties,Route 6 offers all the best of PA’s scenic byways. Rural towns, bike ways and artist alleys are found along the stretch of road.
  
• The Lincoln Highway Heritage Corridor
  Running 200 miles through the south-central part of Pennsylvania, the Penn-Lincoln Highway is steeped in Americana, vintage roadside culture, and stories of innovation and industry.
  
• The National Road Heritage Corridor
  The National Road winds through PA’s southwestern counties including Fayette, Somerset, and Washington highlighting rich industrial and cultural history.