Sports: Then Pepsi (now Coke Zero) 400 on a Saturday night. Weirdest sports trip of my life. I traveled a lot for work and work made us pay for the tickets out of our own pockets ahead of time and then I got paid back afterwards. Well, I got a refund, but they would not give me cash, I got a "voucher" for like $200. Did not have much money back then and $200 would not take me anywhere, but I fooled around on the computer and found a trip for exactly that to Daytona. Landed (the airport and the track on on the same piece of property) at 6 PM, race started at 7:30, and the fireworks were simply great. Also had a B-2 flyover before the race. Fooled around at the track until they made me leave at about 2 AM. Went over to the airport and slept under a palm tree until 6 AM when I caught my 7 AM flight out. Home by noon. Thing was, there were hundreds of people just sleeping on the ground around the track, many of whom were doing the same thing as I was, flying in and out without any hotel.
Best ever: Was in Custer, South Dakota (which is Mount Rushmore's motel area) for the 4th. Guy taps on my door and INVITES me to the fireworks. Everybody goes out into a park and the VFD collects money and they shot off fireworks for an hour. That is what rural America and car travel is all about and what people who just fly from one big blue city to another big blue city will never get.