15 Old American Traditions We Miss (and Some Worth Bringing Back)
Sunday dinner, Sunday drives, drive-in movies, county fairs and handwritten letters. A nostalgic look at old American traditions and how to revive them.
In this article
Before smartphones and streaming, American life had its own rhythms and rituals. Many of these old traditions brought families and neighbors together, and many are worth bringing back.
Family traditions
- Sunday dinner: the whole family around the table for pot roast or fried chicken after church. Try our slow cooker pot roast to bring it back.
- The Sunday drive: piling into the car with no destination, just to see the countryside.
- Family game night: Monopoly, Scrabble, card games and plenty of arguments.
- Watching TV together: one TV, one show, the whole family.
- Saturday morning cartoons with a big bowl of cereal.
Community traditions
- County and state fairs: livestock shows, pie contests, Ferris wheels and funnel cakes. Many are still going strong.
- Church potlucks and ice cream socials.
- Drive-in movies: only a few hundred remain in the U.S. today, and many still operate seasonally.
- Hometown Fourth of July parades, with fire trucks, marching bands and kids on decorated bikes.
- Front porch visiting: neighbors stopping by in the evening just to talk.
Everyday traditions
- Handwritten letters and pen pals.
- Sending Christmas cards and displaying the ones you received.
- Home-cooked meals from Grandma's recipe box. See our retro recipes.
- Dressing up to travel by plane or train.
- The local five-and-dime and soda fountain.
How to bring old traditions back
- Pick one night a week for a phone-free family dinner.
- Start a monthly game night with neighbors.
- Write a letter to a grandparent or old friend.
- Visit your county fair or a drive-in this season.
- Take a Sunday drive. See our best scenic drives in the USA.
Do you remember the good old days? Take our born before 1980 quiz.
