I want to learn about what the places I want to search were like back in the day. How do I look the roads and houses up? The typo maps are tough to understand,
Is there a state or county historical society in your area. Many are now online with stories, pictures and maps. If you are interested in a particular city or park try a google search with the name and the word history in it. I have found a tremendous amount of information just through Google searches. Your library might also have history books, and plat maps.
Also, try historicmapworks.com. You can preview maps and buy those you are interested in.
Sanborn Fire Insurance maps...began in 1867 and were updated yearly for many cities and towns across the country. If you are lucky, your city or state library will have microfilm access to them. If you are even luckier, they will have an online database where you can download, save and print the maps. PDF format, or something similar, I believe. They are very cool, informative and I always enjoy mapping out my city 100 years ago.