I am tearing my old asphalt drive out and my mother suggested using gravel because she thought it "fit" the home type (1950's ranch). Do people still use gravel and if so what kind looks best??? Can gravel make things look nice or does gravel "ring cheap"!

A lot depends on where you live. Are you out in the country, or city/suburbs. If you're in the city/burbs, I'd suggest almost anything over gravel. What type of landscaping do you have to tend with? I live in a community in the country. There is a mix of gravel drives, asphalt drives and cement drives. Look around your surrounding area next time you're driving around and decide what you like and "fits" with the area. I have an asphalt drive, and HATE it. If I had my choice, I'd go with cement (or concrete...whichever it is).

'Course how would you feel about your driveway being the odd one in the neighborhood.
(i.e. if that were so)

There are some disadvantages:
Its a lot harder to clear snow off of it by shovel. A snowblower though could still be used.
You'd have to continually sweep the roadside of loose gravel.

If the surface is bordered by grass--it too would have to be cleared of stones.
Lime that may be part of the make-up of the gravel will leach into your gardens and may be picked up by foot traffic, taking that into the house.

With a solid base that is tamped down, gravel can be a good surface for a driveway.
It certainly drains well.
It wouldn't be my first choice...but then neither would asphalt.
Inter-lock stone or brick is much used nowadays...but is cost prohibitive.
If you have money to spare---maybe even do the job yourself, inter-lock raises your house value by many thousands.
Then there's crushed brick-which can be harmonized with the color of the house.
*same as inter-lock.

Rather than gravel, which is various sized stones mixed with sand, most people are opting for pulverized Dolomite, limestone. But as Jeannie correctly points out in snowy areas either one will present problems with snow removal. When I had a snow plow the stones where removed along with the snow and now with my snow blower I do still pick up and throw stones everytime I clean the drive out.
If I had a real choice I would have either a concrete or asphalt drive.

quote:

Do people still use gravel and if so what kind looks best??? Can gravel make things look nice or does gravel "ring cheap"!

not cheap> but eventually gravel disappears into the soil and all you are left with is dirt.
We will have our cracked cement driveway replaced with new, this time a stamped pattern and used brick for the walkways to match the ranch style of our home