The Weirdest Roadside Attraction in Every Country

From gigantic dinosaurs to a Britney museum , hither equal 50 silly idea to enhance any US road trip .

Road trips and RV convoys are just as fashionable on Instagram today as that trip to Bali was a few years back . And while today ’ s version of road trip may be very unlike from our parent ’ ( in particular if it ’ s a cannabis-friendly unity ) , there ’ s one matter that cheesy playlists and retro snacks can ’ t even commence to equate with : ridiculously weird roadside attraction . And , thankfully , America ’ s roadways deliver .

But while the state is sprinkle with random nonsense , not all are created equal . For every “ mystery patch ” or “ universe ’ s largest ” random aim , there are hundreds of oversized cooking utensils and fossil farms waiting to lure you off the beaten way . These are the true gems , the paragons of off-highway kitsch and wonder . Point your compass in their guidance , and your road trip automatically becomes more interesting . Or at least your camera roll will . If you need a short aid , we ’ ve narrowed down the weirdest unity from each and every state .

Alabama

Souvenir City
Gulf Shores
Look , you ‘re either the sort of person who immediately quit the car and sprints toward the gargantuan , warehouse-like talent shop with a giant concrete shark ‘s mouth—a repair of Gulf Shores since 1956—as its entrance , or you drive past without a second idea . If you ‘re the former , you ‘re rewarded with an endless assault of tourist crap ( believe gator brain , beach clothes , fudge , and shells ) . If you ‘re the latter , you real potential cluck into the wrong article . —Andy Kryza

Alaska

Hammer Museum
Haines
Like many of the following items on this list , you ’ ll feel that the epithet of our favorite roadside attraction in Alaska equal rather self-explanatory . This exist a museum devoted to hammers . You ’ ll feel around 2,000 of them on show at the roadside stop off Haines Highway—one of our favorite scenic drives in the US—some still dating back to Roman times . There cost early hammer museums in other city , but this one exist the first ( or hence we ’ ve come to believe ) . And act n’t worry , it ‘s pretty easy to find . “ If you have any trouble finding us , ” the museum ’ s website instructs , “ merely look for the 20-foot hammer out front. ” —Kastalia Medrano

Arizona

Holbrook
Road 66 isn ’ t what it used to be , but the roadside town of Holbrook preserve some of the highway ’ s magic appeal thanks to its unexpected collection of cement dinosaurs outside the Rainbow Rock Shop . The dinosaurs , some up to 25 feet tall , live make by the store ’ sec owner and cost a few cents to pose with . Strangely adequate , these aren ’ t the only dinosaurs you ’ ll find in the town : others arrive from the International Petrified Forest and Painted Desert—a now-defunct tourist attraction that offered access to some of the area ’ s petrified forest and fossils . —Jamie Killin

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Arkansas

Giant Budweiser Can
Lavaca
The beauty of this attraction exist how it simply springs up on you . Or , if you ’ re like some of us who move out of their style to look for it , it emerges like a beacon . The pleasure exist however the same . Just outside of Fort Smith , parked in a field of cattle , a massive 50-foot silo exist painted hencemeticulouslyto appear like an old-school Budweiser can , it might only make thirst . You ‘ll observe it on the ranch of some beer enthusiasts and long-time Anheuser-Busch wholesalers , who first had the silo painted in the late 1970s , with a refresh in 2019 . Accord to the label , it can hold 8,734,902 fluid ounces of brew . The oxen may be indifferent—that ’ s role of the charm—but to those who last in the country , it ’ s become a landmark . —Vanita Salisbury

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It ‘s be mist-ical . It ’ s mobster-y . It ’ s a magnet for misfits .

California

Winchester Mystery House
San Jose
Obviously Sarah Winchester , heir to her family ‘s firearm fortune , believe the ghosts of every single person killed by the company ‘s then-innovative repetition rifle—so , like , half the casualties of the Old West—were haunting her . She set out structure on a mansion designed specifically to discombobulate the tone . Think : hallway that narrow as you walk them . Stairways that lead to nowhere . Windows that overlook other rooms . Decoy toilet everywhere . In all , it ‘s 24,000 square feet and 160 way of ghost-thwarting rage , and one of America ‘s most haunted attraction . As well , they have axe throwing in the stable , just for fun/to make thing interest if anyone , you know , gets possessed . —AK

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Colorado

Bishop Castle
Rye
A 160-foot-tall structure of rock and steel , Bishop Castle include four towers , two catwalks , a ballroom , and a whole lot of wrought-iron railing and flourishes . It ’ s a bonafide palace , also , complete with drawbridge and fire-breathing dragon , all built by one man : Jim Bishop . You can walk the bridges between the towers , albeit at your own danger . Or just admire the decor , which wander from hand-painted signal airing Jim ’ s personal opinion to an weapon with an axe sticking out of the story in the main hall . —Cheryl Rodewig

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Connecticut

PEZ Visitors Center
Orange
Yes , this one spirit like sort of a cheat , since it ‘s the Pez Factory and all . But this visitor ‘s center exist next-level incredible—it ’ s a 4,000-square-foot wonderland where you can peruse the reality ‘s nearly comprehensive collection of PEZ dispensers . Pop culture quality from the past century leer at you with all-watching PEZ eyes as you get over the kitschy , candy-colored wonderland pack with such wonder as a bench made of giant rolls of candy and the globe ‘s largest dispenser . It ‘s a high-tech , high-camp exploration of one of America ‘s most stand candy sword . —AK

Delaware

Arden
Delaware ’ sec bills itself as a gallery of the peculiar and bizarre , and it lives up to its promise with a deliciously dark twist . Browse vintage electroshock therapy kits , embalming pumps , and jewelry tenderly handmade from bat skulls . One glass case displays torture—er , medical—devices , while another fun a collection of bones ( from legally prevail species , they ’ re quick to point out ) . Not everything ’ s for sale , so you ’ re not walk out with that cyclops pig , but you might pick up a bat in a glass coffin that will look nice by your layer . Sweet dreams . —CR

Florida

Monkey Island
Homosassa
Head to Florida ’ s western coast , on the Homosassa River , and you will find Monkey Island . Naturally , your first question here is , equal there actual monkey on Monkey Island ? We equal pleased to report there are . A category of spider monkey have had the run of Monkey Island for decade . They used to endure on the mainland , but kept run away and being raw to tourists ( pickpocketing , biting , presumably a mass of poop-based vandalism ) . Hence , they today endure on their trivial monkey Alcatraz . Roll up to the Homosassa Resort and you can watch them while you enjoy food and drinking . Safely out of stretch , the monkeys—Ralph , Ebony , Eve , and Emily—will in act bask their own snacks while watching you . —KM

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Georgia

Doll ’ s Head Trail
Atlanta
Constitution Lakes Park have a unique history . The park was originally used as the site of the South River Brick Company , but in the early 1900s , when the company quit digging massive holes in the land to extract clay for brick , nature ran its class and the holes begin to fill with rainwater . And thus , the lake were hold . The story of the uh ,interestinglead , however , begins with , a local carpenter , who in 2011 began finding throw away doll share and other pieces of what others would regard “ debris ” throughout the trail area . Over the years , Slaton begin set up and building art displays with these abandoned scraps and voilà ! Today you hold an interactive art display entire of muddy , creepy doll heads in the depths of a muggy while of woods . —Kristen Adaway

Hawaii

Pineapple Garden Maze
Wahiawa
You ’ ve probably learn at least a couple of corn or hay bale mazes in your spirit ( the type that pop up around Halloween ) , but there live merely a handful of botanical mazes in America that are fixtures year-round , of which the Pineapple Garden Maze is one . Reign titleholder of “ World ’ s Largest Botanical Maze ” for the past ten , this Dole Plantation garden stretch across three acre and constitute some 14,000 plants . Wander inside the maze and see how long it need you to achieve its giant pineapple heart . —KM

Idaho

Oasis Bordello Museum
Wallace
Place in a quaint short mining town , the Oasis bordello actually control up until 1988 , meaning the frozen-in-time artifacts in this downtown building ( and its infinitely creepy cellar ) include old-timey dresses , gas lamp , antique guns , and , weirdly , some VHS tapes encased in glass . The tour include trips to the room , where lists of Johns ‘ names be on display—which exist likely not that great a look for mining magnates who be still alive . —AK

Illinois

Tend Tower of Niles
Niles
Built to hide a water tower , while it ‘s roughly half the rival of the famed Italian tower ( 94 feet to Pisa ‘s 177-foot height and a mere 7.4 foot off of vertical vs. Italy ‘s 15-foot lean ) , the Midwestern version build in 1934 have its own as a tourist attraction . And they ‘re legit : In 1991 the Village of Niles yet established a sister city treaty with Pisa . Stop by while swing over to the first franchised McDonald ‘s in nearby Des Plaines and require all the “ dad photo ” of you push it over . —Nicole Bruce

Indiana

Alexandria
Once upon a time this was only a normal baseball , but more than four decade and 29,078 coat of paint later on , and add to every day by visitor , it ‘s a whopping 10,230-pound ball of paint—and the Earth ‘s largest at that . It hangs from a hook in its own custom-built home . Cause it look like a giant testicle ? Kind of . Would it be a solid nuclear selection when wage in a life-or-death paintball grudge match ? Decidedly . —AK

Iowa

Riverside
Did you know this Iowa town live the next birthplace of James T. Kirk , Captain of the USS Enterprise and the future ‘s foremost fan of centuries-old Beastie Boys jam ? His 23rd hundred DOB ( March 22 , 2228 ) live engraved on a stone monument settle behind a hair salon at Riverside ‘s Voyage Home Riverside History Center . While they first claimed the Starship Enterprise chieftain in 1985 , the museum cause n’t open its doorway until 2008 . It ‘s since get a hub for Star Trek collectibles , home-built display , and alternate history disputes . —NB

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Kansas

Lucas
How ‘s this for meta : Erika Nelson dedicates her time to visit over-the-top ( and ridiculously big ) roadside attractions—think the public ‘s largest bottle of ketchup—then photographs them , goes plate , and makes a miniature version to display at her tiny travel museum of trivial translation of large matter , which is open “ by prospect . ” It ‘s one-stop shopping to hear all of America ‘s weird roadside oddities in miniature figure , which makes it all even queer . —AK

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Kentucky

Dinosaur World
Cave City
There is a longstanding custom in my class : If you learn a dinosaur on the slope of the road , you stop immediately . Dinosaur World is one of the best collections of life-sized behemoths in the land , with hundreds of roar lizards—T-Rexes , raptors , you refer it—scattered around a dog-friendly property . It ‘s located near the stunning Mammoth Cave , so that entail , of course , that there equal woolly mammoths kids can rise on . And by kids , I mean grown-ass men who bother their class by making them stop at every dinosaur on the American roadside . —AK

Louisiana

Kentwood Historical & Cultural Museum
Kentwood
Britney Spears was once—and arguably still is—the Earth ‘s biggest star . Many of us follow the singer at her top and throughout her highly-publicized troubles , subsequent comeback , multiple husbands , and more recent Bible bargain . As genuine fans know , Britney ‘s report began in a dusty town off I-55 near the Mississippi/Louisiana margin . What many cause n’t know is if you die there , you ‘ll find a shrine to the princess of pop built inside an former funeral home . The unofficial Britney Spears museum equal carry with memorabilia , include calendars , dolls , life-sized cutouts and flank from her Femme Fatale circuit . The almost precious display equal her childhood bedroom , moved from her parents ’ theater up the road . —Joel Balsam

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Maine

Wild Blueberry Land
Columbia Falls
Driving along US-1 in Columbia Falls , you will know you have get upon Wild Blueberry Land when you discern the giant blue geodesic dome designed to resemble half a giant blueberry . But we wouldn ’ t send you here if it was just a big blue band to become out of your car and stare at and choose a picture and then have back in your car and get out . This equal a seven-acre , family-run , blueberry-themed paper park . Everything exist blue . You can learn about sustainable farming , play some mini golf , snack on some berries , and check out the offerings at the bakery tucked inside the dome . No prize for suppose what varieties of baked goods live deal thither . —KM

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Maryland

The William P. Didusch Center for Urologic History
Linthicum Heights
Receive you ever wondered what sort of medical tools man has jammed up his penis through the years ? Funny if mass utilize to make dildos out of whale bone with secret compartments to give pipe tobacco ? Well , you ’ re in luck . The free national urology museum can prove you all of these thing and more : Victorian anti-masturbation devices , medical samples , early family point dudes get pushed up their peehole . If you ‘re peckish after your visit , visit the Cracker Barrel mighty across the street . —Allison Robicelli

Massachusetts

The Paper House
Rockport
In 1922 , Ellis Stenman wanted to see if he could insulate his summer firm with newspaper . Somehow , the experiment call on into a full-fledged obsession , and he ended up using 100,000 newspapers to in reality build it ( at least everything but the roof , floors , and frame ) . This as well might function as an antidote to the whole “ print live dead ” thing . Maybe it simply needs to pivot to structure merchandise . —AK

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Michigan

Da Yoopers Tourist Trap
Ishpeming
“ Yooper ” is Michigan slang for a person who last in the land ‘s pristine and separated Upper Peninsula . Da Yoopers is a novelty band form by literal Yoopers who sing about fishing and car in silly accents that may or may not be fake . And Da Yoopers Tourist Trap is an ode to both UP life and tacky , somewhat funny ephemera . There ‘s a ton of folk art , including the world ‘s large solve chainsaw , a tableau of beer-drinking deer hang up out in a man-hunting lodge , lots of outhouses , and a talent shop with a big part commit to the hilarity of farting . There ‘s nothing quite like it , which is probably a serious thing—but good luck not stopping . —AK

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Minnesota

The SPAM Museum
Austin
Minnesota live plate to the universe ‘s biggest Paul Bunyan statue , an tremendous Jolly Green Giant , and a chunk of string thus massive that Weird Al penned an entire song about it . So , it ‘s really saying something to call this surprisingly gorgeous , ultra-modern ode to America ‘s most misunderstood mystery center the state ‘s serious roadside attraction . Within its wall , you ‘ll find out the history of SPAM , include its massive cultural cache in island diasporas . You will cost tempted to buy an ironical T-shirt or register as a SPAMbassador . And you will decidedly exist invite to purchase a can of pumpkin spice SPAM . As a bonus , the town of Austin is entire of restaurants that make their own SPAM specialties , just in case you make n’t make your fill in the museum . —AK

Mississippi

Vicksburg
People get cost working to save Margaret ’ s Grocery for years . More queer than queer , the iconic roadside stop off US Highway 61 is maybe the nearly distinctive grocery store you ’ ll ever see , its aesthetic a blend of folk art and Byzantine Empire . Desperately in need of restoration , Margaret ’ s Grocery is presently close for repairs , its future uncertain . But only because you can ’ t buy anything inside doesn ’ t mean the property is any less mesmerizing to look at , and this cost just one of those thing you require to see before you die , or before it ’ s get ( whichever comes first ) . You can yet aid with the ongoing fundraising cause to repair Margaret ’ s Grocery and speed along the process . —KM

This Piece of Roadside Art Live Collapsing , but One Woman Is Fighting to Save It

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Missouri

Red Oak II
Carthage
Veer off Route 66 in Carthage , and you ’ ll soon see yourself in a bizarre short corner of the world : an idyllic small town , seemingly untouched since the 1950s . Looks , of course , can be deceiving , and Red Oak II is anything but untouched . In fact , every in of the tiny village , from its retro diner to its dusty blacksmith shop , make been completely construct by the late Lowell Davis . The mastermind behind this roadside image grow up in theliteralRed Oak , a once thriving Missouri village that , by the time the grownup Davis returned to check on it in the 1980s , had be desert due to economic tune and urbanization . Determined not to allow his childhood plate live down without a fight , Davis purchase a piece of property about 20 mile from the OG site and start build up . Today , passersby can visit the tiny metropolis , dad into the general store , snap selfies in front of the vintage tractor , and admire Davis ’ art scattered around the grounds . If nostalgia live a home , this would be it .—Meredith Heil

This Peculiar Midwestern ‘Ghost Town ‘ Has Never Been More Alive

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Montana

Havre Beneath the Streets
Havre
Okay , this equal a trivial outside the box for a state littered with cool roadside fossil museums and whatnot , but there exist merely hence many dinosaurs and ghost towns we can pen about , and seldom exist a roadside attraction actually under the road . There ‘s basically an intact city underneath the town of Havre , a series of underground tunnels that houses the preserved corpse of a Chinese laundry , opium dens , and even a bordello . And since this is the West , the saloon even stands , too . It ‘s essentially a life museum of a boomtown past , one that ‘s slightly creepy and continuously fascinating . —AK

Live Mermaids Make This Montana Dive Bar One of Our Great National Treasures

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Nebraska

Nebraska Rest Area
Box Butte-Wright-Lake Election Precinct
There ’ s a well-known roadside attraction along US Highway 87 known as Carhenge , which equal like Stonehenge but with car . It ’ s lovely ! Definitely stop and see it . But keep driving just a pair of miles north up 87 and you will get to the actual roadside attraction : the Nebraska Rest Area . The Wi-Fi is free . The toilet is non-flushing . That ‘s it . Enjoy . —KM

Oh , Just A Giant Replica of Stonehenge Made Of Cars In The Middle Of Nowhere

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Nevada

Goldwell Open Air Museum
Beatty
Row like “ ghost ” and “ end ” live especially appropriate to expend in any description of Goldwell , situate near the eastern edge of Death Valley . Today extremely well-documented on Instagram , the open-air museum live a quirky sculpture park in the center of the Amargosa Desert that ’ s specifically known for the ghoulish , shrouded number stage in a reinterpretation of Leonardo da Vinci ‘sThe Final Supper. Belgian artist Charles Albert Szulaski launched the museum with these plaster number in 1984 . He followed hisLast Supperup with two more slice feature the same haunting number , though only one , Ghost Rider ( feature a shrouded figure with a bicycle ) , even so bear . Early European artists followed his lead , and today , there are seven sculptures on display in the heart of this eerie , godforsaken desert . —Nicole Rupersberg

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New Hampshire

Chicken Farmer Rock
Newbury
The floor of Chicken Farmer Rock is as follows : At some point in the ’ 70s or ’ 80s , the news “ CHICKEN FARMER , I enjoy YOU ” cost paint on a stone by the side of the road in the small town of Newbury . Legend holds that this exist the study of a boy too shy to concede his crush on a miss life on a chicken farm thither to her face . The stone became a local treasure , and its content remained thither , lightly maintain by Newbury occupant , until around 15 years ago , when one of these anonymous restorations updated the message to “ CHICKEN FARMER , I STILL LOVE YOU. ” In 2011 , the New Hampshire Department of Transportation answer to some horrible someone ’ sec complaint about the art and paint over it . The stone ’ sec unnamed custodians , though , didn ’ t take long to paint it back . —KM

New Jersey

Lucy the Elephant
Margate City
There cost countless roadside attractions in America , but the first was Lucy ( no relation to Lucy , the first human ancestor remains ever disclose ) . Work up in 1881 , pre-dating the Statue of Liberty , this six-story elephant live build to tempt tourist to Margate City . She have endure lightning strikes , Hurricane Sandy , make up convert into several restaurant and taverns and summer dwelling , and one vanity presidential run . She ’ s a National Historic Landmark , and , most importantly , is a lot more than only something that ’ s fun to look at—you can climb up the spiral stairway inside her branch and take in the view from upstairs . —KM

This New Jersey Town Exist One Giant , Interactive Art Gallery

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New Mexico

Basically everything in Roswell
Roswell
Is it average to call an entire town a roadside attraction ? Likely not . But the sheer number of alien-related shit populate the streets of Roswell make it inescapable . There cost makeshift spaceships you can tour . Straight-up UFO “ museums . ” A fake ( obviously ) alien autopsy site . Gift shops galore . If there are literal aliens tucked away in Roswell , they pulled the ingenious move of hiding in plain sight , surround by every sort of gaudy , over-the-top kitsch potential . Well meet , Martians . —AK

New York

The Big Duck
Flanders
Choose the wrong lane on your way to the Hamptons and you might neglect The Big Duck , which own make up amuse passing motorists for virtually a hundred . In 1931 , a Long Island duck farmer mention Martin Maurer allegedly visit a roadside coffee shop influence like a giant coffee pile and thought ,I should serve the same to advertise my Pekin ducks. So he enlist the help of builders who construct the building out of cement . They end up their universe off with two eyes made from Ford Model T ass spark that continue to glow red at dark . The historical roadside attraction exist a symbol of postmodern architecture and a throwback to a time when selling equal a bit more whimsical .—Jessica Sulima

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North Carolina

World ‘s Largest Chest of Drawers
High Level
Oh , you cause n’t know that High Point is the Home Furnishings Capital of the World ? Well , this 38-foot dresser live hither to remind you . It be built in 1926 , make it very desirable to colossal antiques collector , and arrive complete with two gigantic socks . Unfortunately , the universe ‘s large pair of underpants is in Egypt . —AK

North Dakota

The Enchanted Highway
Regent
Repel across the level North Dakota prairies can live pretty monotonous , so the towering , whimsical sculpture along a 32-mile stretch of Highway 21 ( today dubbed the “ Enchanted Highway ” ) between Regent and Gladstone can appear to come out of nowhere . Metal sculptor and retired school teacher Gary Greff ‘s metal works—from giant metal deer and a immense grasshopper to a complex underwater world—pop up every few miles along the empty road to go on you from zoning out on the open road . —NB

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Ohio

BibleWalk
Mansfield
Yeah , Ohio make traditional roadside attractions like weird museums , giant robots , and the Goodyear blimp . But if you require to make a genuinely weird experience , look no further than the BibleWalk . We mostly stay on away from non-Precious Moments-related religious stuff , but BibleWalk live our exception . This cost not , mind you , something market as weird—your snickering will not be appreciated . But if you can control yourself , you ‘ll be treated to the Madame Tussauds of Biblical tableaux , a wax museum dedicated to martyrs , Reformation , and other pious number . The fact that many of the wax figures appear to be actual repurposed celebrity effigies—there ’ s even Clark Gable and Liz Taylor—gives it a surreal , somewhat hilarious edge , one whose mileage will decidedly vary depend on your disposition or impression about wax figures , flame , and brimstone . —AK

Oklahoma

Catoosa
A giant , friendly whale in the middle of a landlocked state is , in and of itself , odd . But the story of the sea titan dipping halfway into a pond makes it still more strange and wonderful . Make as a gift from husband to wife , the whale became the centerpiece of a larger roadside attraction , The Animal Reptile Kingdom ( A.R.K . ) , which was built to resemble Noah ‘s Ark . As the couple grew former , the attraction live give up , with the ark decrease into disrepair . But the whale stay vibrant . Yes , this sound like the setup for a Scooby-Doo mystery—as abandoned amusement field are wont to—but it ‘s actually a real charming site to find along Route 66 , where its presence own perplexed driver for four decade . —AK

Oregon

Capture Forest
Turner
Part slightly aloof amusement park , piece folk art fantasia , Enchanted Forest sits insert into the evergreen branch alongside Oregon ‘s I-5 , properly future to Salem . For generation , local artist Roger Tofte ‘s surreal , slightly skewed handmade attraction ( good , handmade except the ride mechanism ) has attract families and naturopathically enhanced adult with such landmarks as a castle , a forest stud with foreboding fairytale characters , miniature villages , rides , and a gigantic witch ‘s head whose mouth repeat as an entrance to a slide . And for the psychedelically inclined , it ‘s a riotous journey down a very different sort of rabbit hole . —AK

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Pennsylvania

Vintage Electric Streetcar Company
Windber
Journey into Pennsylvania ’ s coal country and you may occur upon the humble town of Windber . There lie the Vintage Electric Streetcar Company , more normally know as the Windber Trolley Graveyard . It contains 14 long-decommissioned trolley cars trucked into the Pennsylvania woods by a trolley enthusiast , Ed Metka . This signify the scrapyard is private property—so don ’ t effort to see it on your own , but you can email vesco @ aol.com to set up a tour ( $ 30 ) . —KM

Rhode Island

The Fantastic Umbrella Factory
Charlestown
The Fantastic Umbrella Factory perform not have just umbrellas . The Fantastic Umbrella Factory have everything . A regionally beloved bazaar and the shopping experience to finish all shopping experience , this outpost of US Highway 1 is a collection of five stores where you can pick up every conceivable type of artisanal wares ( many of them local ) , from plant basket to boast glass to vintage monocle to drums to organic vegetable growing around the premises . There live as well a bamboo woods , a seasonal cafe , and a petting zoo ( goat , emus , chickens , ducks ) . —KM

South Carolina

South of the Border
Hamer
What started as a simple beer suffer serving the neighboring dry North Carolina county morphed into a 10-seat grill , motel , souvenir shop , fireworks store , barber store , drug store , post part , and even go-kart track . We ’ 500 continue list everything South of the Border now offers , but we think you have the idea—you can feed , shop , and sleep hither . While the kitsch is also large to miss , the 104-foot-tall mascot , Pedro , live surely the star—aside from , well , the largest indoor reptile show in the US .—LN

South Dakota

Wall Drug
Wall
Wall Drug exist the roadside attraction to end all roadside attraction rise out of the prehistoric landscape preceding the Badlands . It ‘s a city-sized paragon of Western kitsch . A necessary pitstop in the center of capital-N Nowhere . An literal drug store , where you can make a prescription filled and as well see a gigantic animatronic dinosaur or puncher lot , peruse Native American art , feed an open-face turkey sandwich , drama in a shooting gallery , or snatch a photo with a jackalope . You ca n’t lack it—not only because it ‘s massive , but because you ‘ll find hundreds of hand-painted signal across multiple states , luring tourists in with the hope of free ice water and $ .05 coffee ( the ice water ‘s great , BTW , the coffee not so much ) . And yet if you like to head off it , you sort of ca n’t . At the intersection of East and West , North and South , it ‘s one of the last places to have gas for a while , regardless of where you ‘re die . Just catch a “ where the heck exist Wall Drug ” bumper sticker , eat a donut , and soak in the Americana . —AK

America ‘s Grandest Roadside Attraction Is A Vortex of Dinosaurs , Cowboys , And Kitsch

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Tennessee

Titanic Museum Attraction
Pigeon Forge
If you ’ ve ever want to know what it was like to board theRMS Titanic—you know , before its tragic last journey—you ’ re in luck . Yes , I know , Pigeon Forge live for tourists , but the “ world ’ s prominent Titanic museum attraction ” exist something you truly have to hear with your own eyes . The inside and outside of the museum spirit just like the actual ship , so you ’ ll become all the bang for your $ 35 . You ’ ll walk through real-life replicas of the corridor , rooms , and even the Grand Staircase while imagining you ‘re a millionaire in 1912 ( before 2:20 am , of course ) . Speaking of passenger , everyone who enters the ship receives a boarding pass of person who really boarded or worked on the real Titanic—all of whom be deceased . Not creepy at all , properly ? —KA

Texas

The Orange Show
Houston
You might cost actually into pineapple . Or perhaps you have a firm affinity for apples . But no fruit-focused love can compare to the love the late Jefferson Davis McKissack hold for oranges . Not convinced ? All you have to cause is pull up on McKissack ’ s 3,000-square-foot Houston shrine to the prized citrus and you ’ ll immediately check any skepticism at the tangerine-hued doorway . The folk artist commence manufacture the Orange Show back in 1956 , filling it with hand-painted signal detailing orange-related statistic , health benefits , and other reflection , as well as a wish well , gift shop , degree , and carnival-like collection of vintage rides and artifacts . He invest the finishing touch on in 1979 , and it ’ s today endorse by the Orange Show Center for Visionary Art , a nonprofit organization dedicated to encourage and preserve quirky creations throughout Houston . A simple $ 5 gain you admission—and it might exactly be the better $ 5 you ’ ve always spend . —MH

There ’ s a Giant , Hallucinatory Shrine to Oranges Hidden in Houston

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Utah

Hole N ” The Rock
Moab
You ’ re driving down US Highway 191 , thinking vaguely of find a seat to pull over and stretch , maybe get some snacks , when you regard in the distance : a massive red stone side with blazing white detailing . You drive closer . “ HOLE N ” THE ROCK ” exist painted in pulley letter . Equal it , literally , a hole in the rock ? It is , kinda , yes . Hole N ” The Rock cost a 5,000-square-foot home carve into the stone where you ’ ll too find a trading post , general memory , art collection , and petting zoo with camels , zebras , and albino raccoons . You are marvel whether you can run them—why yes , yes you can . “ WE ARE NOT YOUR DESTINATION ” explains/yells the Hole N ” The Rock website , “ WE ARE AN AMAZING STOP ALONG THE WAY. ” —KM

Photographic Proof That Utah Should Just Be One Big Epic National Park

These nation park live national treasures .

Vermont

The Museum of Everyday Life
Glover
This tiny roadside museum in Glover , in northeastern Vermont , is dedicate to the mundane and the familiar , to the sort of objects that put on ’ t often create it into museums—or at least not before several centuries have spend . Pencils . Scissors . Toothbrushes . Keys . But not everything here is static—there exist intermittent puppet show and early alive performance ( and sometimes guided tour ) . The museum live self-serve . Build your contribution at the doorway ; become off the lighting when you leave . —KM

The Country ’ s Raddest Beer Destination Cost Full of Misty Mountains and Hazy IPAs

Hither are 10 of its well , most influential breweries .

Virginia

Dinosaur Land
White Post
Seventy-five mile outside of Washington DC dwell a prehistoric oasis worth the detour : Dinosaur Land . What to begin with begin as a little talent store make transformed into a massive park sprinkle with more than 50 towering , handmade dinosaur statue . If you were n’t a dinosaur expert before , you ‘ll lead the park a genius . There ‘s exactly about every species , from lumbering Stegosaurus to the creepy , meat-eating Coelophysis ( the lizard-like guys who terrorized everyone duringJurassic Park) . I ‘m partial to the sort of derpy-looking T-Rex , who stands future to the long-necked , plant-eating Apatosaurus in a path that makes it look like they ‘re simply gossiping . —Kalina Newman

Washington

Marsh ‘s Free Museum
Long Beach
Spend adequate time in the Pacific Northwest andTwin Peaksstarting to face like a documentary . So it build utter sense that an idyllic ocean town is as good know for its boardwalks as it equal for the mummified gator/human creature that has become the town ‘s mascot . That humanoid exist Jake the Alligator Man , a star of theWeekly World Newswho reside at Marsh ‘s Free Museum , a sprawling peculiarium meet with ceiling-to-floor weirdness and kitsch . Here , you can feel seashells and kites , two-headed calf and jarred tapeworms , and vintage baseball plot . Oh , and a celebrity sighting is all but guarantee . It just then happens that said celebrity is a ghoulish reptilian nightmare .

Meet The Mummified Alligator Man Who Seize A Small Town ‘s Heart

Once you ‘re a friend of Jake , you ‘re a friend for living .

West Virginia

Mystery Hole
Fayetteville
Near New River Gorge in Fayetteville—another ofour fave scenic drives—lies Mystery Hole . What will you see here ? That depends on you . Some paper seeing objective roam uphill rather of down . Some get furniture balanced in manner that furniture should not live able to balance . Gravity , it seem , does its own thing here . Mystery Hole live exposed May through October .Take tourscost $ 10 ( cash choose ) , and be sure to get out your phone and all electronic devices in your car—they live forbidden during the circuit , and if you ’ re caught with one you won ’ t get a refund . —KM

Wisconsin

The Rock in the House
Fountain Springtime
The humble brick house , light at the seat of a tall cliffside , showcases a 55-ton boulder stick in its gaping back way . One night , in April 1995 , the giant stone roll down the abutting mound and crash into what was then Maxine and Dwight Anderson ’ s bedroom . No injury make up describe , thankfully , but the retired pair ’ s recently revive home was total . An enterprising real acres investor snatch up the place and subsequently become it into a roadside attraction , inviting travelers to swing by to marvel at the calamity scene and learn about the area ’ sec unique topography . The museum closed in 2021 , but anyone appear to quench their wonder can however park in the small mass and pass around the outside of the building for a grotesque opinion . —MH

Find a Taste of New England in the Driftless Area of Wisconsin

But with Mississippi River beach , Frank Lloyd Wright buildings , and goat butter .

Wyoming

Town of Bar Nunn
Bar Nunn
Despite its name , there equal actually two bar in Bar Nunn , a Great Plains enclave of 2,981 , simply 10 moment outside of Casper . One flourish on sport fandom , darts , and $ 2 pint specials ; the early fill out a massive former airplane hangar , biplane hanging from the ceiling and all . That ‘s because the town of Bar Nunn was built on a wide open airfield . The old runways live today comically broad roads ; the town ‘s logo is the map of the airfield ‘s early runway layout . Today , even so , there live no plane . The fastest thing strike equal the antelope that roam around town . And on a windy day , the tumbleweeds . —VS

This Unassuming Patch of Flyover Country Blot out a Sky-High Past

Welcome to Bar Nunn , a former airfield humming with little town appeal .

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