As you travel our great country, don't miss these strange roadside attractions you'll find just off interstates all around the U.S.
The Strangest Roadside Attraction in Every State
Alabama: Bamahenge
On Alabama’s Gulf Coast, you’ll find not only plenty of beaches, but some unusual attractions as well. Bamahenge, one of several oddities at Elberta’s Barber Marina, will give you not just a reason to go boating, but an opportunity to see Alabama’s version of Stonehenge, made out of fiberglass and measuring the same size as the original rocks. While you’re there, don’t miss The Lady in the Lake sculpture and an assortment of life-size dinosaur sculptures in the woods.
Alaska: Reliable Sheet Metal Wizard of Oz statues
Fans of The Wizard of Oz will definitely want to stop at this sheet metal fabricator in Juneau, Alaska, which has dedicated its roof to the characters of the classic flick—all made of sheet metal, of course. While they vary in size, the Tin Man stands at more than 9 feet tall. The company says they built the statues as a way to draw attention to their business.
Arizona: Golf ball house
Once a 1970s restaurant and nightclub, this eye-popping structure in Yucca, Arizona, is known to locals as the “giant ping pong ball” or the “golf ball house.” The 40-foot-diameter geodesic dome, called Area 66, was originally built as a restaurant for a desert community that was never completed. Nevertheless, it draws many tourists and passersby, who spot it from the road. Unfortunately, you can’t peek inside.
Arkansas: The Raven
You can’t miss this 12-foot-tall, cement-and-stucco statue of a raven when passing through the town of Ravenden Springs, Arkansas. The statue’s base reads “The raven was the first bird sent from the ark in search of land” and “The raven has the reputation for divine or magical powers.” This town mascot even appeared on an episode of the TV series King of the Hill.
California: Salvation Mountain
This colorful site outside Palm Springs is a free tourist attraction and man-made mountain featuring a cross and painted with brightly colored art and messages, including “God is Love” and “Love is Universal.” Salvation Mountain has been featured on Ripley’s Believe It or Not and on the Discovery Channel.
Colorado: UFO Watchtower
The San Luis Valley of Colorado has a reputation as a hot spot for alien activity, with many unidentified flying objects supposedly spotted here. The UFO Watchtower in Hooper has little to no light pollution, making it all the easier to spot your own UFO … or just enjoy a little stargazing.
Connecticut: Essex steam train
Catch an old-fashioned steam train chugging along the Valley Railroad in Essex, Connecticut. Essex Station was built in 1892 and is the home base for a 12-mile loop of tracks. You can see the station as well as the steam engine and vintage coaches working their way through the nearby towns of Deep River and Chester, or hop aboard for a 2.5-hour scenic train ride.
Delaware: Our Lady Queen of Peace shrine
Check out this 33-foot stainless steel statue of the Virgin Mary in the art gallery of the beautiful Holy Spirit church in New Castle. The church says the Our Lady Queen of Peace statue, which was designed and sculpted by Charles Parks, was built “to remind us of Mary’s love for all Her children and to offer us hope for peace throughout the world.” The statue is visible to those traveling along the Delaware Memorial Bridge and Interstate 295.
Florida: World’s smallest post office
When a town has a population of 11, it makes sense that they wouldn’t be in need of a large post office. This 7-by-8-foot building in Ochopee, Florida, which used to be an irrigation shed, was turned into the post office when a fire burned down the general store, which doubled as the town’s mailing center, in 1953. The tiny post office boasts one employee who sells stacks of pre-stamped postcards to the buses of tourists who come by to snap photos.
Georgia: Expedition Bigfoot
Not sure if Bigfoot exists? This 4,000-square-foot one-of-a-kind museum north of Ellijay, Georgia, might make you a believer. With plenty of artifacts, sighting stories and a reference library, it has everything there is to know about the legend of the hairy ape-like creature. And who knows, maybe you’ll have your own sighting in the surrounding mountains.
Hawaii: St. Benedict’s Painted Church
Built in 1899 and overlooking Kealakekua Bay, St. Benedict’s Painted Church on the Big Island of Hawaii is known for its beautiful interior Christian paintings by Father John Velghe, who had no formal artistic training. Because few Hawaiians could read at that time, he used his paintings to teach through pictures.
Idaho: The Spud Drive-in Theater
Why wouldn’t you find a drive-in named after potatoes in a state known for its spuds? At the Spud Drive-in Theater in Driggs, in the potato-farming region of Idaho, visitors are greeted by a giant potato on the back of a 1946 Chevrolet truck. Built in 1953—and recently remodeled—the drive-in shows feature films on Fridays and Saturdays.
Illinois: Abe Lincoln Rail Splitter statue
It’s no surprise to find a statue of President Lincoln in the city of Springfield, Illinois, where he lived, raised his children and was buried. But this one is 30 feet tall (even taller than the 19-foot statue at the Lincoln Memorial), and he’s carved without his iconic beard. This clean-shaven version of young Lincoln, which stands at Gate 1 of the Illinois State Fairgrounds, was built in 1968 and is called “The Rail Splitter.”
Indiana: World’s largest ball of paint
At this fun roadside attraction in Alexandria, Indiana, visitors can add their own coat of paint to the world’s largest paint ball. What started as a regular-size baseball now weighs more than 4,000 pounds and has some 23,000 layers of paint. Locals Mike and Glenda Carmichael started the project in 1997, and since then, it’s been listed in the Guinness Book of World Records.
Iowa: World’s largest Swedish coffee pot
Coffee enthusiasts rejoice! The world’s largest Swedish coffee pot, in Stanton, Iowa, is a former water tower painted with decorative flowers and hearts that could hold 800,000 cups of coffee. One more tie to coffee for this town: The actress who played Mrs. Olson in the old Folgers coffee commercials happens to be from Stanton.
Kansas: World’s largest ball of twine
Check the world’s largest ball of twine off your list with a stop in Cawker City, Kansas. This 19,000-pound ball with more than 8 million feet of twine uses only sisal twine, typically used to hold together bales of hay. A local farmer created the ball in 1953 as a way to use his extra twine, and today, visitors can add to the ball with provided pre-weighed twine. You’ll find this attraction along Highway 24.
Kentucky: The Big Bone Lick Museum
Big Bone Lick State Park in Union, Kentucky, was once covered in swamps, which attracted ancient animals, including bison, giant mammoths and mastodons. The bones of these animals were well-preserved, and visitors can now see the 20,000-year-old fossils at the museum on the grounds, as well as life-sized replicas of the historic creatures and the real-life bison that roam the grounds today.
Louisiana: Mardi Gras World
If you can’t make it to New Orleans for the famous festival in February—don’t fret. Mardi Gras World is open year-round and gives visitors an inside look at what it takes to put on the massive Mardi Gras festivities. The tour includes a visit through Blaine Kern Studios, an operating workshop that has been creating Mardi Gras parade floats since 1947. Be sure to bring your phone for plenty of selfie opportunities in front of floats or even wearing a Mardi Gras costume.
Maine: Paul Bunyon statue
Once the lumber capital of the world, Bangor, Maine, is home to a statue of one of history’s most famous lumberjacks, Paul Bunyan. The 31-foot-tall statue on the city’s Main Street may be the largest of Bunyan in the world. The statue even made a cameo in Stephen King’s novel, IT, where it came creepily to life.
Maryland: War Correspondent’s Arch
If you’re hiking the Appalachian Trail through Maryland, you can’t miss the imposing War Correspondent’s Arch, a National Historic Monument built in 1896. The 50-foot-tall arch is located in Gathland State Park in Burkittsville, Maryland, the former home of a Civil War journalist, and it serves as the only memorial in the world dedicated to journalists who have died while covering war.
Massachusetts: Moby Dick statue
This statue of Moby Dick, created by artist Donna Dodson, is a nod to the city of New Bedford’s whaling history and part of the Massachusetts Whale Trail, which links nearly 40 museums, attractions, whale watching excursions, historic hotels and tours. You’ll find the sculpture on MacArthur Drive near the Cuttyhunk Ferry Pier.
Michigan: Giant Uniroyal Tire
It’s only fitting to see a gigantic tire in the Motor City. The eight-story Giant Uniroyal Tire is a longtime American landmark that sits in the city’s Allen Park near Detroit Metropolitan Airport. It was originally designed in the 1960s to be a Ferris wheel attraction for the New York World’s Fair.
Minnesota: Jolly Green Giant statue
One of many claims to fame for the town of Blue Earth, Minnesota, is the world’s largest statue of the Jolly Green Giant, which stands 55.5 feet tall at the entrance to the town, welcoming all visitors. The statue was erected to lure tourists when Interstate 90 was built in 1979, bypassing the small town. While visiting, don’t miss the Giant Museum filled with Jolly Green Giant and Little Green Sprout memorabilia.
Mississippi: Elvis Presley statue
When visiting the hometown of Elvis Presley in Tupelo, Mississippi, make time to stop at the Elvis Presley Homecoming Statue, which commemorates a 1956 homecoming concert the King of Rock and Roll performed at the Tupelo Fairgrounds. Located downtown in the Fairpark District, the statue is situated in front of City Hall and on the former site of the fairgrounds.
Missouri: Red Rocker
Right along the famous Route 66 in Cuba, Missouri, you’ll find a giant rocking chair, which held the title of world’s largest rocking chair until a larger one was built in 2015. Still, standing at more than 42 feet tall and weighing 27,500 pounds, it’s a sight to behold, even if it is No. 2.
Montana: Garden of One Thousand Buddhas
Located on the land of the Flathead Reservation in Arlee, the Garden of One Thousand Buddhas was designed to inspire and bring positive transformation to those who visit. Created through the visionary guidance of an incarnate Tibetan Buddhist lama, the site features 1,000 hand-cast Buddha statues around a central figure, representing perfect wisdom, along with native trees and flowers. Arlee is also the site of a center for Tibetan Buddhist studies.
Nebraska: Carhenge
Picture Stonehenge, but made from old cars instead of ancient stones, and you’ve got the idea of Carhenge, located on Highway 87, just outside Alliance, Nebraska. The structure was built by Jim Reinders in 1987, featuring mostly 1950s and 1960s automobiles. It’s painted gray and has all 38 “stones” to replicate Stonehenge. Stop in the Pit Stop Gift Shop (open during the summer months) for a souvenir of your visit.
Nevada: International Car Forest of the Last Church
At this unusual art installation outside Goldfield, Nevada, off U.S. 95, artists use cars as canvases. Including more than 40 cars, it’s believed to be the largest outdoor car exhibit in the country—a goal of the creator, Mark Rippie, when he first had the vision for the project.
New Hampshire: Live bear show
Founded in 1949, Clark’s Bears near Echo Lake and Franconia Notch State Park in the White Mountains is a family amusement park known for its shows with live trained bears. The park also offers steam train rides, a Segway park, water rides and lots of other activities for the perfect road-trip stop.
New Jersey: Lucy the Elephant
Built in 1881 and listed on the National Park Registry of Historic Landmarks, Lucy the Elephant is a classic site just south of Atlantic City, in Margate, New Jersey. Visitors can climb inside the six-story elephant and enjoy a panoramic view of the Atlantic Ocean and nearby beaches from atop her back.
New Mexico: Spaceship House
Located off Central Avenue in the historic Nob Hill neighborhood of Albuquerque are several private homes with very unique architecture, including this one designed by architect Bart Prince, a protege of Frank Lloyd Wright. It’s primarily known to locals as the “spaceship house” or “bug house.”
New York: World’s largest pancake griddle
In 1987, the city of Penn Yan, New York, laid claim to cooking the largest pancake in the world, weighing in at more than 4,000 pounds. Creating this 1.7-million-calorie pancake (later coated with 15 gallons of syrup) required an equally large pancake griddle, which visitors can see today displayed on the side of the Birkett Mills building.
North Carolina: Last shell-shaped Shell gas station
Winston-Salem is home to the very last Shell gas station that is shaped like a shell, which you’ll find north of I-40 on E. Sprague Street. This unique 1930s roadside attraction was one of eight built by the Quality Oil Company, a Winston-based marketer of Shell Oil. While it no longer sells gas, the station is a regional office and information center about the station and other preservation projects.
North Dakota: World’s Largest Buffalo Monument
Did you know the buffalo is the first national mammal of the United States? Here’s your chance to grab a selfie with a 26-foot-tall, 60-ton concrete buffalo, which happens to be the World’s Largest Buffalo Monument, in Jamestown, North Dakota. Constructed in 1959, the statue is named “Dakota Thunder” and is just a short walk from the National Buffalo Museum.
Ohio: Longaberger Basket Building
Once the headquarters of the Longaberger Company, famous for its baskets, this building-turned-basket stands seven stories and is modeled after the company’s Medium Market Basket. You’ll find this giant basket (just the basket handles alone weigh a massive 150 tons) 40 miles east of Columbus, off Ohio 16 in Newark.
Oklahoma: Golden Driller
One of the tallest free-standing statues in the U.S. at 76 feet tall, Tulsa’s Golden Driller serves as Oklahoma’s state monument. The Mid-Continental Supply Company originally constructed the statue in 1953 for the International Petroleum Exposition, though it now stands at the entrance to the Tulsa State Fairgrounds.
Oregon: Prehistoric Gardens
If you love Jurassic Park, you’re going to love this garden-turned-dinosaur museum, located along the southern Oregon coast between Gold Beach and Port Orford. The Prehistoric Gardens is an actual prehistoric rainforest to which a businessman added dinosaur replicas to recreate what it might have looked like millions of years ago. You’ll find 23 scientifically correct, life-size dinosaurs, including a 46-foot-tall Brachiosaurus.
Pennsylvania: Haines Shoe House
If you thought the old lady who lived in a shoe was just a nursery rhyme, think again. Built in 1948, the Haines Shoe House in York, Pennsylvania, was designed to look like a high-topped work shoe as an advertising ploy, but there is a full five-story house inside. You can take a tour of the home from spring through October, as well as enjoy hand-dipped ice cream in the ice cream parlor and a stop in the Shoe House Gift Shop.
Rhode Island: Newport Tower
It’s been an ongoing mystery to solve who built this stone tower, with ruins (made from 450 tons of rock) that stand in Touro Park in Newport. While it was traditionally thought to be the remains of a 17th-century windmill, others hold to the theory that it was built by Vikings, while still others believe it dates back to the 1500s—which would make it one of the oldest Colonial buildings in the United States.
South Carolina: The big peach
South Carolina is known for its peaches, so in 1981, the Board of Public Works in Gaffney decided to build a water tower and paint it to look like a peach. Set off I-85, a main interstate between Atlanta, Georgia, and Charlotte, North Carolina, the peach took artist Peter Freudenberg 50 gallons of paint in 20 colors. Despite his efforts, it’s often said to resemble a certain “rear” part of the human anatomy.
South Dakota: World’s largest pheasant
South Dakota has some of the best pheasant hunting in the world, with the city of Huron a top spot—and this giant 28-foot pheasant, made of fiberglass and steel, reminds everyone who comes to town. Built in 1959, the monument sits on Highway 14.
Tennessee: World’s largest cedar bucket
A visit to Cannonsburgh Village in Murfreesboro, Tennessee, showcases early pioneer life. It also happens to be the home of the world’s largest cedar bucket. Standing 6 feet tall and built in 1887 as a promotional tool by the Tennessee Red Cedar Woodenworks Company, the bucket has appeared at both the 1893 Chicago World’s Fair and the 1904 St. Louis World’s Fair. The original bucket burned in 2005 but was rebuilt shortly after.
Texas: Eiffel Tower
When your town’s name is Paris, you might as well have your own Eiffel Tower. But seeing as this one is in Texas and not France, it’s of course topped by a traditional Texas-style cowboy hat. The tower stands 65 feet tall with a 3.5-foot hat. The city added lighting to the tower in 2012.
Utah: Hole ‘N’ the Rock
What will you find at Hole ‘N’ the Rock just south of Moab, Utah? Well, an eclectic collection of bizarre things, from an exotic petting zoo and a cactus made from bowling balls to an aerial tram and a carved bust of Franklin D. Roosevelt. Hole ‘N’ the Rock is a 5,000-square-foot home carved out of the surrounding sandstone, complete with a fireplace, 14 rooms built around large pillars and even a bathtub cut into the rock.
Vermont: World’s tallest filing cabinet
At 38 drawers tall, this art installation claims to be the world’s tallest filing cabinet, though that has yet to be confirmed. Regardless, it certainly stands out on Flynn Avenue in Burlington, Vermont. Created by artist Bren Alvarez to make a statement on bureaucratic delays in building the Champlain Parkway, the cabinet is titled “File Under So. Co., Waiting for…”
Virginia: Foamhenge
Stonehenge made out of foam? Yes, indeed. You’ll find Foamhenge at Cox Farms in Centreville, Virginia. The 2017 creation by Mark Cline originally stood at Virginia’s Natural Bridge. The attraction is closed from January through March and only open during limited hours the rest of the year.
Washington: America’s favorite Bigfoot
See where the movie Harry and the Hendersons was filmed in 1986 at a coffee shop in Index, Washington—you’ll know it by the 14-foot-tall smiling Bigfoot statue standing outside. The Espresso Chalet offers coffee and the must-have Bigfoot-shaped cookie.
West Virginia: Mothman statue
The urban legend of the Mothman is ongoing in West Virginia, where many people say they have seen this moth-looking creature, dating back to 1966. It even inspired a movie, The Mothman Prophecies. Snap a selfie with a statue of the creature, which stands next to the Mothman Museum in Point Pleasant.
Wisconsin: World’s largest fish
Make a pit stop at the Freshwater Fishing Hall of Fame in Hayward, Wisconsin, which also happens to be in the shape of a four-story fiberglass musky that is as long as a Boeing 757. Head into the Hall of Fame in the fish’s tail and make your way to its mouth, where you can look out on the observation platform and, of course, have someone down below snap your pic.
Wyoming: Jackalope museum
A hybrid of a jackrabbit and an antelope, a jackalope is a cowboy legend in Wyoming, and the town of Dubois has a museum dedicated to it. It’s conveniently located inside a gas station, where you’ll find some info about the jackalope, as well as snacks, ice cream and souvenirs. Keep an eye out for the giant jackalope outside the store.
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