Strange Roadside Attractions From Every State

By Ellie Nan Storck
December 12, 2015
Credit: © Franck Fotos / Alamy Stock Photo
In addition to wide-open prairie, twisting coastal highways, and sun kissed mountain ranges, the United States has its fair share of oddities—really, really odd oddities, as it turns out. What better way to spend a road trip than discovering how bizarre our country (and some of its inhabitants) is?

Related: World's Most Unusual Hotels

In the Northeast, road-trippers eager for a peek at the out-of-the-ordinary can check out places ranging from a museum dedicated to the study of yetis, sea serpents, and the like, to a graveyard for Ben and Jerry’s flavors that didn’t work out, to a collection of diseased brains. Things start to get a little weirder towards the Midwest—like a public park filled with exotic concrete totem poles, a giant cow that used to be able to talk about the Wisconsin dairy industry, and a massive mountain containing way more nuclear waste than anybody knew existed. Further west, there is no shortage of strange attractions—large, steel animals, fruit-shaped planted mazes, a very inviting clown-themed motel. Head south, and travelers can catch a glimpse of America’s finest: a giant nut (we’ll let you guess which kind), a bunch of Airstream RVs sticking out of the ground, and even the gates to the voodoo underworld.

Scattered across the 50 states, these strange roadside attractions are a good excuse to get off the beaten path and stretch your legs after hours in the car—or to just get a little taste of weird America.
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Alabama: Unclaimed Baggage Center

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Known to many as the “land of lost luggage,” this stop in Scottsboro, Alabama sees about one million visitors from around the world every year. Covering more than a city block, visitors can purchase literally any item that has been packed in a suitcase that was never claimed by its owner or left on an airplane. It’s the only lost luggage store in the United States.

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Alaska: Igloo City

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This tourist attraction—located in Cantwell, Alaska—is especially odd because it never actually opened for business. The four-story, concrete hotel, (circa 1970) remains unfinished to this day because it failed to meet building codes. But tourists sure do love to pay it a visit—it can even be seen from airplanes cruising at a lofty 30,000 feet in the air.

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Arizona: The Thing

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Creators of the hit movie “The Thing” take roadside advertisement to the next level along Interstate 10. The stretch of endless highway is lined not only by dry desert for miles, but with billboards advertising the mysterious “Thing” at exit 312.

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Arkansas: Christ of the Ozarks

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Interestingly enough, this larger-than-life monumental Jesus is actually known for sort-of resembling a milk carton.

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California: Salvation Mountain

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Located in Nilan, California—not too far from Slab City—lays a mini mountain, covered in paintings of colorful biblical messages like “God is Love.” The late Leonard King who lived on Salvation Mountain and continuously painted his messages on it from 1985 until the early 2000s created the man-made mountain.

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Colorado: UFO Watchtower

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Finding a weird, alien-themed road stop is usually within a stone’s throw when it comes to the American Southwest. But the UFO Watchtower is pretty out-there. Finding herself in the middle of what many believers think to be a hub of galactic activity, Judy Messoline decided to turn her ranch into a campground with a UFO watchtower, which is open to the public.

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Connecticut: Cushing Brain Collection

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“Check out that diseased brain collection” is definitely not something you hear often. But around Yale’s medical school library in New Haven, Connecticut, it might be. Donated to Yale in 1939 in the name of Dr. Harvey Cushing, this collection of brains ridden with tumors and disease definitely earns a spot on the list.

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Delaware: Miles the Monster

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Think “The Hulk”—except stone grey, angular, and with glowing red eyes.

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Florida: Airstream Ranch

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Nothing says “America” like a good old, standing car formation that vaguely resembles Stonehenge. This collection of eight classic Airstreams alongside I-4, between Tampa and Orlando, looks more like the RVs were sent rocketing down from space, straight into the ground.

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Georgia: Georgia Guidestones

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“Let these be guidestones to an age of reason,” reads from the tablet in the front of the Georgia Guidestones. This structure—a monument made up of several 19-foot granite stones, commissioned by an anonymous man in 1979—offers 10 post-apocalyptic messages of guidance, written in eight different languages. The perfect thing for a bit of light reading.

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Hawaii: World’s Longest Plant Maze

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If you have time to pay a visit to the Dole Plantation in Wahiawa, Hawaii, you’ll want to stop by the world’s biggest botanical maze—made up of 14,000 colorful Hawaiian plants, all in the shape of a giant pineapple.

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Idaho: World’s Biggest Beagle (Dog Bark Park Inn)

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Here in Cottonwood, Idaho, you can visit the world’s biggest beagle—and sleep in it, too!

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Illinois: Gold Pyramid House

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This six-story, 17,000-square-foot private home in Wadsworth, Illinois is plated in gold—and it’s surrounded by a moat.

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Indiana: Roofless Church

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At the nondenominational Roofless Church in New Harmony, Indiana, all are welcome to pray under cover of the sky, next to a domed structure. It also serves as a popular wedding destination.

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Iowa: The Hobo Museum

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Since it opened in 1980, the Hobo Museum has come a long way in preserving the legacy of hoboes. It exists within an old converted town theater, and serves as an archive of all things created by hoboes of America (music, photographs, art, and more).

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Kansas: The World’s Largest Collection of Smallest Versions of Largest Things

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The creator of this mobile collection of roadside attractions (which is, in fact, a roadside attraction in itself) does just what you would think: When Erika Nelson hears news of a “World’s Largest” roadside item, she visits it for photo documentation and creates a tiny replica out of various materials.

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Kentucky: Dinosaur World

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When you spot the giant, larger-than-life T-Rex off of I-65, you know you’re close to Dinosaur World. Visitors will find massive, life-sized dinosaur replicas scattered throughout this park as they take a prehistoric stroll.

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Louisiana: The Gates of Guinee

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If you’re looking for the gates to the voodoo underworld, Guinee, look no further than the French Quarter. It is believed that seven gates are scattered around the city.

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Maine: International Cryptozoology Museum

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This unique museum unveils artifacts related to the study of hidden or unknown animals. Established by crypto-zoologist Loren Coleman, the museum is home to a collection of “cryptid” specimens—think Yetis, Bigfoot, sea serpents, and the like.

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Maryland: Ouija Board Headstone

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It’s only fitting that the man who patented the Ouija Board, Elijah Bond, has a headstone that resembles exactly what he created.

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Massachusetts: The Witch House of Salem

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This is the last standing structure in Salem with direct ties to the Salem Witch Trials of 1692.

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Michigan: Hell, Michigan

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With a slogan like “Go to Hell…Michigan,” how could you not be curious? Established in 1838, this little town officially became “Hell” after the first settler began to pay farmers for their grain with whiskey.

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Minnesota: Spoonbridge and Cherry

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Located in the Minneapolis Sculpture Garden, this larger-than-life spoon provides a large dose of whimsy, with an even larger cherry on top. During the winter, when the spoon is covered in snow, the sculpture looks like a massive ice cream sundae.

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Mississippi: Touch the Hand of Elvis

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This bronze sculpture was created in Elvis’s hometown, Tupelo. Fans will often reach up to touch the hands of the King.

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Missouri: Nuclear Waste Adventure Trail

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Despite how it looks from the outside, this man-made mountain—just south of Weldon Spring, Missouri—encapsulates the remnants of the largest explosives factory in America, as well as a Cold War-era uranium refinery. Now, you can take a stroll over the 54-acre expanse of 1.48 million cubic yards of covered-up PCBs, mercury, asbestos, TNT, radioactive uranium, and radium.

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Montana: Garden of One Thousand Buddhas

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Surround yourself with more Buddhas than you’ve (probably) ever encountered in this international center for peace.

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Nebraska: Carhenge

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There’s something about vintage cars arranged in Stonehenge-like formations that really resonates with the American population. Carhenge, in Alliance, Nebraska, was created by Jim Reinders as a tribute to his father.

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Nevada: The Clown Motel

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Located on a stretch of the Nevada desert—right next to a century-old miner’s graveyard—sits the oh-so inviting Clown Motel. What about a motel decorated with dozens of smiling, glassy-eyed clowns in a desert doesn’t sound appealing? That being said, all are welcome.

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New Hampshire: Yankee Siege Catapult

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If there’s one thing that the good people of Greenfield, New Hampshire love to do in the fall, it’s launching enormous pumpkins into the sky with this massive catapult (which actually resembles a giant medieval weapon). As of 2010, unfortunately, the Yankee Siege Catapult is out of commission—but it sure is cool to look at.

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New Jersey: Lucy the Elephant

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Located in Margate, New Jersey, Lucy the Elephant just might be the coolest thing in the state. What’s not to love about a 134-year-old, 90-ton, 65-foot elephant made of tin and wood? You can even go inside the structure through a small spiral staircase to peruse a museum focused on the history of her creation.

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New Mexico: World’s largest pistachio

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It’s safe to say that this larger-than-life pistachio is one of the more unique “World’s Largest” items found in the U.S. It’s only fitting that this giant nut is located near Pistachio Land. The giant pistachio stands 30-feet tall and is pretty realistic—but don’t be fooled. It’s concrete.

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New York: World’s Smallest Church

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The Cross Island Chapel (or chapel-ette, perhaps?) in Oneida, New York, is tiny. The small structure has enough room to accommodate a bride, groom, and minister—but don’t worry, the church is in the middle of a pond, so the wedding party can anchor on a boat nearby.

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