Road trips are about as American as it gets, right up there with baseball and apple pie. Every summer families hit the open road and make lasting memories along the way.
If you’ve been on a road trip before, you know that some of the most unforgettable moments take place at the unique sights that line the roadways of America. Though, since many of these roadside attractions are located off the beaten path, they often go unnoticed.
To make sure you don’t leave any of them in your rear-view mirror, here’s a list of 23 fun roadside attractions from all around the country that are well worth a quick detour.
Unclaimed Baggage Center – Scottsboro, Alabama
Wondering where luggage lost by airlines ends up? Here’s a hint: it’s not luggage heaven. Instead, most of it gets loaded onto tractor-trailers and delivered to Unclaimed Baggage Center in Scottsboro, Alabama.
Unclaimed Baggage Center is the only store of its kind in the country, selling lost luggage and its contents at discounts of up to 80 percent.
Make a quick pit stop at this one-of-a-kind roadside attraction if you’re in the area. With approximately 7,000 new items put up for sale each day, you never know what you’ll find; maybe even some of your own stuff!
The Thing – Dragoon, Arizona
For miles down Interstate 10 are billboards prodding passerby with questions like “The Thing? What is it?” So just what is this mysterious Thing? Well, I’m not going to spoil the surprise!
Find out for yourself at a dusty roadside attraction in Dragoon, Arizona, off Exit 322. There’s a gas station right out front, so you might as well go inside and see what all the fuss is about once you’re done filling up the tank.
Salvation Mountain – Niland, California
Deep in the heart of the California desert, in a place called Niland, stands a 50-foot-tall, manmade mountain that looks like a colossal leftover from the Summer of Love.
Known as Salvation Mountain, this kitschy creation was built by a local named Leonard Knight as an expression of his devout faith. As such, Knight used thousands of gallons of paint to cover Salvation Mountain with prayers and Bible verses, as well as eye-catching murals.
Dog Bark Park Inn – Cottonwood, Idaho
Dog lovers, rejoice! Located along Highway 95 in Cottonwood, Idaho, is Dog Bark Park Inn, a roadside, beagle-shaped B&B. Locals know him as Sweet Willy. At 30 feet tall, Willy has earned the distinction of world’s largest beagle.
Spend the night in one of two bedrooms adorned with doggie decor or stretch your legs in the on-site gift shop before getting back on the road.
World’s Largest Ball of Paint – Alexandria, Indiana
What was once an ordinary baseball is now the world’s largest ball of paint. The project was started by Alexandria, Indiana, resident Michael Carmichael over 40 years ago and has been a work in progress ever since. The ball currently features over 24,000 layers of paint and weighs in at a whopping two and a half tons.
Want to add your own layer to this world record-breaking ball of paint? Call ahead to schedule an appointment.
American Gothic House – Eldon, Iowa
Everyone’s seen Grant Wood’s iconic painting American Gothic. You know, the one of a somber man holding a pitchfork as he stands outside a house next to a similarly somber-looking woman?
Well, if you happen to find yourself in Eldon, Iowa, you can visit the actual house depicted in the painting. Couples looking to create their own rendition of American Gothic can borrow costumes from the adjacent visitors center.
World’s Largest Ball of Twine – Cawker City, Kansas
Up next is the world’s largest ball of twine, located in Cawker City, Kansas. This is the last giant ball on the list, I promise. Or is it?
Local resident Frank Stoeber began wrapping this record-breaking ball back in 1953. By the time he died in 1974, it was made up of over a million feet of twine and had a diameter of 11 feet.
Now every August Cawker City holds a “Twine-a-thon,” where visitors from far and wide can add their own twine to this local landmark.
Nicolas Cage’s Pyramid Tomb – New Orleans, Louisiana
Although Nicolas Cage isn’t dead yet, his acting career might as well be. I’m only kidding, Nic! Either way, you can visit the eccentric actor’s final resting place in the famed New Orleans above-ground cemetery, St. Louis No. 1.
Despite the graveyard’s dense population, Cage’s tomb is not hard to miss. Why? Because it’s a stark, 10-foot-tall white pyramid that looks like it could’ve been taken straight from the set of National Treasure.
Paper House – Rockport, Massachusetts
They say people who live in glass houses shouldn’t throw stones. Maybe that’s why Ellis Stenman made a house almost entirely from paper. Tucked away in a quiet residential neighborhood, Stenman’s Paper House is one of Rockport’s most curious tourist attractions.
Almost everything in the house is made from rolled up newspapers, including a piano, a grandfather clock, and even a fireplace. The only parts that aren’t are the roof, floors, and frame, presumably to keep the Big Bad Wolf at bay.
Paul Bunyan and Babe the Blue Ox – Bemidji, Minnesota
It’s no surprise that the most photographed statues in the country are the faces of four U.S. presidents carved into the granite facade of Mount Rushmore.
What is surprising though is that the number two spot on that list goes to Paul Bunyan and Babe the Blue Ox, a pair of giant folksy statues in Bemidji, Minnesota. Debuted in 1937, this dynamic duo has been posing for photographs for almost a century.
Garden of One Thousand Buddhas – Arlee, Montana
This isn’t the garden of one, ten, or even one hundred Buddhas. No, this is the Garden of One Thousand Buddhas. It’s a work in progress, though, with about half of the one thousand Buddha statues cast so far and many more on the way.
Set amidst rolling mountains and deep valleys in the Jocko Valley just outside of Arlee, Montana, the garden is a place where one can cultivate inner peace, something you might be in need of on your road trip.
Carhenge – Alliance, Nebraska
Head north of Alliance, Nebraska, down Highway 87 and you’ll come across 38 vintage automobiles painted gray and arranged in a Stonehenge-like formation.
Dubbed Carhenge, this roadside oddity was created by artist Jim Reinders in 1987 as a tribute to his father. Since then, Carhenge has served as a stateside Stonehenge substitute that you don’t have to travel across the pond to see.
Eldorado Canyon Mine Tours – Searchlight, Nevada
Don’t be surprised if you catch a case of gold fever at Eldorado Canyon Mine Tours in Searchlight, Nevada. You’ll be exploring the oldest and richest gold mine in the state, after all.
Leave your pickaxe at home though. The treasures of Techatticup Mine are long gone now. However, you can still see the quartz veins that were once filled with an abundance of gold and silver ore.
If you’re in search of a way to get rich quick, Las Vegas is only a 45-minute drive away.
Lucy the Elephant – Margate City, New Jersey
On the outside, Lucy the Elephant is a six-story, elephant-shaped building smack dab in the middle of Margate City, New Jersey. On the inside, Lucy’s been everything from a real estate office to a restaurant. She was even once a tavern!
Built in 1881, Lucy is considered to be the oldest surviving roadside attraction in America. To this day, she continues to draw in over 100,000 visitors a year.
While you’re there, take a tour of Lucy and pick up a commemorative souvenir in the gift shop also located inside the iconic pachyderm.
Very Large Array – Socorro, New Mexico
True to its name, the Very Large Array is an expansive observatory on the Plains of San Agustin in Socorro, New Mexico.
The observatory’s claim to roadside fame is its radio telescope comprised of 27 independent antennae. Each antenna has a dish with a diameter of 25 meters and weighs in at 209 tons; very large indeed.
Visitors are welcome to explore the site year-round during daylight hours. Guided tours are also offered on the first Saturday of each month.
World’s Smallest Church – Oneida, New York
On a dock floating in the middle of a pond in Oneida, New York, right outside of Syracuse, sits a record-holding church. That record? World’s smallest. This pint-sized church, named Cross Island Chapel, measures three feet by six feet and has only two seats.
If you plan to get married there, like one couple did in 1990, you better not be claustrophobic. There’s barely enough room for a bride, groom, and a minister. Oh, and the rest of the wedding party will have to spend the ceremony in boats or back on dry land.
Shell Service Station – Winston-Salem, North Carolina
Don’t bother stopping at the shell-shaped Shell Service Station in Winston-Salem, North Carolina, if you need to fill up your gas tank.
This novelty gas station hasn’t been in service since the 1950s. However, its unique appearance and convenient location minutes north of Interstate 40 make this roadside attraction perfect for a fun family photo op.
Peek through the glass door to catch a glimpse of framed newspaper articles, antique black-and-white photographs, and other Shell memorabilia.
Enchanted Highway – Regent, North Dakota
Driving through the desolate prairies of North Dakota won’t be one of the high points of your road trip. That is, until you start driving down the Enchanted Highway. Beside this 32-mile stretch of road are massive sculptures crafted by Gary Greff, a metal sculptor and retired school teacher from the small town of Regent.
Greff began working on the project in 1990 as a way to promote tourism in the remote area. Since then he’s completed seven sculptures with plans to build more down the road; pun intended.
Octopus Tree of Oregon – Tillamook, Oregon
No one knows why the Octopus Tree of Oregon looks the way it does, with six enormous limbs extending horizontally from its base before turning upwards like a candelabra.
Some believe that it was shaped by a variety of natural factors, such as weather. Others think it might’ve Native Americans who were responsible for this odd arbor. If you happen to be driving along the Oregon Coast near Tillamook, make a quick pit stop and decide for yourself.
Haines Shoe House – York, Pennsylvania
In York, Pennsylvania, you’ll find the Haines Shoe House. Built by the self-proclaimed “Shoe Wizard” Mahlon Haines in 1948, this shoe-shaped house stands 25 feet tall. It features a living room in the toe, a kitchen in the heel, and two bedrooms in the ankle. Guided tours of the house are offered on weekends.
After the tour, enjoy locally made ice cream or baked goods made by the house’s newest owner, Melanie Schmuck, who purchased the roadside abode with her husband, Jeff, in 2015.
Parthenon – Nashville, Tennessee
It turns out you don’t have to travel to Greece to see the legendary Parthenon. There’s actually a full-scale replica located in the America’s own “Athens of the South,” Nashville.
Built in 1897 for the Tennessee Centennial and International Exposition, this version of the Parthenon is home to an impressive collection of art, including a 42-foot-tall recreation of the Athena Parthenos, gilt with more than eight pounds of gold leaf.
Prada Marfa – Valentine, Texas
No, your eyes aren’t playing tricks on you; that really is a Prada store in the middle of the barren West Texas desert, in a town by the name of Valentine. Well, a replica of one at least. Known as Prada Marfa, this store is actually an art installation created by the Berlin-based duo Elmgreen and Dragset.
Don’t plan on buying any Prada wares while you’re there, by the way. The door doesn’t work and even if you managed to find a way inside, the handbags have no bottoms and the shoes are all right-footed.
Freemont Troll – Seattle, Washington
Like something out of a fairy tale, the Aurora Bridge in the Freemont neighborhood of Seattle has a troll living underneath. Not a real troll, of course, but a colossal 18-foot statue of one called the Freemont Troll.
Made from rebar steel, wire, and two tons of concrete, the troll clutches an actual Volkswagen Beetle in its right hand, as if he snatched it off the top of the bridge.