A List of Roadside Attractions for the Continental US
Written by Joseph Sandefur
Illustrated by Aarohi Devasthale
Alabama: Elberta/ Bamahenge
Built in2012, Bamahenga is a true-to-size fiberglass replica of the famous Stonehenge site in Wiltshire, England. The reproduction is even aligned correctly with the summer solstice.
Arizona: Picacho/ Rooster Cogburn Ostrich Ranch
Owned by the same family for three generations, an ostrich ranch in Arizona has grown to include donkeys, goats, deer, ducks, stingrays and rainbow lorikeets.
Arkansas: Alma/ Popeye Statue
In the town of Alma, Arkansas- the self proclaimed “spinach state”- a bronze statue of Popeye has stood atop a water fountain in the dedicated Popeye Park since 2007.
California: Cabazon/ Cabazon Dinosaurs
Located just outside Palm Springs these giant concrete dinosaurs have quite the videography; they were featured in Pee-Wee’s Big Adventure, Paris, Texas, Fallout: New Vegas, and the music video for “Everybody Wants to Rule the World.”
Colorado: Genoa/ Wonder Tower
Owned by a man named Jerry, the Wonder Tower is a relic from a former roadside attraction featuring a plethora of assorted junk. With several themed rooms and pickled animlas, you can also see six states from the top of the tower.
Connecticut: Montville/ Supercharged
The largest multi-level indoor go-karting facility in the world is in Southeastern Connecticut, with 45mph, 95 horsepower “super-charged” go-karts. Go krazy in this 110,000 square-foot facility with straightaways, steep ramps, uphill climbs and hairpin turns.
Delaware: Dover/ Miles the Monster
A 46-foot fiberglass monster with deep red eyes towers over the Dover International Speedway, crushing a racecar in his hand. The monster launched a failed run for president in 2012, using the campaign slogan “Concrete Change in 2012.”
Florida: Kissimmee/ Gatorland
‘Gators galore! You’ll be busy all day at this 110-acre attraction, featuring thousands of alligators and crocodiles, as well as a breeding marsh, petting zoo, reptilian show, and plenty more! Be sure to visit the White Gator Swamp and get a glimpse of the giant, rare white alligators!
Georgia: Cherry Log/ Expedition Bigfoot
Started by Bigfoot researcher David and his wife Melinda in 2016, Expedition Bigfoot is a museum rich with artifacts and displays commemorating the elusive Bigfoot. See several different casts of Bigfoot’s feet and models of heads.
Idaho: Cottonwood/ Dog Bark Park Inn
The world’s biggest beagle is named Sweet Willy, and he’s 30 feet tall. Built by Dennis J. Sullivan and his wife Frances Conklin, he’s also a bed and breakfast!
Illinois: Metropolis/ Hometown of Superman
In the “Hometown of Superman,” a 12-foot-tall, two-ton, bronze Superman stands proud, but with quite an unfortunate past.
Indiana: Lake Village, Indiana / Giant Lady’s Leg Sundial
Located about an hour Southeast of Chicago, an 18.5-foot-tall, 32-foot-long woman’s leg pokes out of the ground. This would be none other than the Giant Lady’s Leg Sundial, home to the clothing-optional/nudist Sun Aura Resort since the 1930s.
Iowa: Sac City / World’s Largest Popcorn Ball
You can look, but you can’t eat! A 9,370-pound, 8-foot wide ball of popcorn sits in Sac City, Iowa. Created from 900 pounds of popcorn, over 2,500 pounds of sugar, and 1,400 pounds of syrup, the giant snack was made in February 2009 in 12 hours and 40 minutes, by over 250 volunteers.
Kansas: Garden City/ World’s Largest Hairball
In Garden City, Kansas, the world’s largest hairball proudly stands, a testament to the cow’s stomach from which it was removed. Measuring nearly 40 inches in circumference, the massive trichobezoar reportedly weighed 55 pounds wet when first removed.
Kentucky: Williamstown/ Ark Encounter
In Williamstown, Kentucky, a true-to-size replica of Noah’s Ark is the main attraction of a Biblical-theme-park combination. It was constructed using the exact measurements from the Book of Genesis: 510 feet long, 51 feet high, and 85 feet wide.
Louisiana: Avery Island/ Tabasco Museum Factory
In southern Louisiana, an unusual geological formation known as the salt dome is home to one of the most iconic hot sauces in the country. Made from a red pepper only found on the curious Avery Island, Tabasco has been made by the same family for five generations since 1868.
Maine: Scarborough/ Lenny The Chocolate Moose
Lenny the milk-chocolate moose is the star of an edible animal hibitat in the chocolatier Len Libby Candies. Weighing in at 1,700 pounds, Lenny was created in a month-long delicious process.
Maryland: Harve de Grace/ Dr. Gloom’s Crypt of Curiosities
Augustus Gloom amassed an incredible collection of bizarre artifacts from the United States. When Dr. Gloom’s sister donated his collection after his death, it was purchased by the cryptozoology enthusiast Geena “Mean Geen” Bartoll, who converted her garage into today’s Dr. Gloom’s Crypt of Curiosities.
Massachusetts: Worcester/ Grave of the Smiley Face
One of the happiest tombstones in America is that of Harvey Ball, the original designer of the iconic Smiley Face from 1963. You know, the yellow one with the dimples. Ball designed the smiley face on commission from a company to improve company morale.
Michigan: Kaleva/ Bottle House
In the small town of Kaleva, Michigan, the glass bottles this house is made of outnumber the population. The peculiar house of John J. Makinen, Sr. is created from 60,000 glass bottles, in a town with a population of 507.
Minnesota: Blue Earth/ Joly Green Giant
The Jolly Green Giant of Blue Earth, Minnesota is 55.5 feet tall and wears size 78 shoes. He was built in 1979 by Paul Hedburg, a radio station owner and host.
Mississippi: Sandy Hook/ Smitty’s Super Service Station
One of the few standing Showbizz Pizza animatronic shows is in Sandyu Hook, Mississippi. Opened in 2007 by Damon Breland, visitors can make an appointment to enjoy the show all to themselves.
Missouri: Cuba/ World’s Largest Rocking Chair
The former largest rocking chair in the world is in Cuba! Cuba, Missouri, that is. Built in 2008 on April Fool’s day, this over 42-foot-tall chair may have briefly held the title once but was dethroned by a 98-foot-tall red chair in St. Florian, Austria.
Montana: Arlee/ Garden of One Thousand Buddhas
Perhaps one of the largest Buddhist shrines in the States is in the Flathead Valley of Western Montana. This peaceful chakra is home to 1,000 Buddhas, surrounding the 24-foot statue of Yum Chenmo, the Great Mother.
Nebraska: Grand Island / Fred’s Flying Circus
An assortment of various cars floats above an automotive shop in Grand Island, Nebraska. Started by Fred Schritt, the collection is now run by his family, all of whom are happy to offer tours of the whimsical floating parade.
Nevada: Churchill / Shoe Tree of Middlegate
On the “loneliest road in America” in the Middlegate, Nevada desert, a lonesome tree bears rather interesting fruit–shoes. It was cut down by vandals in 2010, but the citizens of Middlegate elected a new tree to take its place, already with an impressive number of hanging footwear.
New Hampshire: Mason / Uncle Sam’s House
America’s favorite piece of propaganda was inspired by a man named Samuel “Uncle Sam” Williams. He lived in a small house in Mason, New Hampshire, before moving to Troy, where he made his fame as a meat inspector for the U.S. army.
New Jersey: Clifton / Clifton Gates of Hell
The Gates of Hell are in Clifton, New Jersey. Once inside, you’ll find satanic graffiti and murals galore. Completely dry, these drains reportedly go on for hundreds of feet, layered nine times like the circles of hell. Don’t believe it? Guess you’ll have to see for yourself.
New Mexico: Ruidoso/ Fox Cave
In Ruidoso Downs, New Mexico, a giant pair of zombie’s hands jut out of the ground. Behind these colossal hands is a banner that reads “CAVE OPEN.” Not really, though, seeing as Fox Cave hasn’t been open for over 70 years. Stop by the gift shop for some neat knick-knacks, though!
New York: Sodus / Abandoned Girl Scout Camp
In the lush forest off Lake Ontario sits a relic of the past: an abandoned Girl Scouts camp. The camp closed somewhere in the 1990s, after which it was turned into a state park until it was seemingly forgotten about.
North Carolina: Winston-Salem / The Last Clamshell Shell Station
The last standing Shell Oil clamshell station in the United States is in the small town of Winston-Salem, North Carolina. Unfortunately, it isn’t operational, just a moment frozen in time.
North Dakota: Grand Forks Air Force Base / Grand Forks Drone Park
A park dedicated entirely to flying drones? Yeah, it’s real, and it’s in North Dakota. Grand Sky is 217 acres and situated in a 1.2 million square foot facility. That’s a lot of drone airspace!
Ohio: Hillsboro/ Horseshoe Crab of Hillsboro
Originally built in 1995 for the inner Harbor in Baltimore, Maryland, this massive horseshoe ground that has had many homes over the years, and not all of them were wet. Now it lives in Hillsboro, Ohio. Known as “Crabbie,” the fiberglass structure is 28 feet wide and 12 feet high (not including the tail behind it!)
Oklahoma: Stillwater/ Transformers of Stillwater
Autobots, roll out! To Stillwater, Oklahoma. Optimus Prime and his right-hand man Bumblebee both stand guard, 5.5 miles away from each other, on 6th Avenue. Owned by body shop owner Mike McCubbin, both of the giants were ordered from Thailand, but were laboriously worked on before taking their post.
Oregon: Jacksonville/ Bigfoot Trap
An American one-of-a-kind Sasquatch trap lies in the Rogue River-Siskiyou National Forest of Oregon. It was built in 1974 by the former North American Wildlife Research Team after a local miner reported seeing 18-inch footprints in the shape of human feet. No luck yet, though.
Pennsylvania: Punxsutawney/ Gobbler’s Knob
Hallowed ground, Gobbler’s Knob is the home of legendary Punxsutawney Phil, the iconic weather predictor. Year after year locals gather to see what the groundhog will predict. (At the time of writing, 2023, it’s another six weeks of winter!)
Rhode Island: Woonsocket/ Precious Blood Cemetery
An art gallery in granite, the Precious Blood Cemetery in Woonsocket, Rhode Island features a handful of some of the greatest works of granite artwork.
South Carolina: Dillon/ South of the Border
If you’ve been anywhere along the 500-mile stretch of I-95 north and south of Dixie Tijuana, chances are you know of South of the Border, thanks to its nearly 200 billboards promoting it. Even then, it’s hard to miss the towering, nearly 20-foot0high figure with the bright sombrero on his head. That’d be Pedro, of course!
South Dakota: Rapid City/ McDonald’s Quarter Pounder
A rather new addition to America’s roadside collection, a 23,000 pound Quarter Pounder sits upon a pedestal in a town of Rapid City, South Dakota. The massive burger was installed in 2020 by McDonald’s, and the corporation chose Rapid City due to them consuming the most Quarter Pounders with cheese in the country.
Tennessee: Pigeon Forge/ Jurassic Jungle Boat Ride Jurassic World on a boat! In Pigeon Forge, Tennessee, float down a river in a mysterious jungle rich with dinosaurs. These robotic dinosaurs are quite the sight, and may even be a bit scary for some. Proceed with caution!
Texas: Amarillo/ Cadillac Ranch
Along Route 66 in Amarillo Texas stands a mass of Cadillacs plunged into the dirt, their tail ends sticking out of the ground. Built in 1974 by a group of art hippies and their partner Stanley Marsh, they called themselves the Ant Farm. After years of defacing and vandalism, the cars are barely recognizable.
Utah: Vernall / First Lady Dolls
Almost every American First Lady is immortalized in the form of handmade Dolls at the Uintah County Western Heritage Museum in Vernal, Utah. Salt Lake City sculptor Phyllis Juhlin Park created porcelain dolls of every U.S. First Lady up until after Nancy Reagan when she retired. They’re even wearing outfits based on real outfits they wore!
Vermont: St. Johnsbury / Dog Chapel
Dog lovers unite! In St. Johnsbury, Vermont there lies a small, humble chapel dedicated to the spiritual bond between man and man’s best friend. It was built on “Dog Mountain” in 1998 by folk artist Stephen Huneck after he died and came back to life five minutes later.
Virginia: Port Royal / Assassin’s End
Arguably the most infamous assassin in America, John Wilkes Booth shot and killed Abraham Lincoln in 1865 and proceeded to run from authorities for 12 days before being stopped at a tobacco barn on a rural farm in Virginia. The farm that watched the assassin meet his end still stands, and is now largely forgotten.
Washington: Pullman / The Junk Castle
Exactly as it sounds, the Junk Castle is a home made of junk created in the 60s by newly-wed couple Victor and Bobby Moore. Windows from washing machines and car doors, an exterior made from automobile parts and sheet metal, and a random conglomeration of…well, junk, make up this strange home.
West Virginia: Morgantown / Morgantown PRT
SCAD may have campus transportation, but is it an automated railway transit system? Morgantown’s West Virginia University (WVU) is! The Morgantown PRT (personal rapid transit) was the first of its kind in the 1970s, designed by Boeing and costing $120 million, and currently accommodates around 15,000 rides a day.
Wisconsin: Phillips / Concrete Park
An Americana paradise, this concrete jungle isn’t what you think it is. In Phillips, Wisconsin, a retired lumberjack created a testament to American folklore through concrete sculpture. From Native Americans to miners, soldiers to woodland creatures, each concrete structure is adorned with beer bottle glass. The collection grew until 1964, all from one dedicated, self- taught artist by the name of Fred Smith.
Wyoming: Cody / Smith Mansion (Postcard)
Rumored to be built over an abandoned mineshaft, Wyoming’s Smith Mansion was built by a man who just couldn’t stop building. Lee Smith’s former home is a frantic assortment of wooden architecture with extra floors and tacked-on balconies, a seemingly never ending log labyrinth.
