{"id":611,"date":"2024-09-14T18:54:18","date_gmt":"2024-09-14T10:54:18","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/gagner-des-cadeaux.org\/index.php\/2025\/03\/07\/top-10-weird-and-wonderful-usa-roadside-attractions\/"},"modified":"2025-11-23T09:56:07","modified_gmt":"2025-11-23T01:56:07","slug":"top-10-weird-and-wonderful-usa-roadside-attractions","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/gagner-des-cadeaux.org\/?p=611","title":{"rendered":"Top 10 weird and wonderful USA roadside attractions"},"content":{"rendered":"
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There is a sense of humor around every corner when you’re driving in the USA. How else to explain those wacky, way-out-in-left-field roadside attractions you\u2019ll stumble upon? Sculptures made of cars, energy vortexes and oversized household items are just the beginning. Here are our favorite offbeat stops.<\/p>\n

1. Cadillac Ranch \u2013 Texas<\/strong><\/h2>\n

In 1974, the late, local eccentric millionaire Stanley Marsh planted 10 Cadillacs (vintage 1949 to 1963) headlights down in a deserted stretch of dirt outside Amarillo \u2013 and then moved them further out in 1997 to escape town encroachment. The reason? He said he constructed what has come to be known as Cadillac Ranch (I-40 between exits 60 & 62) in a salute to Route 66, using cars he considered to represent the golden age of car travel.<\/p>\n

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The accepted practice today is to leave your own mark on the art by drawing on the cars. Bring spray paint in case other visitors haven\u2019t left any around. Occasionally, the cars get a makeover, like when they were all painted pink in honor of breast cancer awareness. To get here, park along the south feeder road a couple of miles west of Loop 335, and walk the well-worn path. As cool as it sounds, there\u2019s a sort of forlorn feel to the place.<\/p>\n

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This tourist attraction was made famous by Weird Al Yankovic \u00a9 Sam Wagner\/Shutterstock<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

2. World\u2019s Largest Ball of Twine \u2013 Minnesota<\/strong><\/h2>\n

There\u2019s much ado about which ball of twine actually holds the record these days, but why not pay your respects to the original that started all the fuss? Behold the World\u2019s Largest Ball of Twine in Darwin, 62 miles west of Minneapolis on US 12. To be specific, it\u2019s the \u201cLargest Built by One Person\u201d \u2013 Francis A Johnson wrapped the 17,400lb whopper on his farm over the course of 29 years. Gawk at it in the town gazebo. Better yet, visit the museum beside it and buy your own twine ball starter kit in the gift shop.<\/p>\n

3. Unclaimed Baggage Center \u2013 Alabama<\/strong><\/h2>\n

Head into downtown Scottsboro, Alabama, on Hwy 279 and follow the signs to the Unclaimed Baggage Center. Wait\u2026is that your iPhone? The one you left in the seat pocket on that flight from Poughkeepsie? Probably. This Macy\u2019s-sized retail space is the end of the line for the majority of unclaimed bags in the US. After 90 days, the airlines send your lost luggage here. It takes thrift shop-level patience, but there you’ll find Tumi luggage, Kate Spade bags, Bruno Magli loafers, cameras, laptops, golf clubs \u2013 you name it \u2013 all for a fraction of retail.<\/p>\n

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Pose for a photo on the Jackalope at Wall Drug in Wall, South Dakota \u00a9 iStock<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

4. Wall Drug Store \u2013 South Dakota<\/strong><\/h2>\n

A tourist trap par excellence, this drugstore in South Dakota is famous for its roadside billboards that start advertising \u201cfree ice water\u201d several states away, but it’s a surprisingly worthy stop. They really do have 5\u00a2 coffee, free ice water and enough diversions to warm the heart of schlock-lovers everywhere. Don\u2019t miss the animatronic dinosaurs.<\/p>\n

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Coral Castle is a labor of love by an eccentric Latvian immigrant named Edward Leedskalnin from 1923 to 1951 \u00a9 BorisVetshev \/ Shutterstock<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

5. Coral Castle \u2013 Florida<\/strong><\/h2>\n

This favored stop in Homestead is one man\u2019s kitschy do-it-yourself testament to lost love. Latvian immigrant Ed Leedskalnin dug up over 2.2 million tons of coral rock to build this mock castle that took him nearly 30 years (1923-1951) to complete. Its engineering was once a bit of mystery, especially since the broken-hearted Romeo worked secretively at night without using any mortar. Some claim that the marvel has unusual electromagnetic properties.<\/p>\n

6. Lucas \u2013 Kansas<\/strong><\/h2>\n

\u201cOutsider art,\u201d meaning works created outside the bounds of traditional culture, has blossomed in tiny Lucas. Samuel Dinsmoor began it all in 1907 by filling his yard with enormous concrete sculptures espousing his eccentric philosophies. His Garden of Eden is visible from the sidewalk, but paid admission lets you hear some wonderful stories and see his remains in a glass-topped coffin.<\/p>\n

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Six-story Lucy the Elephant was built by James V. Lafferty in 1882 in an effort to sell real estate and attract tourism \u00a9 Aneese \/ Getty Images<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

7. Lucy the Elephant \u2013 New Jersey<\/strong><\/h2>\n

Drive around the beach communities just south of Atlantic City, and something massive, gray and kitsch will stop you in your tracks: Lucy the Elephant, a 65ft-high wooden pachyderm constructed in 1881 as a developer\u2019s truly weird scheme to attract land buyers to the area. It was variously used as a hotel, beach cottage, private mansion and last, a tavern, but rowdy patrons almost destroyed her. Now recognized on the National Register of Historic Places, Lucy is a beloved part of the city.<\/p>\n

8. The Shoe Tree of Middlegate \u2013 Nevada <\/strong><\/h2>\n

Located on the “Loneliest Road in America,” the Shoe Tree of Middlegate is a testament to love. Story goes that to keep his girlfriend from leaving after an argument, a man threw the women’s shoes into a tree. After cooler heads prevailed, the two reconciled and went on to live a happy life. Since then, traveling sweethearts having been throwing their shoes into the tree. The original tree was chopped down by vandals in 2010, but a second tree was selected in 2017.<\/p>\n

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Roswell, New Mexico, is the epicenter of all things extraterrestrial in the US \u00a9 PATRICK T. FALLON \/ AFP \/ Getty Images<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

9. Roswell \u2013 New Mexico<\/strong><\/h2>\n

No list is complete without Roswell, New Mexico \u2013 if you believe that “The Truth is Out There,\u201d then this is your spot. In 1947, a mysterious object crashed at a nearby ranch. No one would have skipped any sleep over it, but the military made a big to-do of hushing it up, and for a lot of folks, that sealed it: the aliens had landed!<\/p>\n

International curiosity and local ingenuity have transformed the city into a quirky extraterrestrial-friendly zone. Bulbous white heads glow atop the downtown street lamps.<\/p>\n

Believers and kitsch-seekers must check out the International UFO Museum & Research Center, displaying documents supporting the cover-up as well as lots of far-out art and exhibitions. The annual Roswell UFO Festival beams down over the July 4 weekend, with an otherworldly costume parade, guest speakers, workshops and concerts.<\/p>\n

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Enjoy the view at Meteor Crater \u00a9 iStock<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

10. Meteor Crater \u2013 Arizona<\/strong><\/h2>\n

The second most impressive hole in Arizona was formed by a fiery meteor that screamed into the atmosphere about 50,000 years ago, when giant sloths lived in these parts. Meteor Crater, 40 miles east of Flagstaff, is an out-of-this-world site for those with a thimbleful of imagination. Nearly a mile across and 600ft deep, there are lookout points around the crater\u2019s edge but no hiking to the bottom. Check out the fun, informative visitor center.<\/p>\n

Keep planning your USA road trip: <\/strong><\/h3>\n

Plot your route with the best road trips in the USA
\nListen to the experts: I took my camper van across 48 US states. These are my 10 favorites
\nHit the highlights with 11 amazing experiences in the USA<\/p>\n<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

There is a sense of humor<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":613,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[5],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-611","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-usa-travel-stories"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/gagner-des-cadeaux.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/611","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/gagner-des-cadeaux.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/gagner-des-cadeaux.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/gagner-des-cadeaux.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/gagner-des-cadeaux.org\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=611"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/gagner-des-cadeaux.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/611\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":1094,"href":"https:\/\/gagner-des-cadeaux.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/611\/revisions\/1094"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/gagner-des-cadeaux.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/613"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/gagner-des-cadeaux.org\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=611"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/gagner-des-cadeaux.org\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=611"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/gagner-des-cadeaux.org\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=611"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}