Off Beat Roadside Attractions, Trivia, & More – Legends of America (original) (raw)
Carhenge in Nebraska along Highway 87 just north of Alliance by Kathy Alexander.
Roadside stops, strange statues, larger-than-life items, gimmicky signs, quirky architecture — popping up along America’s roads and highways often bring drivers to a screeching halt, a quick turn around, or, at the very least, an expletive — “what in the hell was that?”
Now and then, unsuspecting folks see something along a road trip that is so odd that they can’t believe their eyes. Must have a second look, a photograph, and a photograph with “me” in it. Is that Stonehenge in the middle of Texas? What the heck is hanging from that tree? So, why do I keep seeing huge statues of a blue ox? Why are there dinosaurs everywhere?
Beginning in the days of Henry Ford’s Model-T, travelers began to whiz by faster and faster, overlooking the many vendors and shops trying to peddle their wares. Solution — build big signs, statues, and other advertising gimmicks to lure people into stopping. Artists were encouraged to build along the highways so passersby could see their creations. Some, however, want to build things, not caring if people stop to look; hence, the Winchester House in California or a bottle house in Nevada.
Most often, though, these oddities are built to attract attention, whether it draws people into a store or brings attention to themselves, their city, or a cause. In any event, these oddities make the drive across America bunches of fun.
Quirky Stuff:
Joseph City, AZ, Here It Is Sign (Photo art by Kathy Alexander, original image by Carol Highsmith)
An Obsession With Doors & Windows
Presidential Trivia, Fun Facts & Firsts
Three of the Most Celebrated Gardens in American History
Twisted Facts, History, & More
United States Trivia, Fun Facts, and Firsts
What’s In a Name? – Odd Place Names in America
Quirky Places:
- Arizona Fun Facts & Trivia
- Chloride – A Ghost Town and Then Some
- Haunted Red Garter Bed & Bakery
- Joseph City & the Jackrabbit Trading Post
- Museum Club’s Unearthly Guests
- Yaba-Daba-Doo – Bedrock City
- You Know You’re in Arizona When…
Booger Hollow, Arkansas Double Decker Outhouse by Kathy Alexander.
- Arkansas Fun Facts & Trivia
- Boggy Creek Monster
- Booger Hollow’s Double Decker Outhouse
- Hope – Watermelon Capital of the World
- White River Monster
- World’s Largest Spinach Can
- You Know You’re In Arkansas When…
- California Fun Facts & Trivia
- Ghosts of Alcatraz
- Grandma Prisbrey’s Bottle Village
- No Old Woman – Just a Very Large Shoe
- Salvation Mountain – A Tribute to God
- Tasty and Fanciful Pez Museum
- Brothel Museum in Cripple Creek
- Colorado Fun Facts & Trivia
- Frozen Dead Guy in Nederland
- Guffey, Colorado – Quirky Mining Town
- Tropical Bug Museum in Colorado
- Wonder Tower in Genoa
Spud Drive-In Potato in Driggs, Idaho. Photo by Kathy Alexander
Quirky Illinois
- The Garden of Eden in Lucas, Kansas
- Kansas Fun Facts & Trivia
- The Nation’s Largest Sunflower
- You Know You’re In Kansas When…
- Dental Health Theatre?
- Glore Psychiatric Museum in St. Joseph
- Jim the Wonder Dog
- Missouri Fun Facts & Trivia
- Monument to the Trail of Tears
- Stonehenge in Rolla
- You Know You’re In Missouri When…
- Desert John’s Saloon Museum
- Merry Widow Health Mine
- Montana Fun Facts & Trivia
- New Atlas Saloon in Columbus
Found discarded at the Pahrump, Nevada Museum. Photo by Kathy Alexander.
- Goldwell Open Air Museum
- M&M’s World
- Nevada Fun Facts & Trivia
- Nevada Triangle – A Trap in the Mountains
- Rhyolite Bottle Building
- Stokes Castle in Austin
- Thunder Mountain Park
- Fridgehenge – Consumerism Stonehenge
- How Hot Springs, NM, Became Truth or Consequences
- New Mexico’s Big Bird
- New Mexico Fun Facts & Trivia
- The Roswell Incident and the International UFO Museum & Research Center
- Smokey Bear Historical Park, Museum & Grave in Capitan
- Snakes Alive in Albuquerque
- Tiny Town – Art That Dies to Live
Quirky North Dakota
The Blue Whale, photo by David Fisk.
- Catoosa and the Blue Whale
- Ed Galloway’s Totem Pole Park
- Largest McDonald’s In the World?
- Oklahoma Fun Facts & Trivia
Quirky South Dakota
- Buckhorn Saloon & Museum, San Antonio
- Cadillac Ranch, Amarillo
- Quirky Amarillo
- Stonehenge II Near Hunt
- Texas Fun Facts & Trivia
Quirky Washington
Thought to be a myth by many, the jackalope is alleged to exist in remote areas of Wyoming.
- The Death Ship of the Platte River
- Jackalopes in Wyoming – Myth or Reality?
- Little People of Wyoming & the Pedro Mountain Mummy
- Monument to a Prostitute in Lusk
- Outlaw Big Nose George Becomes a Pair of Shoes
- Wyoming Fun Facts & Trivia
© Kathy Alexander/Legends of America, updated April 2023.
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