Archives
- December 2016
- March 2014
- November 2012
- July 2012
- May 2012
- April 2012
- March 2012
- February 2012
- January 2012
- December 2011
- November 2011
- October 2011
- September 2011
- May 2011
- December 2010
- November 2010
- October 2010
- September 2010
- August 2010
- July 2010
- June 2010
- May 2010
- April 2010
- March 2010
- February 2010
- January 2010
- November 2009
- October 2009
- September 2009
- July 2009
- May 2009
- April 2009
- March 2009
- February 2009
- January 2009
- December 2008
- November 2008
- October 2008
- September 2008
- August 2008
- July 2008
- June 2008
- May 2008
- April 2008
- March 2008
- February 2008
- January 2008
Categories
- Adventure Travel
- Auto Reviews
- Budget Travel
- Cruises
- Culinary Travel
- Destinations
- Eco Travel
- Entertainment & Events
- Family Trips
- Girlfriend Trips
- Hotels and Resorts
- Luxury Travel
- Mama Interviews
- Mamas on the Move
- Road Trips
- Romantic Getaways
- Spas
- Travel Deals
- Travel Fashion
- Travel Gear
- Travel News
- Videos
Links
Recent Articles
- Inspiring Family to Travel since 2008
- Romance in Ireland
- Giving Thanks
- Dining on the Carnival Breeze Cruise Ship
- One Direction checks out new 3-D ride Despicable Me Minion Mayhem at Universal Orlando
- Happy Mother’s Day
- Traveling with the Nokia Lumia 900 #Lumia900
- Family Trip Giveaway: Colonial Williamsburg
- Top Tips for Finding Adult Drinks at Walt Disney World Parks #cocktails
- Pringles $50 American Express Giveaway #TournamentofFlavors
-
Odd Roadside Attractions
Comments Off on Odd Roadside AttractionsRoad trips can be a fun time to reconnect with the family, play cheesy road games, or even make random stops along the way. When I hit the road in RedBugg, I always like to seek out the bizarre and kooky roadside attractions that can still be found along America’s highways and byways.
One site I use to help me find those crazy places is Roadside America, a guide to uniquely odd tourist attractions. Travelers can find sights by state or city and can then read updates by recent visitors. Here are a few of my favorite roadside attractions.
Rock City -This is a classic stop in Chattanooga, TN that has also been a favorite of my family for generations.
The Cadillac Ranch – Who knew that colorful Cadillacs could be found sticking out the ground in the middle of a field near Amarillo, TX.
Mammy’s Cupboard – This place is sooo not politically correct, but this Natchez, MS stop has been featured on the Travel Channel and also dishes up lunch Monday through Friday.Museum of Appalachia – Yup. We spent hours at this Clinton, TN stop and couldn’t seem to stop looking at things such as a Ukeweewee (Banjo made out of a bed pan) or the morbid collection of death items.
The International UFO Museum and Research Center – We made a stop in Roswell on a road trip and ate at the space ship shaped McDonalds. The street lights have alien heads on top that lead to the museum. This place is for hard-core UFO researchers and doesn’t offer too much for kids, except a really big gift shop with a lot of alien paraphernalia.
Old Sparky – The Louisiana State Penitentiary (Angola) has a museum just outside the prison gates where visitors can see “Old Sparky”, which is a decommissioned electric chair. The museum is free and also showcases homemade prison weapons confiscated over the years. If you want to scare the you-know-what out of your kids to keep them in line, this wouldn’t be a bad stop to consider. I wouldn’t bring little kids, though, as there are some pretty gruesome photos inside.
Hole N’ The Rock – This Moab, UT cliff dwelling took 12 years to complete. A couple operated a diner out this 5,000 square foot home. It is now a gift shop and museum. Don’t forget to check out the two story outhouse while you’re there.
This list could go on and on, but shows what crazy things one can discover in the USA on a road trip. So, what are some of the kooky places you’ve seen along your travels?
Published on May 19, 2011 · Filed under: Budget Travel, Destinations, Family Trips; Tagged as: attractions, Family Trips, odd things, road trip, roadside america
No Responses to “Odd Roadside Attractions”
-
DesertMama said on August 25th, 2008 at 4:39 pm
I’m a sucker for Route 66 road-side attractions. It’s a shame how many are gone.
-
Tracey said on August 26th, 2008 at 12:18 pm
Interesting that most of your stops are in the Southern part of the country. Hey- the rest of the US, where are your kooky attractions that we can visit!
-
[…] country. A few days into our drive, we made a pit stop in Amarillo, TX, home to some wacky, yet fun attractions. As we were leaving town early the next morning, we glimpsed a strange sight from Interstate 40. […]
-
Nancy said on April 19th, 2010 at 12:46 pm
Minnesota has bunches! I really liked the big fish restaurant near Bena. Too bad it is no longer operating and looks like it’s falling apart. Cool shape for a building, though.
-
[…] Odd Roadside Attractions – A list and brief descriptions of odd roadside attractions in the United States. […]
-
Dominique said on May 19th, 2011 at 9:12 am
Love quirky roadside attractions! I’ve got a “See Rock City” birdhouse in my basement, and we just came back from a trip in eastern Ohio where we saw another Old Sparky chair at the Ohio Reformatory (the old prison where they filmed the Shawshank Redemption, among other flicks) and snuck over the border into West Virginia to check out the “World’s Largest Teapot”!
-
Ann said on May 19th, 2011 at 3:55 pm
We found a Muffler Man holding a hot dog in Atlanta, Illinois by accident while traveling from Atlanta, Georgia to Chicago, Illinois. The kids still talk about it! Here is the link to my blog post about it:
http://mundanemagic.com/2010/08/along-the-way-atlanta-illinois.html
-
Traci said on May 21st, 2011 at 8:32 pm
Wacky and offbeat attractions are our favorites, especially when they’re the world’s largest, longest, or tallest! Just last weekend we saw the world’s largest pancake griddle in Penn Yan, NY. Also here in NY, we have the world’s largest kaleidoscope and the former world’s largest garden gnome.
One of my personal faves was the world’s largest bowling pin in Tampa, FL
http://gobigorgohomeblog.com/519
