These odd diversions make for family fun on your all-American summer road trip.
As you squint through the windscreen, the freeway emerges from a heat haze in the lonely heart of the Nevada desert. Amid miles of featureless landscape, a single cottonwood tree suddenly looms. But you do a double take: instead of flowers, thousands of shoes bloom from the branches. This is no mirage: this is the Shoe Tree, one of America’s strangest roadside attractions.
Arresting roadside oddities have been around for more than a century, the catalyst for their creation the ever-decreasing attention span of the average motorist. Since the days of Henry Ford, cars and their occupants have hurtled by at increasing velocity. To sell their wares, many highway retailers created giant architectural follies to evoke the goods sold inside: teahouses were represented by giant teapots, hot dog stands resembled hot dogs, Muffler Men held mufflers…it all made a weird kind of sense.
But what do a ball of string, an avenue of birdhouses, or a cement troll have to sell? It turns out that some of the most unfathomable roadside attractions are also the most fascinating. “The roadside is perfect for artists because there’s a built-in audience in the passing traffic,” says Steve Badanes, Seattle artist and sculptor of the Freemont Troll, an underpass ogre that has become a local landmark in the Emerald City. “Passengers are taken by surprise. They were not intending to come and look at art. There’s always something going on at the Freemont Troll…tourists taking photos, rappers making videos…it has a life of its own.”
While not many people would be tempted to drive four hours to visit the second largest ball of twine—as Clark Griswold (a.k.a. Chevy Chase) did in the film National Lampoon’s Vacation—any long-distance driver can attest that after hours at the wheel, twine of any size becomes a strangely appealing diversion.
And hokey charm is certainly an appeal of roadside attractions. In spite of its ugliness, for example, there’s something strangely sweet about the Big Blue Bug in Rhode Island. Other quirky pit stops, on the other hand, are all about size. “We’re all attracted to the world’s biggest stuff…it’s a childlike fascination,” says Badanes. “I mean, who would drive across the country to see the world’s smallest anything?”
From Seattle to Rhode Island, these all-American roadside attractions are sure to stop you in your tracks. —Adam McCulloch
The Prada Marfa Store, TX
It may be hard to find a gas station on this empty stretch of U.S. 90, but at least there’s a store with high-end accessories: 20 left-foot shoes and six purses, to be exact, visible through the store’s front windows. Located 150 miles southeast of El Paso, the Prada store, which “opened” in 2005, with the blessing of Miuccia Prada herself, is the creation of Berlin artists Michael Elmgreen and Ingar Dragset. Fashionistas might want to save themselves the trip, though: the door is permanently locked, and the only sign of life is a growing population of moths. —Adam McCulloch
World’s Largest Ball of Twine, Cawker City, KS
Frank Stoeber started winding twine in his basement in 1953. Determined to outdo the mighty 12-foot-wide Johnson Twine Ball in Darwin, MN, he labored tirelessly until his death in 1974, finishing one foot short of his goal. Since then, residents and tourists visiting Cawker City have been adding to Stoeber’s ball in the annual Twineathon held in August. It now weighs a hefty nine tons and measures 40 feet in diameter. The twine is not without controversy: twine ball purists complain that, much like running the marathon, twine balling should be an individual pursuit. —Adam McCulloch
Cadillac Ranch, Amarillo, TX
This graveyard of 10 Cadillacs dating from 1949 to 1963 documents the glory years of the ostentatious tail fin. Constructed in 1974 by three artists, Hudson Marquez, Doug Michels, and Chip Lord (collectively known as Ant Farm), the prescient installation also manages to allude to the rise and fall of the American automotive industry. Located on I-40, outside of Amarillo, TX, Cadillac Ranch is a wholly interactive exhibit. Visitors are encouraged to bring paint, markers, or whatever other medium they like to add to the graffiti and be part of the ongoing conversation. —Adam McCulloch
Leaning Tower of Niles, Niles, IL
A half-scale replica of the Leaning Tower of Pisa, this is water-tower art par excellence. Created by industrialist Robert Ilg in 1934, the tower teeters precariously on the main thoroughfare of Touhy Avenue above two swimming pools, in what used to be the company’s recreation park. Today, the tower has become a focal point for the small community, with concerts and an ever-expanding water park. Proving that flattery will get you everywhere, the unlikely bond with Italy was consummated in 1991, when Niles and Pisa became sister cities. —Adam McCulloch
Purple Martin House, Griggsville, IL
Once upon a time, Griggsville, IL, was jammed between a marsh and a boggy place. Until 1962, this town faced an annual mosquito plague of biblical proportions. That’s when local resident and antenna manufacturer J. L. Wade observed that purple martins not only liked to inhabit the eaves of local houses, but they were also eating up to 2,000 mosquitoes a day. Wade quickly turned his antenna factory into a birdhouse production line. Today, 5,000 birdhouses (some as tall as 70 feet) line Quincy Street, which has been renamed Purple Martin Boulevard in honor of the town’s newfound feathered friends. —Adam McCulloch
Lucy the Elephant, Margate, NJ
Lucy the Elephant’s original role, back in 1882, was to sell real estate. In fact, she’s the first example of zoomorphic architecture in the U.S. and has the patent to prove it. Located in Margate, NJ, this much-loved roadside folly is artfully crafted from wood and tin and has proved far more versatile than her creator imagined. At 65 feet tall, and housing a spacious hall, Lucy has at various times served as a bar, an office, and a summer home. —Adam McCulloch
Wee’l Turtle, Dunseith, ND
What do you do with 2,000 old wheel rims? Turn them into an 18-foot-tall turtle, of course! Built in 1982 by George Gottbreht, owner of Dale’s Thrifty Barn, a convenience store, motel, and restaurant all rolled into one, the turtle pays homage to nearby Turtle Mountain State Park. For a time, the rather abstract shape was mistaken for a lizard, so Gottbreht added a motor to imbue the head with some turtle-y motion. Something of a chameleon, the turtle dons a red Santa Claus hat during the holiday season. —Adam McCulloch
The Shoe Tree, Middlegate, NV
Legend has it that a couple of newlywed campers were embroiled in an argument under this cottonwood tree in the 1980s. She threatened to walk out so he lofted her shoes high into the branches and cooled his heels at a bar in nearby Middlegate. The couple made amends, and when they had their first child, they returned to this lonely stretch of Highway 50 to add a pair of baby booties. Inspired, others soon followed suit. Now the tree’s boughs are heavy with thousands of pairs of footwear dangling from their laces like ripe cherries. —Adam McCulloch
Fremont Troll, Seattle
In the shadow of an overpass in the Fremont neighborhood of Seattle lurks a giant one-eyed troll clutching a Volkswagen Beetle. The two-ton sculpture was created in 1990 by a team of four local artists, Steve Badanes, Ross Whitehead, Will Martin, and Donna Walter, as part of a competition promoting urban renewal. The ugly ogre was originally overlooked by the judging committee. But it charmed locals, winning the popular vote and the right to haunt the underpass forevermore. —Adam McCulloch
Big Blue Bug, Providence
The Big Blue Bug was built in just four days in 1980 to sit atop New England Pest Control in Providence. This ungainly sculpture—which bears closer resemblance to a turnip—was named Nibbles Woodaway in a radio competition and since then has seen no end of controversy. He’s been shot at, proposed beneath, featured in the film Dumb and Dumber, turned into a tattoo, and even was the subject of a lawsuit. Much like the bugs he represents, he’s almost impossible to get rid of. —Adam McCulloch
UFO Landing Port, Green Bay, WI
Standing 42 feet tall, this extraterrestrial airport is located on Highway 29, east of Green Bay. Should aliens actually make use of the facility, they’ll find themselves in Tohak & Son Welding shop. Owner Bob Tohak created the curious structure from an empty fuel tank, scrap iron, and zero irony. A sign on the structure reads If the government has no knowledge of aliens why did they make it illegal for US citizens to have any contact with extraterrestrials or their vehicles?
Largest Ten Commandments, Murphy, NC
A theme park featuring the Bible’s greatest hits, Fields of the Wood is located 18 miles west of Murphy on NC-294. Created by the Church of God of Prophecy in the 1940s, this supersized tribute features the Ten Commandments on a hillside (reminiscent of the Hollywood sign), an 80-foot altar, a 50-foot-wide concrete Bible, a baptismal swimming pool, and a replica of Christ’s tomb. —Adam McCulloch
Salvation Mountain, Niland, CA
Creator Leonard Knight’s colorful roadside attraction owes its existence to the fact that Knight couldn’t launch his homemade hot-air balloon. After it split at the seams in 1984, Knight decided to leave his hometown of Niland, CA. His parting gift was to be a diminutive shrine made from half a bag of cement located on a forgotten riverbank on Beal Road near the outskirts of town. But 25 years—and 100,000 gallons of donated paint later—his psychedelic sculpture is a resplendent display of flowers, waterfalls, scripture, and patriotism. —Adam McCulloch
Largest Ball of Paint, Alexandria, IN
When Mike Carmichael accidentally dropped a baseball into a bucket of paint, he had a thought: why not paint it 10, 20, 100 times and watch it grow? That was in 1977, and his multicolored blob has been gaining weight ever since. Carmichael keeps a guest book detailing the color of each new layer, and even issues certificates to visitors eager to add a few microns of acrylic to his strange obsession. Currently the paint ball weighs in at more than 1,300 pounds and has accumulated some 20,000 coats of paint. —Adam McCulloch
Coral Castle, Homestead, FL
This may well be America’s answer to the Taj Mahal. Located on U.S. 1, this home and monument was the work of Edward Leedskalnin over a period of 28 years (1923–1951) in honor of his young bride, Agnes Scuffs, who jilted him at the altar. While the Taj Mahal may be more beautiful, Coral Castle has its own mysteries. Using only basic tools, the diminutive Leedskalnin worked alone under the cover of darkness carving and manipulating the 10-ton limestone blocks with all the stonemasonry precision of the ancient Egyptians. To this day no one can work out how he did it. —Adam McCulloch
Largest Ball of Stamps, Boys Town, NE
Weighing in at 600 pounds and measuring 32 inches in diameter, this ball of stamps is the work of the Boys Town Stamp Collecting Club. Currently on display at Leon Myers Stamp Center in the Boys Town Visitors Center, it was built in the 1950s and is composed of approximately 4,655,000 postage stamps. This makes it simultaneously the largest ball of stamps and the largest ball of dried saliva. —Adam McCulloch
Enchanted Highway, Dickinson, ND
Roadside giants are often solitary figures. Not so with the Enchanted Highway just off Interstate 94, roughly 20 miles from Dickinson. Conceived by local resident Gary Greff in 1993, the Tin Family was the first sculpture to grace the verge. Standing up to 45 feet tall, the figures were crafted from storage tanks and scrap metal. Since then, six more surreal installations have joined the display, including Geese in Flight, Fisherman’s Dream, and most recently, 40-foot-tall Pheasants on the Prairie. —Adam McCulloch
Giant Horseshoe Crab, Blanchester, OH
Built for the Baltimore Maritime Museum, the giant horseshoe crab was purchased by the Creation Museum in Kentucky, then, in 2006, moved to its current location outside the Freedom Worship Baptist Church in Blanchester on State Route 28. Measuring 68 feet by 24 feet, the oversize sea creature is a favored church mascot: having changed little in 570 million years, it adds weight to the argument for creationism. —Adam McCulloch
Life-Size Chocolate Moose, Scarborough, ME
Most roadside attractions exist outdoors. But this anatomically correct moose of the confectionery variety has no choice but to stay in the cool air-conditioning. Lenny, as he is affectionately known, was crafted from 1,700 pounds of milk chocolate over a one-month period when business was presumably slow. The life-size moose is the mascot for candy store Len Libby, which has been a Maine institution since 1926. —Adam McCulloch
Petrified-Wood Gas Station, Decatur, TX
Resembling a gas station from The Flintstones, this garage was built by local businessman C. F. Boydston in 1927, then covered in petrified wood a decade later. The kitschy approach to architecture was surprisingly common for “auto camps” (the precursor to motels) in the early 20th century. As a result, the gas station (now the Whistle Stop Café) is recognized by the National Register of Historic Places. —Adam McCulloch
Words by Adam McCulloch, Joshua Pramis and Lyndsey Matthews as noted. Originally published on TravelandLeisure.com. The format has been altered to suit Tumblr. To view the original article click here.
