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?”
Every now and then, unsuspecting folks see something along a road trip that is just so odd that they just can’t believe their eyes. Must have a second look — must have a photograph — must have a photograph with “me” in it. Really, 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’s, 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 luring people to stop. Artists were lured to build along the highways so that passersby could see their creations. Some, however, just want to build things, not really caring if people stopped 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 bring attention to themselves, their city, or a cause. In any event, these oddities make the drive across America bunches of fun.
Quirky Stuff:
An Obsession With Doors & Windows
Presidential Trivia, Fun Facts & Firsts
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…
- 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
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
- 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
- Catoosa and the Blue Whale
- Ed Galloway’s Totem Pole Park
- Largest McDonald’s In the World?
- Oklahoma Fun Facts & Trivia
- Tattoo Man of Bartlesville
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 actually exists 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 Weiser/Legends of America, updated March 2020.
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