A sampling of those iconic travel stops across the landscape

Learn the Cheyenne story of how Devils Tower was created.

Roadside Attractions

If you happen to be traveling to a National Park and will be driving by any of these sites, be sure to stop and enjoy. May only take a few minutes or a few hours, but all are part of America’s travel and business heritage. I will be stopping during my Quest… looking forward to soaking in more of our country’s various cultures.

Photos of each attraction are below.

 

  • What a site. Since 1974, ten Cadillac cars, pointed front first into the ground, painted in myriad colors, have commanded a stop in Amarillo. The ranch can be seen from I-40 (south side)..

  • Wall Drug is one of the iconic travel stops in the country. Established in 1931 by Ted and Dorothy Husted, its primary advertisement was free ice water. That tradition continues today, in a sprawling complex located in the heart of Wall, SD, just off I-90, near Badlands National Park.

  • Yes, think Stonehenge in England. But this artistic masterpiece is comprised of cars.

  • If our planet ever receives visitors from outside our atmosphere, this will need to be their first stop. The structure looks just like it came from one of the 1950’s outerspace movies.

  • Stop in for a bite. See what a 40-foot mile bottle feels like, from the inside. Located along the Fort Point Channel in downtown Boston, you can’t miss it.

  • This might be what a facility on the moon will look like in the future. Biosphere 2 is the largest controlled-environment structure dedicated to understanding climate change. Visitors are welcome.

  • Three of the on-site telescopes are for public viewing of the night skies. This is ground-zero for the United States in observing the heavens.

  • Have you ever wondered what a home would look like if it was carved out of a sandstone formation? Check out this site south of Moab.

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  • I have a lack of words to describe this oddity.

  • You may need to buy a bigger tea cup, to hold the volume of tea one can fit into this monstrosity.

  • Just south of the entrance of Denali National Park, this planned hotel never opened. But the structure catches the eye while driving on the Parks Highway.

  • A movie celebrity who hangs out under a bridge… who would have thunk it? If in Seattle, stop by the Fremont neighborhood.

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  • Every year the exterior of this multi-purpose facility gets a makeover, courtesy of all the different corn and grains found in South Dakota.

  • A custom-built office for the Longaberger Basket Company, opened in 1997. They must have monster picnics inside.

  • This 134-foot tall working monument pays tribute to the highest recorded temperature in Death Valley. Baker is a major entry point for Mojave National Preserve.

  • Seven sculptures overlooking the city, something else to amaze tourists who cannot get enough at Mt Rushmore.

  • Sculptures of all United States Presidents (based on the Constitution) adorn the corners of twelve intersections on St. Joseph St and Main Street.

  • This granite-appearing rock block sculpture is named for the Dover International Raceway’s nickname, “The Monster Mile”.

  • This is the ultimate in lawn ornament landscaping. The sprawling complex will bring out the child in everyone.

  • The office will let you hold $500,000 in your bare hands. Give it a try, it only weighs

  • This is the only royal palace located in the USA.

  • This is the only gas station designed by Frank Lloyd Wright. A cantilevered copper roof is an easy clue as to Wright’s ingenious architecture prowess.

  • On the first Saturday of May the town of El Reno, Oklahoma, the Hamburger Capital of the World, cooks a 400-lb monster, placing it on a 350-lb bun. The town’s people partake of the delight around 1 PM during the day’s festival.

  • 35-feet tall and 11 tons, that one large utensil can handle any plate of food one could ever imagine. This gigantic fork is found in Springfield, MO.

  • It really is a pink elephant.

  • Burma Shave signs around Seligman.

    Original Route 66 Gift Shop.

    Grand Canyon Caverns.

    Hackberry General Store (must see).

    Powerhouse Visitor Center (Kingman)

  • Quench your thirst while eyeing the iconic soda bottle.

  • The longest covered bridge in the United States.

  • This is an other-worldly experience, walking a slot canyon which will make your mind swirl with imagination. This is a world-famous destination for tourists. The canyon and surrounding areas are on Navajo lands, so only authorized vendors of the Navajo Nation can provide access.

  • Oldest continuously used baseball park in the United States. You can run the same basepaths as those from 145 years ago.

  • Forevertron is the largest scrap metal artwork in the world. Stop in to see the late Tom Every’s whimsical land.

  • Tim Arnold has built a temple to pinball machines, with 400 to 1,000 of his vintage bedazzling toys ready for the public to play. All the flashing lights and pinging sounds fits in perfectly with Las Vegas.

  • At 34 tons and 120-feet tall, even Babe Ruth would need a Herculean effort to wield this piece of lumber… excuse me, carbon steel.

  • Right off I-70 in central Kansas stands the tallest easel in existence. And what a sight, to see Van Gogh’s Sunflowers on its 80-foot height.

 

  • Wall Drug

  • World's Largest Ball of Twine

  • City of Presidents

  • Kitt Peak

  • Farnham Fantasy Farm

  • Miles the Monster

    Miles the Monster

  • World's Tallest Thermometer

  • Dinosaur Park

  • Largest Teapot

  • Largest Basket

  • Largest Fork

  • Corn Palace

  • Onion-fried Hamburger

  • Hole in the Rock

  • Fremont Troll

  • Cabazon Dinosaurs

  • Carhenge

  • UFO Welcome Center

  • Cadillac Ranch

  • Garden 10000 Buddas

  • Hood Milk Bottle

  • Biosphere 2

  • 'lolani Palace

  • R.W. Lindholm Station

  • Arkansas Treasury (KHTV)

  • Igloo City

  • Antelope Canyon

  • Fuller Field

  • Forevertron

  • Pinball HoF

  • Louisville Slugger Bat

  • Van Gogh Easel