Fascinating Roadside Attractions in All 50 States

As much as we love home, there’s nothing like a road trip for good design, great plants and a chance to show off how well we can pack and organize a car. And one of the hallmarks of a great road trip is a classic roadside attraction. We’re talking superlatives galore, unique snacks and the best photo ops. Here’s a roundup of the best roadside attractions in each state, from the quirky to the kitschy to the downright awe-inspiring.

Most of these stops are located right off major highways for easy hop-out and hop-back in photos. But there are a couple of gems worth the county road detour that we couldn’t resist including. It’s still on the side of a road, just maybe not the interstate. But it’s worth the extra drive time. Check out the best roadside attraction in your state and plan your next road trip with these must-dos.

I-65 runs straight up and down Alabama, making connecting cities such as Huntsville, Birmingham and Montgomery like a vertical Orion’s Belt. And one more mythical stud in this state? Vulcan. In between I-65 and Highway 280, you’ll find the god of the forge overlooking Birmingham, complete with hammer and spear in hand. It’s a massive structure at 56 feet tall with an additional 124 feet tall pedestal. And it’s the world’s largest cast iron statue, weighing just over 50 tons. Vulcan is nearly 100 years old now, but in the 1930s, he was like a big branding exercise for Birmingham to show off its industrial industries, particularly steel. If you go, general admission for Vulcan Park & Museum is $8 for adults. And FYI: The craftsman does wear a safety apron for his metalwork; however, he is a Roman god, so that robe is all he’s got. If you view the statue from the east side, you’ll get a full moon.

Speaking of hammers, if you ever get the chance to road trip along Southeast Alaska’s Inside Passage (and you should, it’s stunning), swing by the Hammer Museum in Haines. Located right on Main Street, this unique museum boasts the world’s largest collection of hammers, with more than 2,000 on display—and nearly 6,000 more in storage. Plus, there’s a 20-foot-tall hammer out front for the perfect photo op. If you go, admission is $7.

If you grow roses in your yard or your neighbor does, you can often smell them from your door. But what about smelling roses from blocks away? That would have to be one big rose bush—5,000 square feet to be exact. Turns out the world’s largest rose bush is off State Route 80 in Tombstone, Arizona. Technically, it’s a rose tree, and it’s about 140 years old. Grown from a small White Lady Banksia clipping from a Scottish settler in the mid-1880s, the roses thrived in the desert. And by the 1920s, the plant had outgrown its surroundings, and a special trellis was built to support it. Today, the tree trunk has a 14-foot diameter and a special platform for tourists to view the beautiful canopy of rose clusters. The best time to visit is during the blooming season, from mid-March to late April. Tombstone even has a rose-themed festival in the Spring to celebrate.

If Arkansas’ Pig Trail Scenic Byway is on your motorcycle bucket list, consider starting your trip a little bit north of the official start in funky Eureka Springs. Just outside of town, you’ll find Quigley’s Castle, a whimsical fever dream. Created with some seriously unusual materials, such as exterior walls of crystals and fossils found in the nearby creek, the historic home is now more than 80 years old. While it’s not an actual castle, it does have a moat—sort of. The brainchild of one nature-loving Elise Quigley, the home was constructed with a four-foot border of uncovered earth inside. Yes, no flooring. And this area was then filled with lush, tropical plants to bring the outside in. The foliage still exists in the home today, and guests can visit on select days from March through October.

Cruising down coastal Highway 1 is a California rite of passage. There’s just so much to see, from natural wonders like the Lone Cypress to human-made wonders like Bixby Bridge. But California’s Glass Beach is a combination of the two. And it’s more accident than wonder. After years of dumping waste off the coast, the Fort Bragg shoreline is now covered in sea glass, so much so that you’re not allowed to take any with you. As the glass has now become the coast, to do so would cause serious erosion. So, this piece of the MacKerricher State Park is now the prettiest pile of trash you’ll ever see with a variety of colored sea glass, from common green to the rare cobalt, red and even some violet.

While Estes Park is known for its snow sports, the Rocky Mountain tourist town also houses one of the largest collections of keys. You’ll find the curious hoard hanging from the ceiling in the lobby of the Seven Keys Lodge (formerly The Baldpate Inn). Now more than 100 years old, the historic lodging boasts more than 20,000 keys in its collection. If you’re planning a summer road trip through the Rockies, swing by for a drink at the hotel’s new restaurant or stay the night in one of the inn’s original, rustic rooms.

If you’re doing a New England road trip up I-95, you have to stop at The Book Barn in Niantic, Connecticut. This isn’t just a cute little bookshop. It’s an outdoor campus complete with gardens, patios, goats and more. Give yourself plenty of time to browse the more than 500,000 used books, as different genres are housed in different buildings. There’s still the Main Barn, but depending on your interests, you may have to venture to a specific cabin, deck, or outhouse for certain titles. If you’re a book lover, this is the giant backyard of your dreams.

About nine miles south of Wilmington in Newark, you can’t miss the giant doctor’s bag from Highway 7 off of I-95. The 20-foot-tall bag, complete with a giant stethoscope, is located in the Apex Medical Center, where visitors can easily park and hop out for a quick photo.

Along U.S. Route 41 in Ochopee, Florida, you’ll find the smallest post office in the country. The former tomato farm irrigation pipe shed was converted into a post office in the 1950s after the South Florida town’s post office and general store burned down. Today, the cute little white shed is sought out by stamp collectors for its rare postmark.

More than a decade strong, Tiny Doors ATL has exploded into a viral, must-see attraction in Atlanta. The collection of public art is all from the mind of Karen Singer. To date, there are more than 30 public tiny doors around town, with more than one million visits to the official map of them all. And you can even visit the new Tiny Doors ATL studio in Atlanta’s Reynoldstown neighborhood by booking a tour in advance.

Did you know you can mail a coconut? As in, by itself without any packaging. Apparently, coconuts are tough enough that it is 100 percent legal to mail a whole coconut with the United States Postal Service. And you can do it at the Hoolehua post office on Molokaʻi. The Post-a-Nut program allows you to decorate a coconut and then mail it back to yourself or a loved one for a unique souvenir. Even better: The coconuts are free. You just pay for shipping, which is around $20.

And according to the USPS, you can mail a whole potato, too. Or you could just take a photo with a giant four-ton potato. No road trip through Idaho would be complete without a visit to the Idaho Potato Museum. Located along U.S. Highway 91 in Blackfoot, the attraction is one big homage to the trademarked Idaho’s Famous Potatoes. There’s potato poetry, potato video games, and, yes, there’s a cafe, complete with a baked potato bar.

Casey, Illinois, is home to several of the world’s largest things, from wind chimes to a giant rocking chair. There’s the world’s largest mailbox, swizzle spoon, knitting needles and more. It’s one big playground of fun photo ops.

How many coats of paint are too many? In Alexandria, Indiana, the limit doesn’t exist. Home to the world’s largest ball of paint, the attraction has earned media and celebrity fame for such a simple installation. What started in the 90s as a painted baseball has grown into a colossal 10,000-plus pound sphere with nearly 30,000 layers of paint. And visitors are welcome to add more!

Here at HGTV, we love visiting college campuses for dorm room makeovers and the impressive botanical gardens. And Iowa State University has several. However, it’s the quirky character looming over its Reiman Gardens that steals the show. Located just off I-35, if you’re coming from Des Moines, you’ll find Elwood, the largest concrete garden gnome in the world. Standing 15 feet tall and weighing 3,500 pounds, it’s a whimsical must-see if you’re in The Hawkeye State.

The Van Gogh Museum in Amsterdam is an absolute must for any art lover, but if you can’t swing a flight to Europe, take a drive to Kansas. There, along the state’s Land and Sky Scenic Byway, you’ll find “Vase with Three Sunflowers.” It’s not a real Van Gogh, but it’s still impressive because it’s 24 x 32—feet. One of three pieces by artist Cameron Cross, the art is displayed on one of the largest easels in the world, standing 80 feet tall and weighing 40,000 pounds.

Baseball fans, especially Babe Ruth fans, have to make the trip to Kentucky’s Louisville Slugger Museum & Factory at least once in their lifetime. It’s the ultimate homage to the sport. And even if you don’t have the time to walk through every exhibit, you have to snap a photo with The Big Bat propped up against the building. Standing 120 feet tall and weighing 68,000 pounds, this steel installation is the world’s largest baseball bat. And it’s not just any bat, it’s a steel replica of Babe Ruth’s preferred Louisville Slugger wood bat.

If you’re cutting through New Orleans on I-10, there are, of course, infinite reasons to exit and explore The Big Easy. And some of our favorites are trees, from Audubon Park to Tulane’s new “Bead Three” installation, which replaced the Bead Tree that students adorn with Mardi Gras beads each year. But another curious tree worth seeking out is The Singing Oak in City Park. Located just off the park’s Big Lake, this old oak tree is a serene refuge. Created by artist Jim Hart, the tree features a series of wind chimes made with the pentatonic five-scale octave, which is common in West African music.

If you didn’t make a pitstop for a lobster roll, you didn’t road trip through Maine. However, The Pine Tree State also boasts another hallmark eat: wild blueberries. And the Wild Blueberry Heritage Center (formerly Wild Blueberry Land) on Route 1 in Columbia Falls is the place to get your fix. Handbuilt by wild blueberry farmers Marie and Dell Emerson in 2001, the bakery-meets-museum is literally shaped like a blueberry, with additional quirky structures to pose with. There’s a blueberry pie canopy, a blueberry throne, and inside you’ll find tasty treats, from fresh-baked pies to wild blueberry coffee.

We’ve seen it all when it comes to moving old homes and restoring them. But what about moving and restoring an entire theme park? At Clark’s Elioak Farm in Ellicott City, you can visit The Enchanted Forest, a 1950s fairytale fever dream with an assortment of kitschy figures and attractions. But it wasn’t always located here. The park closed in the 1990s, and since 2004, Clark’s Elioak Farm has been porting the park over to its land, piece by piece, and lovingly restoring the beloved structures. This year The Enchanted Forest will celebrate its 70th anniversary, nearly completely restored to its original glory.

Cellulose insulation is pretty common today, but what about an entire house made of recycled paper and only recycled paper? Just north of Boston, in Rockport, Massachusetts, you’ll find the Paper House—a summer home built entirely out of old newspaper. Constructed in 1922 by Elis Stenman, it’s not such an odd concept when you consider what the man did for a living: He designed the machine that made paper clips. And Elis didn’t stop with the structure itself. There’s paper furniture and decor, too, from a paper office desk and chair to a paper piano.

Carrots are one of our favorite vegetables to grow, and this whimsical installation may be our favorite road trip pit stop. Located outside the warehouse for Food Gatherers in Ann Arbor, Michigan, you’ll find a series of larger-than-life carrots popping up from the ground. The non-profit organization is dedicated to fighting hunger, and it’s the largest food inequity program in Washtenaw County. Fittingly, it’s located on 1 Carrot Way.

The Southernmost Point Buoy at the tip of Key West, Florida, is one of the most iconic photo ops in the U.S. But where’s the northernmost point in the contiguous United States? It’s in Minnesota. Located in Angle Inlet on Lake of the Woods, a buoy with similar colorful bands as the Key West spot marks the destination before the invisible water barrier becomes Canada. And because this area is surrounded by water, you’ll need a passport for this roadside attraction, as the only roads to Minnesota’s Northwest Angle cut through Canada. However, if you don’t have a passport and it’s winter, you can always snowmobile your way in for that northernmost selfie.

The South loves a good story, from the art of raconteuring to the lyrics of a blues song. And the most famous folklore from Mississippi is The Crossroads. As the legend goes, blues icon Robert Johnson sold his soul to the Devil in exchange for his incredible talent on the guitar. The musician never claimed that this happened; however, the tale took off. And today, you can visit the infamous intersection of Highway 61 and 49 in Clarksdale. There, you’ll find a giant installation of three blue guitars to mark the fabled event.

Here at HGTV, we love stainless steel dinnerware because it’s dishwasher safe, but you’d need the world’s largest dishwasher to wash this stainless steel fork. Because it is the world’s largest fork. Standing 35 feet tall and weighing about 11 tons, the fork was originally created for an ad campaign in the 1990s, but now you’ll find it in Springfield, Missouri, right outside the Noble and Associates advertising agency.

To travel through Montana is to travel through time, as much of the state isn’t technically in the U.S. It’s Crow Country or Blackfoot Country or other Indigenous territories with makers and artists who are still fighting to preserve culture and history. And historically, buffalo roamed in Montana. Though these days, Wyoming’s chunk of Yellowstone National Park gets the most attention for buffalo sightings. But one town in Montana hasn’t forgotten that not too long ago, buffalo were very common. So, it made its own buffalo hunt. In Great Falls, Montana, you’ll find 27 buffalo statues around town—all decorated and designed differently by local artists. The most famous one, however, is the Rainboffalo, which celebrates both the buffalo as well as Montana’s rainbow trout.

Can’t swing a flight to England to see Stonehenge? How about Nebraska instead? While the state doesn’t have the iconic Neolithic structure, it does have a full-scale replica—made out of vintage cars. Located right off County Road 59 in Alliance, Nebraska, Carhenge debuted in 1987 with the vintage cars’ original colors. In the 1990s, it was painted all gray for a more Stonehenge vibe. Today, the cars are being painted again—this time with unique, colorful murals by artists from around the world. The attraction is free and open daily from dawn to dusk.

Speaking of cars, if you ever get the chance to road trip from Reno to Las Vegas, do it. It’s one of the most bizarre yet beautiful passages in the country, from breathtaking desert vistas to a haunted clown motel. There’s something for everyone. But the absolute must-do is the International Car Forest. Part junk yard, part art installation, part non-profit church, the site just off of Highway 95 features all kinds of junk cars, trucks and even an old school bus. And each one is painted, tagged or plastered with bewitching murals. The attraction is free and ever-changing, so it may look completely different if you revisit.

No road trip would be complete without snacks, and if you’re driving through New Hampshire, you have to stop at Chutters—especially if you have a sweet tooth. Home of the world’s longest candy counter, this sugary shop in Littleton, New Hampshire, has been on Main Street for more than 100 years, and it features 112 feet of glass containers with all kinds of rare, nostalgic confections. And while the candy is most famous, don’t miss Chutters’ homemade fudge and chocolate, too.

The invention of the first commercial light bulb is largely credited to Thomas Edison, and the birthplace of his invention, Menlo Park, New Jersey, still pays tribute to the industrial history of the incandescent bulb—with the largest light bulb in the U.S. While it’s not the world’s largest, the structure itself, a gorgeous Art Deco tower, is a whopping 131-feet tall. And the light bulb itself, which is made of Pyrex glass, is more than 19 feet in diameter. The design was modeled after the first commercial incandescent release, and while this light bulb doesn’t actually work, the tower and bulb do light up at night for the same effect.

New Mexico’s stretch of Route 66 is arguably the best piece, and while there are many kitschy, retro sights to see along the way—as well as arts, culture and Indigenous history—one of the most amazing sights isn’t human-made. It’s a natural wonder. Located just off the iconic highway in Santa Rosa, New Mexico, you’ll find The Blue Hole—a sapphire blue desert oasis. The 80-foot-deep swimming hole has long been a welcome retreat for travelers and Indigenous people. And today, it’s a rite of passage for divers as the crystal clear water has incredible visibility. Despite the hot desert temps, this water stays a crisp 62 degrees F year-round, so if you go, bring your thermal suit.

Listed on the National Register of Historic Places, The Big Duck is a Long Island institution. The whimsical landmark, which is designed to look like a Pekin duck, was commissioned in the early 1930s by Martin Maurerduck, a local duck farmer in Long Island. The 20-foot-tall structure was originally a business that, yes, sold ducks and eggs, but these days, it’s a tourist shop with duck-themed merch and general tourist info for Suffolk County.

Our editors are very familiar with High Point, North Carolina. We regularly attend the annual High Point Market, the largest industry trade show for home decor on the planet. In the spirit of big furniture energy, High Point also boasts the world’s largest chest of drawers. In fact, several towns in the area, which are also heavily involved in the furniture industry, feature their own XL decor. There’s the world’s largest Duncan Phyfe chair in Thomasville. And over in Jamestown, you’ll find the world’s tallest highboy, which fittingly is the exterior facade for the world’s largest furniture store.

For North Dakota, we couldn’t pick one roadside attraction but rather a collection of roadside attractions. Located just off I-94 in Gladstone, North Dakota, The Enchanted Highway is a 32-mile stretch featuring seven larger-than-life sculptures by scrap metal artist Gary Greff. The art drive starts with “Geese in Flight,” which is the world’s largest scrap metal sculpture, and it ends with “World's Largest Tin Family” in Regent, North Dakota. While in Regents, don’t miss the gift shop where you can buy miniature trinkets of each massive art piece.

If you love cottagecore, you need to visit Dresden, Ohio. There, you’ll find the world’s largest basket on the corner of Fifth and Main Street. At 48 feet long, 11 feet wide and 23 feet high, it took 10 hardwood maple trees to complete. But why is it here? That’s because of the Longaberger company, a brand with a long legacy of basketmaking. And its former headquarters in Newark, Ohio, is also a giant basket-shaped building. If that’s not enough super-sized cottagecore vibes, in the neighboring town of Frazeysburg, Ohio, you’ll find the world’s largest apple basket.

An ice-cold soda is a road trip must. And if you’re driving through Oklahoma, you have to stop at Pops. The iconic Route 66 attraction is hard to miss since there’s a 66-foot-tall neon soda bottle out front. Located in Arcadia, Oklahoma, you’ll find more than 650 different flavors of soda, from the latest launches by the biggest brands to nostalgic retro sodas and small batch bottling companies.

Portland made our list of travel design trends this year as its brand-new airport terminal is an architectural gem, boasting the best of the PNW outdoors inside a building. And it’s not the only unusual green space in town. Portland is also home to the country’s tiniest park. Located in the median of SW Naito Parkway, Mill Ends Park is a mere 452 square inches. It features one lone tree. And while it used to have bragging rights as the world’s smallest park, that title has now been taken away by a town in Japan with a tiny park measuring just 372 square inches!

Mother Goose made living in a shoe sound horrifying, but The Haines Shoe House in York County, Pennsylvania, sounds like bliss. Located just off Lincoln Highway, this 48 feet long, 25 feet high and 17 feet wide stucco work boot boasts 1,500 square feet of living space, which you can now rent on Airbnb. Inside, you’ll find three bedrooms, two and a half bathrooms, a living room, a kitchen and even a rec room. Outside, you can unwind in the hot tub or around the fire pit. Public tours are not offered anymore, but you can see this unique home from the road.

We love a good topiary, and Green Animals Topiary Gardens claims to be the oldest topiary garden in the country. Overlooking Narragansett Bay in Portsmouth, Rhode Island, the more than 100-year-old estate grounds feature more than 80 animal-shaped topiaries as well as other whimsical figures. If you plan your visit in the spring, you’ll also be treated to around 37,000 colorful tulips throughout the gardens!

Georgia may have the title The Peach State, but South Carolina, particularly Cherokee County, actually produces more peaches annually. And if you’re driving through on I-85, you can’t miss the Peachoid. This one-million-gallon water tank in Gaffney, South Carolina, pays homage to the peach industry with a 135-foot-tall peach tower. If you want to get out and pose for photos, hop on the Cherokee Foothills Scenic Highway for an up-close look.

Located a little more than an hour’s drive from Sioux Falls, Corn Palace—the “World’s Only Corn Palace”—is worth the pit stop off I-90. The historic attraction, which is now more than 130 years old, features walls covered in natural grasses and corn. The folk art murals draw more than 500,000 visitors annually, as does the six-foot-tall ear of corn named Cornelius. Can’t make it to South Dakota right now? You can always visit the Corn Palace on the Corn Cam, which is a live feed of the building. Yes, really.

The Volunteer State was made for roadtripping, from Memphis blues and barbecue to Nashville country and hot chicken to Chattanooga’s funky art scene and MoonPies. But it’s East Tennessee that’s a goldmine for roadside attractions, from driving through the Great Smoky Mountains to romping around Pigeon Forge (No trip to Tennessee is complete without visiting Dollywood.) and Gatlinburg. But before you reach those famous Foothills, you’ll pass through Knoxville, Tennessee, the birthplace of HGTV, and home of the Sunsphere. Built for the 1982 World’s Fair, this golden disco ball-topped 266-feet-high tower offers a 360-degree view of downtown Knoxville, the Great Smoky Mountains and the Tennessee River.

One of the most photographed roadside attractions from old Route 66, Cadillac Ranch is everywhere you look on social media when you search for quirky Americana. Located right off what is now I-40 in Amarillo, Texas, Cadillac Ranch is an art installation of spray-painted vintage cars seemingly embedded halfway into the ground, with the exposed section pointing up to the sun. It’s a striking juxtaposition and an ever-changing experience as guests are invited to leave their mark when they visit and paint and tag the cars. And if you forget your paint, there’s a merch trailer nearby that’s stocked with spray paint.

No road trip is complete without a funky souvenir shop and Hole ‘N’ the Rock may just be the weirdest. To start, the kooky desert general store is a 5,000-square-foot home carved into a red rock fin on the side of Highway 191. 50,000 cubic feet of sandstone were excavated to create the 14-room dwelling—complete with a curious bathtub carved right into the rock.

We love a good storage solution here at HGTV and in Vermont, you’ll find the world’s tallest filing cabinet. Located off Flynn Avenue in Burlington, the 38-foot-tall structure was created by artist Bren Alvarez in 2002 as a farce of the slow bureaucratic process and construction delays for the nearby Champlain Parkway. After 40 years, Champlain Parkway was finished and, ironically, runs right past the art installation today.

Virginia is for lovers and maybe spite, too. If you’re driving through DC, make a detour for Alexandria, a town as big as Charleston, yet it feels like a small-town suburb of the District bubble. But Alexandria is teeming with history, from 18th-century homes with original star bolt-studded exteriors to a bevy of front doors with ornate antique knockers. But the roadside attraction you have to pull over for is The Spite House on Queen Street. While there are many spite homes still peppered up and down the East Coast, this one is the smallest at just seven feet wide. As the story goes, a man named John Hollensbury built the 325-square-foot home in 1830 to prevent noisy wagons and loiterers from using the alley by his home next door. He might not like all the noise today as many tourists seek out the house to stretch out their arms and pose for a photo. However, it’s important to note that this is a private residence, so please be respectful if you visit.

The Evergreen State has many natural wonders to see, from towering mountains to the most serene stretch of the infamous coastal Highway 101. But for something unnatural, you could drive out to Forks, Washington to pay your “Twilight” respects. Or North Bend if you’re a “Twin Peaks” fan. And if you’re cutting through Seattle, you have to visit the Fremont Troll. Located in Seattle’s funky Fremont neighborhood, this two-ton, 18-foot-tall concrete structure rests right under the Aurora Bridge. The installation is so large that the troll is actually holding a Volkswagen Beetle in his left hand. Visitors are invited to walk around the troll, sit, climb, and pose for a unique photo. Fittingly, the troll’s birthday is on October 31, and Fremont throws a Trolloween festival in his honor.

At the top of West Virginia, along the Ohio River, you’ll find the town of Chester. And there, for decades, sat the world’s largest teapot. Unfortunately, it was dethroned earlier this year by an even larger teapot in Texas. So, now, it’s just the world’s second-largest teapot. But it’s still a sight to see if you’re roaming The Mountain State. More than 80 years old and 14 feet tall, the quirky structure was originally a root beer barrel for an ad campaign in Pennsylvania, but a local businessman bought the barrel, brought it back to West Virginia and added a handle, spout and a knob for a lid to create the ultimate upcycle.

If you’re roadtripping along Wisconsin's Door Peninsula, which hugs Lake Michigan, make a pit stop in the town of Kewaunee for the world’s tallest grandfather clock. Even better: It actually works. Located on the corner of Miller Street and Milwaukee Street, this 35-foot tall structure features real chimes that sound off quite frequently: on the quarter, half and full hour!