If there is one bucket list item every American should cross off in the early years of their lives, it is a round trip across the United States. The country has a lot to offer, from great food, friendly people, sky-high buildings, and quite unexpectedly quirky roadside attractions in every state, which makes sense.
You heard us right! While Americans may look like busy people, they have a fantastic sense of humor, and the quirky roadside attractions in many states prove it. Want to know about some of these attractions before you see them with your naked eye? We got you covered. Hop on below to find out.
Here are the top ten quirky roadside attractions in the United States that you must know about:
While passing through Houston, if you see a big house decorated with beer cans standing apart from everyone on the street, don't act surprised. This is because the house is an everyday sight for people in the region and has been since the 1960s when John Milkovisch started remodeling his home to make it stand apart from the rest.
The house is made from 50'000 beer cans, many of which dangle down in the form of wind chimes. While the place may be quirky, it is home to John, who still resides there.
If you sang London Bridge is Falling as a kid and thought that the London Bridge was in the said city, then let us break it down for you. The information you carry along with you needs to be corrected! The London Bridge is not in the city but resides over Lake Havasu in Arizona.
The bridge, though, in reality, was made to stand over River Thames in the 1830's it was taken down to be moved to the US in 1967 as a tourist attraction for the redevelopment of Lake Havasu City.
There are a lot of unusual and quirky landmarks and attractions in the US that make sense without meaning or significance. However, this landmark is unique and quirky and holds significant importance regarding the country's geography.
* drum rolls represent the geographic center located in Lebanon, please* - an enormous plaque! That's right, a giant stone plaque sits in the center and represents the center of the United States, which is weird but makes sense too.
The bottle may read the slogan as 'Catsup,' but it's exactly what you think it to be – a big bottle of Ketchup. If you ever have the honor of visiting Collinsville, then make sure to take a picture with this big bottle of ketchup because why should you miss a chance, right?
It doubled up as the town's water fountain and was made in honor of a ketchup bottling plant nearby. However, as acceptable as the story is here, this is where it gets even quirkier. The Ketchup Bottle has a birthday, with a full-blown celebration, and people sing Happy Birthday to it every year too.
If there is one place where it feels like Christmas all year long, it is the North Pole, Alaska, and why shouldn't it give the quirkiest attraction in this state is Santa itself? Yes! North Pole, Alaska, has a 40 feet tall Santa Claus who weighs around half a ton standing in all of his cheerful glory. We aren't lying when we say he is big and old because while the statue is 40 feet tall, it has also stood in its place since 1983 with no plans of moving from there.
If there is one quirky roadside attraction in this world that would leave you questioning its existence yet leaving you in awe of how detailed it is, it is this one. The Ave Maria Grotto comprises 125 statues, grottos, and replicas made from trash and cement.
The idea, concept, and curation were all brought to life by the hunched-back monk Brother Joseph, and it is one of the most significant and quirky tourist roadside attractions in Alabama.
If you see a massive hole in a rock, would you make a home inside? You won't, but Albert Christensen did and made his thoughts a reality. The man began carving a hole inside a sandstone cliff in 1940 and, by 1952, had moved with his family inside.
While we don't know his thoughts behind this innovative home, the family spent some happy five years living in Sinde until Albert passed away in 1957. Since then, the whole house has been open for public attraction and visits.
The Bishop Castle was named after the man who built it – Jim Bishop. When Jim was 15, he bought land near the Western Mountains of Southern Colorado near State Highway 165 to create a family home. However, when Jim started placing the foundation of this 'home,' the neighbors thought he was making a castle. He thought the idea was great and went along with it.
While the foundation of this castle was set in 1969, it since then has stood firm, and today is an attractive sight for many passersby.
A house made in the shape of a shoe? You must have heard about such happenings only in stories. Well, we did, too, until we learned about one of Pennsylvania's quirkiest yet most famous attraction sights. The Haines Shoe House was built by a shoemaker in 1948 to promote his business. The house was five stories tall with two bedrooms on the ankle, a living room on the toe, an ice cream shop on the instep, and the kitchen on the heel. While the couple lived in the house initially, they soon rented it out. Today it stands as one of the most peculiar attractions in the State, and many people come to see it.
The six-story tall elephant is a piece of art and one of the oldest attraction sights in the United States. Formerly known as Elephant Bazaar, Lucy is an artificial elephant built from tins and cans in 1881.
This excellent piece of art is a few miles from Atlantic City and was built by James to attract tourists. Given the elephant's hype, Lucy successfully brought more attention to the area.
Americans are quirky and have a great sense of humor. The many roadside attractions in the States are proof of it. We hope this article was significant enough to provide sufficient information on many of these attractions.
