Road trips might as well be a part of the American culture. The United States is huge, with an incredible variety of landscapes to explore, and the country was built for cars. Suburbs, highways, drive-thus – they’re all designed with drivers in mind.
And while public transport is becoming more accessible, a lot of long-distance journeys are still taken on the road. In 2023 alone, US travelers embarked on 137 million road trips.
In a country where vast landscapes often mean hours of monotonous driving, quirky roadside attractions offer the perfect antidote to the hypnotic lines of double-lane highways.
From giant peanuts to enormous picnic basket buildings, here are some of the weirdest roadside attractions you just have to see to believe:
12. Leaning Tower of Niles (Niles, Illinois)
Driving through the small town of Niles in Illinois, you might do a double take and think you’ve landed in Italy. The Leaning Tower of Niles is a perfect half-sized replica of the Leaning Tower of Pisa. But this one isn’t so historic. Instead, it was built to conceal a water tower in 1934.
It’s located just off Touhy Avenue, which makes it a perfect detour from the I-294 or I-90, just north of Chicago’s city center. In fact, Niles is technically considered a suburb of the giant Midwest city. The surrounding area has a beautiful park with fountains, and if you visit during summer, you could even catch a summer concert or event on the grass.
11. Field of Corn (Dublin, Ohio)
There are plenty of cornfields in Ohio, but none compare to the iconic Field of Corn art installation in Dublin. Located just off Frantz Road near the I-270 or I-71, instead of endless fields, this installation features 109 human-sized concrete cobs of corn that rise into the sky like lively characters.
The sculpture park is both a tribute to the area’s agricultural history and a fun photo opportunity. There are some restaurants and gas stations nearby, which make it a fun and convenient pit stop among the neverending cornfields of Ohio.
10. Cabazon Dinosaurs (Cabazon, California)
If you’re driving between Los Angeles and Palm Springs along the I-10, the Cabazon Dinosaurs are impossible to miss. These massive concrete creatures, including a 150-foot-long Apatosaurus and a 65-foot-high Tyrannosaurus Rex, have been roadside icons along this highway since 1964.
They’re located in The Cabazon Dinosaur Park, home to over 100 dinosaur statues. During Christmas, a festive Santa Rex even makes an appearance. There’s a small entry fee to visit the park, and you can also buy genuine gemstones and fossils at the gift store.
9. Enchanted Highway (Regent, North Dakota)
Driving through the flat prairies of North Dakota can get pretty monotonous. But luckily, a 32-mile stretch of road known as the Enchanted Highway offers a welcome change of scenery. Along Highway 21, tons of tall, magical sculptures decorate the landscape.
They’re the brainchild of a metal sculptor called Gary Greff, who created metal animals, including geese, grasshoppers, and even an entire underwater scene. There is even a massive tin family in the mix. It’s pretty much an open-air gallery that helps to draw in visitors to the small town of Regent.
The sculptures seem to rise from out of nowhere. So, even if you don’t stop to see them in detail, they’re sure to keep you alert along the straight stretch of road.
8. Jimmy Carter Smiling Peanut (Plains, Georgia)
In the hometown of the 39th President of the United States, Plain’s Georgia is home to a 13-foot tall peanut statue with a happy smile. It was built by the Indiana Democratic Party during the presidential elections in 1976 to support Carter’s campaign.
The image of this smiling peanut caricature was seen around the world as a symbol of Carter, as well as the town he grew up in. His father was a peanut farmer, and the president himself used to sell peanuts on the streets of Plains. You don’t need long to experience the Peanut, but stopping past it is a good way to pay tribute to the past president.
7. Pink Elephant Antique Mall (Livingston, Illinois)
Just off the I-55 in Livingston, Illinois, the Pink Elephant Antique Mall is one of the best roadside stops in Illinois. It’s hard to miss, thanks to its giant pink elephant sculpture and building shaped like an ice cream cone.
It’s essentially a shop that sells various antiques and collectibles. There is also a retro diner and an ice cream shop, which makes it a great place to grab a bite to eat on the road. Plan to spend at least an hour exploring the area and taking in the nostalgic atmosphere.
6. Peachoid (Gaffney, South Carolina)
Water towers aren’t usually too inspiring, but the Peachoid in Gaffney, South Carolina, is no ordinary water tower.
Looming over the I-85 between Charlotte and Atlanta, the giant peach-shaped water tower will quickly have you thinking of James and the Giant Peach. The 135-foot-tall tower was built to celebrate the region’s peach-growing heritage, which in 1981 was Gaffney’s main economic industry.
It’s a realistic impression – just scaled up. The artist worked to paint the structure as authentically as possible. It’s kitsch but iconic, and it does a good job of breaking up the monotonous interstate landscape.
5. Longaberger Basket Headquarters (Dresden, Ohio)
The Longaberger Basket Headquarters building is the head office of an Ohio-based company known for producing woven baskets. As you might expect, the company decided to model its headquarters on its top-selling product – a giant woven picnic basket known as the ‘Medium Market Basket’.
Driving along State Route 16 through Dresden, Ohio, you’ll pass this seven-story basket emerging from a relatively rural landscape. The building is almost a perfect basket replica, just 160 times larger than the original inspiration.
Whether you’re interested in novelty architecture or not, the Longaberger Basket Headquarters is a worthwhile attraction in the center of Ohio.
4. Lucy the Elephant (Margate City, New Jersey)
Among all of these weird and unique roadside attractions, none are old enough to outdate Lucy the Elephant. Reaching six stories high, this giant elephant statue is the world’s largest of its kind and one of the oldest whimsical roadside attractions in the U.S.
She might be a National Historic Landmark, but most importantly, she is a well-loved part of the city.
Lucy was built in 1881 and has since been a hotel, a tavern, and a summer home. Today, it is just a simple roadside attraction with a long history in Margate City. Originally built to attract tourists to the city, Lucy has survived her fair share of lightning strikes.
3. Tommy the Turtle (Bottineau, North Dakota)
Tommy Turtle is a 30-foot-tall turtle statue that has been prestigiously recognized as the Tallest Turtle in the World. As if a giant turtle on the side of the road weren’t strange enough, Tommy is also sitting on the world’s largest snowmobile, which is 34 feet long.
The turtle was built in Idaho in 1978 and transported to his current home in Bottineau, North Dakota, on a flatbed truck. While he is recognizable as a turtle, some visitors tend to mistake him for a green alien.
Tommy is an unusual sight year-round but is especially exciting to see when the ground is blanketed with snow.
2. World’s Largest Buffalo (Jamestown, North Dakota)
As you cruise along the I-94 in North Dakota, you’ll spot one of the most iconic roadside attractions in the world – the World’s Largest Buffalo. Standing 26 feet tall and weighing in at 60 tons, this concrete beast has been guarding the entrance to the National Buffalo Museum in Jamestown since 1959.
Locals affectionately call him ‘Dakota Thunder,’ and he’s a big deal in this small town. For over fifty years, he’s been the most famous roadside attraction in the Midwest.
1. Carhenge (Alliance, Nebraska)
The name says it all. Carhenge is like Stonehenge but with cars instead of historic stones. It’s an eerie replica of the archeological wonder, made using old spray-painted cars stacked on top of one another. From far away, the grey cars look like they’ve been carved from stone.
Built in 1987, it’s a quirky tribute to America’s vintage cars. Carhenge is the crowing jewel of weird roadside attractions, located just north of Alliance along Highway 87. It’s safe to say there is nothing like it anywhere else in the world.
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