Weirdest U.S. roadside attractions
In Margate, a 65-foot-tall, 134-year-old, 90-ton elephant named Lucy stands as a National Historic Landmark. In the past, Lucy has served as a restaurant, business offices, a hotel and a tavern. Now tourists can go inside the structure to peruse a museum focused on the history of her creation.
(Mel Evans / AP)Chicago Tribune
On a typical road trip, travelers will need to make a few stops along the way to satisfy basic human needs. But why not make those stops more fun? Why not make the traveling more important than getting to the destination? Here is a list of some of the weirdest roadside attractions in the United States, according to Travel + Leisure.
A giant blue termite is an iconic landmark for New England Pest Control, perched on the Big Bug Solutions’s office in Providence, R.I.
(David Klepper / AP)In Eureka Springs, you can find a larger-than-life statue of “Christ of the Ozarks.”
(Danny Johnston / AP)The Miles the Monster statue stands outside of Dover International Speedway in Dover, Del.
(Nick Wass / AP)Near Valentine, tourists can find The Prada Marfa. The sculpture was created by two Berlin-based artists, Elmgreen and Dragset, in 2005. The idea was that the sculpture would resemble a real Prada store — but in the middle of the desert, with the hopes that it would eventually deteriorate into the earth. To discourage vandals from stealing the expensive products, all bags are bottomless and all shoes are right-footed.
(Veronique DuPont / AFP/Getty Images)In Memphis, Peabody Hotel has held a Duck March every day since 1933. Starting promptly at 11 a.m. and ending at 5 p.m., five North America mallards march up a red carpet at the hotel lobby fountain to pay a visit to hotel guests.
(Lance Murphey / The Commercial Appeal)Near Regent, N.D., along North Dakota Highway 21, the Enchanted Highway stretches for 32 miles between Interstate 94 and the town of Regent. Gary Greff created the artful highway, which includes giant metal deer, geese frozen in midflight and an alarmingly large grasshopper.
(John Kringas / Chicago Tribune)In the Minneapolis Sculpture Garden, tourists will find the Spoonbridge and Cherry, by Claes Oldenburg and Coosje van Bruggen.
(William Hageman / Chicago Tribune)Established in 1838, this little town officially became Hell after the first settler began to pay farmers for their grain with whiskey. Now, radio stations across the country call up to see what the temperature in Hell is. People send their tax returns to the Hell post office, so they are postmarked from Hell. There is a pretend Damnation University that gives out diplomas.
(George Thompson / Chicago Tribune)