What do you get when you cross artists, giant things, freeways, and probably some drugs? Roadside America! If you live within 200 miles of these sites and haven’t photographed yourself next to them yet, shame on you. Pack up the car right now with some strawberry Pop Tarts and a cooler of root beer and get going.
World’s Biggest Dinosaurs, Cabazon, California
(Kind of) fresh from appearances in The Wizard and Pee Wee’s Big Adventure, these giants of the California desert function dually as a convenient rest stop and a dino museum with gift shop. Of course, most places with gift shops are worth visiting, but the monstrous lizards are special because of their silver screen appearances and the fact that you can go inside of them. Do you really need reasons, though? They’re huge dinosaurs by the side of the freeway!
Graceland, Memphis, Tennessee
It’s not just a house, it’s Elvis Presley’s house and an all-around rock ‘n roll palace, a complete compound that includes planes, cars, land, museums, theaters, and burial grounds. Given all that Elvis gold (and Pricilla’s plastic surgery schedule), a tour will cost you. But forking over the cash opens the doors to a lot of the home itself (excluding the upstairs level, which is still used for family Christmases) and all of the surrounding sites. And the man is a legend!
Largest Ball of Twine, Darwin, MN
Although it’s not technically the largest ball of twine, this superhuge ball of twine is the largest ball of twine built by one (weird) guy and the one that looks the most like actual twine, which, to us, gets it a lot of points. And it has a gift shop. Bonus!
The Fremont Troll, Seattle, Washington
He’s big, he’s hairy (in a non-hairy way), and he has a hubcap eye; it’s…the Fremont Troll!!!! Tighten the straps on your Tevas, zip up your fleece, and run – don’t walk – to your nearest coffee seller for safety!!! The troll, as shown, has been known to gobble up complete VWs and teen movie stars!! Nobody is safe!
Cadillac Ranch, Amarillo, Texas
Set up as a public art project in the ’70s, this nose-down row of buried, vintage Cadillacs is drawing more visitors now than ever. The “ranch” is located on private land, but visitors are encouraged around the clock. If you harbor vandalistic tendencies, a trip to the cars should be in your future, as the project initiators appreciate personal expression of the spray painted variety.
What did we miss? Tell us in the comments!
Photo credits: matterhorn1959.blogspot.com, mnhs.org, everystockphoto.com
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