TOP 100 ROADSIDE ATTRACTIONS IN THE U.S.
We love roadside attractions because they provide nostalgic, quirky fun on long road trips. They are usually fun to photograph and there's often a fascinating history behind them.
Using the information and directions on the (truly amazing) roadsideamerica.com website, my wife and I have traveled to thousands of roadside attractions over the past 15 years. Drawing from our own experiences and our bucket list of places to visit, I've crafted up a fun but obviously opinionated list of the top 100 roadside attractions in the U.S.
In general, this list covers odd and/or big statues, sculptures, and monuments, most of which are exhibited outdoors. It excludes other types of roadside america attractions, like small and quirky museums (e.g. Salt & Pepper Shaker Museum, SPAM Museum, etc.), famous homes (e.g. Goonies, Home Alone, etc.), spooky or haunted attractions, murals, etc.
Please email me if anything big and/or odd is built anywhere in the United States in the future so that I can consider inclusion on this page. And please also let me know if any of the attractions I have listed below have moved or been destroyed (which unfortunately happens quite a bit to roadside attractions).
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TOP 100 ROADSIDE ATTRACTIONS IN THE U.S.
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Here are my choices for the top 100 roadside attractions in the United States. If you scroll to the bottom of this list, you'll find a separate list of runner-up/second tier attractions (which many would argue are just as impressive).
ARIZONA
✮ Four Corners (Teec Nos Pos)
✮ Wigwam Motel (Holbrook)
Wigwam Motel in Holbrook, Arizona
CALIFORNIA
✮ Cabazon Dinosaurs (Cabazon)
✮ Hollywood Sign (Los Angeles)
✮ Randy's Donuts (Inglewood)
✮ Salvation Mountain (Niland)
✮ Trees of Mystery / Paul Bunyan and Babe the Ox (Klamath)
Trees of Mystery in Klamath, California
COLORADO
✮ Big Blue Bear (Denver)
Big Blue Bear in Denver, Colorado
DELAWARE
✮ Miles the Monster (Dover)
Miles the Monster in Dover, Delaware
FLORIDA
✮ Betsy the Lobster (Islamorada)
✮ World's Largest (Chicken) Wing (Madeira Beach)
Betsy the Lobster in Islamorada, Florida (Florida Keys)
GEORGIA
✮ World's Largest Peanut (Ashburn)
World's Largest Peanut in Ashburn, Georgia
IDAHO
✮ World's Largest Beagle / Dog Bark Park Inn (Cottonwood)
ILLINOIS
✮ Cloudgate (Chicago)
✮ Giant Rocking Chair (Casey)
✮ Kaskaskia Dragon (Vandalia)
✮ Leaning Tower of Niles (Niles)
✮ Superman Statue (Metropolis)
✮ World’s Largest Catsup Bottle (Collinsville)
✮ World's Largest Key (Casey)
✮ World's Largest Mailbox (Casey)
✮ World's Largest Railsplitter Covered Wagon (Lincoln)
Leaning Tower of Niles in Niles, Illinois
INDIANA
✮ World's Largest Ball of Paint (Alexandria)
IOWA
✮ Albert the Bull (Audubon)
✮ World's Largest Watermelon Slice (Muscatine)
Albert the Bull in Audubon, Iowa
KANSAS
✮ World's Largest Ball of Twine (Cawker City)
✮ World's Largest Czech Egg (Wilson)
✮ World's Largest Easel (Goodland)
KENTUCKY
✮ World's Largest Bat (Louisville)
World's Largest Bat in Louisville, Kentucky
MAINE
✮ Paul Bunyan (Bangor)
✮ Wild Blueberry Land / World's Largest Blueberry (Columbia Falls)
Paul Bunyan Statue in Bangor, Maine
MARYLAND
✮ World's Largest Crash Test Dummy (Glen Burnie)
✮ World's Largest Engagement Ring (Timonium)
World's Largest Engagement Ring in Timonium, Maryland
MICHIGAN
✮ Big Gus / World's Largest Running Chainsaw (Ishpeming)
✮ Bronner's Christmas Wonderland (Frankenmuth)
✮ Giant Hot Dog (Mackinaw City)
✮ Giant Uniroyal Tire (Allen Park)
✮ Lakenenland (Marquette)
✮ World's Largest Bronze Wildlife Sculpture (Dundee)
Giant Hot Dog in Mackinaw City, Michigan
MINNESOTA
✮ Big Ole (Alexandria)
✮ Iron Man (Chisholm)
✮ Jolly Green Giant (Blue Earth)
✮ Paul Bunyan and Babe the Blue Ox (Bemidji)
✮ Pierre The Pantless Voyageur (Two Harbors)
✮ World's Largest Booming Prairie Chicken (Rothsay)
✮ World's Largest Hockey Stick (Eveleth)
✮ World's Largest Otter (Fergus Falls)
✮ World's Largest Paul Bunyan (Akeley)
✮ World's Largest Raspberry (Hopkins)
✮ World's Largest Turkey (Frazee)
Jolly Green Giant in Blue Earth, Minnesota
MISSOURI
✮ Giant Octopus (Branson)
✮ Uranus Fudge Factory (St. Robert)
✮ World's Largest Goose (Sumner)
Giant Octopus in Branson, Missouri
NEBRASKA
✮ Carhenge (Alliance)
Carhenge in Alliance, Nebraska
NEVADA
✮ Seven Magic Mountains (Las Vegas)
Seven Magic Mountains south of Las Vegas, Nevada
NEW JERSEY
✮ Lucy the Elephant (Margate City)
Lucy the Elephant in Margate City, New Jersey
NEW MEXICO
✮ World's Largest Pistachio (Alamogordo)
World's Largest Pistachio in Alamogordo, New Mexico
NEW YORK
✮ Big Duck (Flanders)
✮ Giant Dog and Taxi (New York City)
✮ The Vessel (New York City)
Giant Dog and Taxi in New York City
NORTH CAROLINA
✮ The World’s Largest Chest of Drawers (High Point)
✮ World's Largest Highboy Dresser (Jamestown)
NORTH DAKOTA
✮ Salem Sue (New Salem)
✮ The Enchanted Highway (Gladstone)
✮ Tommy the Turtle (Bottineau)
✮ W'eel Turtle (Dunseith)
✮ World's Largest Buffalo (Jamestown)
✮ World's Largest Catfish (Wahpeton)
The Enchanted Highway in North Dakota
OHIO
✮ Cocoa / Milk / Sugar Silos (Cleveland)
✮ Field of Corn (Dublin)
✮ Longaberger Building / World's Largest Basket (Newark)
✮ World's Largest Rubber Stamp (Cleveland)
Cocoa, Milk, Sugar silos in Cleveland, Ohio
OKLAHOMA
✮ Blue Whale (Catoosa)
✮ Pops / World's Largest Pop Bottle (Arcadia)
✮ The Golden Driller (Tulsa)
✮ World's Largest Leg Lamp (Chickasha)
✮ World's Largest Praying Hands (Tulsa)
The Golden Driller in Tulsa, Oklahoma
OREGON
✮ Big Goofy Black Bird (Medford)
The Big Goofy Black Bird in Medford, Oregon
PENNSYLVANIA
✮ Giant Quarter (Everett)
✮ The Big Coffee Pot (Bedford)
✮ The Haines Shoe House (York)
✮ PennDOT Road Sign Sculpture Garden (Meadville)
The Big Coffee Pot in Bedford, Pennsylvania
SOUTH CAROLINA
✮ South of the Border (Dillon)
✮ The Peachoid (Gaffney)
South of the Border in Dillon, South Carolina
SOUTH DAKOTA
✮ Crazy Horse Memorial (Crazy Horse)
✮ Dignity: Of Earth & Sky (Chamberlain)
✮ Mitchell Corn Palace (Mitchell)
✮ Mount Rushmore (Keystone)
✮ Wall Drug (Wall)
✮ World's Largest Smokey Bear (Hill City)
The Mitchell Corn Palace in Mitchell, South Dakota
TENNESSEE
✮ Titanic Museum (Pigeon Forge)
The Titanic Museum in Pigeon Forge, Tennessee
TEXAS
✮ Cadillac Ranch (Amarillo)
✮ World’s Largest Working Fire Hydrant (Beaumont)
Cadillac Ranch in Amarillo, Texas
UTAH
✮ Hole N” The Rock (Moab)
Hole N" The Rock south of Moab, Utah
WASHINGTON
✮ Big Red Wagon (Spokane)
✮ Freemont Troll (Seattle)
WEST VIRGINIA
✮ Hillbilly Hot Dogs (Lesage)
✮ World’s Largest Teapot (Chester)
Hillbilly Hot Dogs in Lesage, West Virginia
WISCONSIN
✮ Giant Sinclair Dinosaur (Wisconsin Dells)
✮ Really Big Fish / World's Largest Muskie (Hayward)
Giant Sinclair Dinosaur in Wisconsin Dells, Wisconsin
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These roadside attracitons are also excellent. Based on personal preferances/opinions, some would likely argue that at least some of these should be listed as a top 100.
✮ ALABAMA - Souvenir City (Gulf Shores)
✮ ALABAMA - World's Largest Purple Octopus (Gulf Shores)
✮ ARIZONA - Longhorn Skull (Amado)
✮ ARIZONA - Poki / World's Largest Desert Tortoise (Bullhead City)
✮ ARIZONA - Rock Shop Dinosaurs (Holbrook)
✮ ARIZONA - The Thing (Benson)
✮ ARIZONA - World's Largest Kachina Doll (Cave Creek)
✮ ARIZONA - World's Largest Kokopelli (Campe Verde)
✮ ARKANSAS - Giant Paper Airplane (Bentonville)
✮ CALIFORNIA - Bubblegum Alley (San Luis Obispo)
✮ CALIFORNIA - Chandelier Drive-Thru Tree Park (Leggett)
✮ CALIFORNIA - Tour Thru Tree (Klamath)
✮ CALIFORNIA - World's Largest Power Outlet (Petaluma)
✮ CALIFORNIA - World's Largest Thermometer (Baker)
✮ COLORADO - Big Sweep / Dust Pan and Broom Sculpture (Denver)
✮ CONNECTICUT - Conny The Whale (West Hartford)
✮ FLORIDA - Southernmost Point of the Continental U.S.A. (Key West)
✮ FLORIDA - Swampy / World's Largest Alligator (Christmas)
✮ GEORGIA - Jimmy Carter Smiling Peanut (Plains)
✮ GEORGIA - Stone Mountain (Stone Mountain)
✮ IDAHO - Idaho Potato Museum (Blackfoot)
✮ ILLINOIS - Big Antlers (Casey)
✮ ILLINOIS - Pink Elephant Antique Mall (Livingston)
✮ ILLINOIS - World's Largest Gavel (Marshall)
✮ ILLINOIS - World's Largest Mousetrap (Casey)
✮ INDIANA - Champ / Giant Great Dane (Brazil)
✮ IOWA - World's Largest Truckstop (Walcott)
✮ KANSAS - Community Bookshelf / Kansas City Library (Kansas City)
✮ KENTUCKY - Huge Cocktail (Lexington)
✮ MAINE - L.L. Bean Boot (Freeport)
✮ MAINE - Old Lobster Fisherman (Boothbay Harbor)
✮ MASSACHUSETTS - Embrace (Boston)
✮ MASSACHUSETTS - Hood Milk Bottle (Boston)
✮ MICHIGAN - Big Carrots (Ann Arbor)
✮ MICHIGAN - Gearhead (Lansing)
✮ MICHIGAN - World's Largest Cherry Pie (Charlevoix)
✮ MINNESOTA - Happy Chef (Mankato)
✮ MINNESOTA - Huge Kid Reading A Book (Detroit Lakes)
✮ MINNESOTA - Large Chevy Polar Bear (White Bear Lake)
✮ MINNESOTA - Minnesota's Largest Ball Of Twine (Darwin)
✮ MINNESOTA - Northernmost Point of the Contiguous United States (Angle Inlet)
✮ MINNESOTA - Spoonbridge and Cherry (Minneapolis)
✮ MINNESOTA - World's Largest Boot (Red Wing)
✮ MINNESOTA - World's Largest Dairy Queen Dilly Bar (Moorhead)
✮ MINNESOTA - World's Largest Pelican (Pelican Rapids)
✮ MINNESOTA - World's Largest Stucco Snowman (North St. Paul)
✮ MISSOURI - World's Largest Cowbell (Belle Fourche)
✮ MISSOURI - World's Largest Fork by Mass (Springfield)
✮ NEBRASKA - Fort Cody Trading Post (North Platte)
✮ NEVADA - Giant McDonald's Cup and Fries (Las Vegas)
✮ NEVADA - Goldwell Open Air Museum (Beatty)
✮ NEVADA - World's Largest Gift Shop (Las Vegas)
✮ NEW JERSEY - Shotgun BBQ Grill (Winslow)
✮ NEW JERSEY - Giant Steel Hockey Player (Newark)
✮ NEW JERSEY - Tear Drop Memorial (Bayonne)
✮ NEW MEXICO - International UFO Museum and Research Center (Roswell)
✮ NEW MEXICO - Sparky's Burgers, BBQ & Espresso (Hatch)
✮ NEW MEXICO - World's Largest Chili Pepper (Las Cruces)
✮ NEW YORK - World’s Largest Pancake Griddle (Penn Yan)
✮ OHIO - Giant Dancing Hares (Dublin)
✮ OHIO - Giant Ronald McDonald (Sunbury)
✮ OHIO - Our Lady of Guadalupe (Windsor)
✮ OREGON - The Last Blockbuster (Bend)
✮ OREGON - World's Largest Freestanding Fork (Fairview)
✮ PENNSYLVANIA - The Banana Split (Latrobe)
✮ PENNSYLVANIA - Big Amos / Barefoot Amish Giant (Strasburg)
✮ PENNSYLVANIA - Giant Barbell (Sellersville)
✮ SOUTH CAROLINA - World's Largest Sweet Tea (Summerville)
✮ SOUTH DAKOTA - Bo the Bison (Custer)
✮ SOUTH DAKOTA - Dinosaur Park (Rapid City)
✮ SOUTH DAKOTA - Geographic Center of the United States (Belle Fourche)
✮ SOUTH DAKOTA - Giant Prairie Dog (Philip)
✮ SOUTH DAKOTA - World's Largest Quarter Pounder (Rapid City)
✮ TEXAS - Eiffel Tower (Paris)
✮ TEXAS - Giant Eyeball (Dallas)
✮ TEXAS - Prada Marfa (Valentine)
✮ TEXAS - Tex Randall Statue (Canyon)
✮ TEXAS - The Big Texan (Amarillo)
✮ TEXAS - World's Largest Bowie Knife (Bowie)
✮ TEXAS - World's Largest Cowboy Boots (San Antonio)
✮ VERMONT - Ben & Jerry’s Flavor Graveyard (Waterbury)
✮ VERMONT - World's Largest Filing Cabinet (Burlington)
✮ VIRGINIA - Dinosaur Kingdom II (Natural Bridge)
✮ VIRGINIA - King Neptune (Virginia Beach)
✮ WASHINTON D.C. - Albert Einstein Statue (Washington D.C.)
✮ WEST VIRGINIA - Giant Coal Miner (Shinnston)
✮ WEST VIRGINIA - Mothman Statue / Mothman Museum (Point Pleasant)
✮ WISCONSIN - Forevertron / Dr. Evermor's Sculpture Park (North Freedom)
✮ WISCONSIN - Giant Trojan Horse (Wisconsin Dells)
✮ WISONCSIN - Pinkie the Pink Elephant (DeForest)
✮ WISCONSIN - The Hodag (Rhinelander)
✮ WISCONSIN - Wisconsin Concrete Park (Phillips)
✮ WISCONSIN - World Famous Ball of Twine (Highland)
✮ WISCONSIN - World's Largest Hex Nut (Green Bay)
✮ WYOMING - World’s Largest Elkhorn Arch (Afton)
And here is a list of more special places that some would consider to be 'roadside attractions'. It just all depends on your personal definition of what a roadside attraction is:
✮ Gatorland, Florida
✮ Gillette Castle, Connecticut
✮ Hearst Castle, California
✮ House on the Rock, Wisconsin
✮ Lombard Street, California
✮ Madonna Inn, California
✮ O.K. Corral, Connecticut
✮ PEZ Visitor Center, Connecticut
✮ Ruby Falls, Tennessee
✮ Space Needle, Washington
✮ St. Louis Arch, Missouri
✮ Statue of Liberty, New York
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