If you thought a live stream of the pandas at the San Diego Zoo was fascinating, wait until you view the cameras pointed at an 18 foot tall, two ton statue of Paul Bunyan and Babe the Blue Ox in Bemidji, Minnesota. Salton Sea, CA. South Dakota’s weirdest tourist attraction is its Corn Palace, a magnificent building covered in creative murals made out of corn to resemble various themes. WEIRD Tourist Attractions You Should Visit in the US… This tourist attraction—located in Cantwell, Alaska—is especially odd because it never actually opened for business. One man's mission to bring business back to the small town of Casey, Illinois ended up doing much more than that. Wall Drug sits in a town of only about 900 people, the majority of which work at the shop. No purchase necessary. Definitely a place best left to the adults and kids with strong stomachs, anyone not prone to recurring nightmares will also enjoy this slice of bizarro heaven. According to Atlas Obscura, the first-ever piece was an awful painting found in a garbage can. There's plenty of room for two, so everyone cozies up to Orville for a snapshot. Sometimes a little healthy competition can be a good thing. With so many tourist attractions in the USA it’s tempting to list entire cities or even states, but in this top 25 I have tried to focus on specific attractions. Winchester Mystery House – San Jose, California This […] More 7. Excuse the Wizard of Oz reference, but you will know you're not in Kansas anymore when the over-sized Van Gogh painting is no longer visible in your rear view mirror. 25. Every state in the country has offbeat attractions, from the amusing to the inspiring to the disturbing. The machine, known as Zoltar, sprang into popular culture after the release of the film. According to Roadside America, the dinos were built just off Interstate 10 by a dinosaur-aficionado and local businessman in the 1980s. Winner will be selected at random on 02/01/2021. BuzzFeed Staff. Weighing in at ninety tons, only one elephant could be the world's largest and she just happens to live in Margate City, New Jersey. Explore the world of unusual, weird, and simply wonderful tourist attractions around the world. Home gardeners planted despite an initial federal policy of leaving farming to the professionals. Keep scrolling to see that the old adage of one man's junk is another man's treasure is alive and well in America. It’s a resort, inn, and attraction all in one. According to Roadside America, the penguin also talks. That simply explains why many tourists prefer touring USA over many other global. Offer available only in the U.S. (including Puerto Rico). The police even wear a patch in their honor. WEIRD Tourist Attractions You Should Visit in the US. What would you do on a time crunch in DC? If you have found it interesting and fun, then you would surely be entertained by this article about the weirdest tourist spots in the world! Top 10 Unusual Places to Visit in the USA. Afloat the Erie Canal: A Self-Led Houseboat Adventure. From World's Largest Ball of Paint in Indiana to World's Smallest Church in New York, these pit stops may not be for everyone. The penguin sits atop a concrete block boasting Cut Bank as the Coldest Spot in the Nation (not confirmed, but totally possible hence the glaciers). Living Between Cultures: Storytelling With Justine Abigail Yu, Atlas Obscura Presents: Mystery City Games' Monuments Mission, Weird Homes Tour x Atlas Obscura: Portland's Dome Home, The Secret of Seattle's Disappearing Hill, A Bat's Life w/ Dr. Laura Kloepper: Vampire Bats, Tales From the Museum: The University Museum of Zoology, Cambridge, The Forged & The Filched: Shady Sales and Devious Deals, Monster of the Month with Colin Dickey: Feral Children, Weird Homes Tour x Atlas Obscura: House of Sarcasm, The Italian Immigrants Who Grew Fig Trees in Unlikely Places, Centuries After Their Loss and Theft, Native American Seeds Are Reuniting With Their Tribes, 'Pie for a Suffragist’s Doubting Husband' and Other Recipes That Fueled a Movement, When World War II Started, the U.S. Government Fought Against Victory Gardens, Why America’s Craft Brewers All Love a Vintage Candy, How Historical Societies Are Bringing Their Recipes to Pandemic Cooks, Welcome to Atlas Obscura's 50 States of Wonder, How a Beer Historian Is Documenting COVID-19's Impact on Brewing, The Most Wondrous State Parks to Visit During the Government Shutdown, 10 Ethical Animal Places to Visit in 2019, The Quirkiest Local Landmarks in Small-Town America, See all 53 things to eat in the United States. Including Cat Island, Elephant Nature Park , and India’s Giant Technicolor Squirrels. Those staying at the Glacier Gateway Inn can meet a twenty-seven foot tall, ten-thousand pound penguin. The thirty foot tall beagle in Cottonwood, Idaho is actually a Bed & Breakfast. Do you like weird stuff? A terrific purveyor of natural history objects and curios. Visit INSIDER's homepage for more stories. It has since become a popular tourist attraction, and makes for a great photo! Not far from the Strip, abandoned neon signs that previously adorned these treasured buildings (rest in peace, Stardust) are preserved in a museum. The painting itself is nearly eight-hundred square feet, making Goodland home to one of the best (and largest) welcome signs. It remains a tourist attraction today because of its creepy charm. But these take weird to a whole new level. Wander the prehistoric grounds for free or cough up some cash to explore the museum inside Dinny the Dinosaur's stomach. Yep, MOBA (as it is commonly referred to) has been confusing people in Somerville, Massachusetts since 1994. According to Cleveland Scene, nobody seems to know the reason. Hat 'n' Boots is a Seattle attraction and landmark with the nation's largest hat & cowboy boots. Perhaps the most unmistakably American landmark is Mount Rushmore, a national memorial located in South Dakota. Sadly, the Bug Eater's Delight … It’s time to visit America’s weird and unusual places and fly the star-spangled freak flag high. 6. The Ben & Jerry's factory tour in Waterbury, Vermont includes a look at the machines (and people) that make the magic happen, free ice cream samples (obviously the best part), and a history lesson about the two guys that are the brains behind it all. The museums might be closed, but their wonders are still waiting to be discovered! At the intersection of Westwood and Hamilton Streets in High Point, North Carolina (aka the Home Furnishings Capital of the World, according to Roadside America), sits the world's largest chest of drawers. A huge musical instrument played by the ocean. I mean, the whole point of these places is to provide something more interesting than long, boring stretches of road. Private Trip: Immersive Art and Otherworldly Landscapes of Santa Fe, Culinary Naples: Producers, Purveyors, and Pizzaioli, Tales From the Museum: National Cowboy & Western Heritage Museum, How to Make a Murder: Writing Your Own Murder Mystery Party With Abi Inman, Seeing America Through Its Roadside Signs, Why 1920s L.A. The tour also includes a somber stroll through the Flavor Graveyard. You'll have to wait awhile to snag a reservation and the price might be a little out of your road trip budget, but the opportunity to forever tell stories about the time you slept in a loft in the belly of a beagle is priceless. According to City Guide, visitors to the store can personalize their own bag of M&Ms after taking inspiration from a two-story wall filled with the tiny chocolates. Check out these state-run alternatives to the United States’ national parks. How do we explain this one? 3 years ago | 3 views. A beautiful and abandoned New York subway station from 1904, complete with chandelier. Millions of people have been to bucket-list attractions like Gettysburg and the Grand Canyon. Please click below to consent to the use of this technology while browsing our site. However, there is no mention of popcorn anywhere near the statue (due to the likeness of his image being purchased by a company, according to Roadside America) so you'll just have to look for the bronze guy and maybe help other tourists locate him, too. Let’s talk about weird tourist attractions… In Suwon, South Korea, tourists can visit a theme park built around the history and culture of toilets!This place was built in memory of the city’s former mayor, a man who sparked a toilet revolution of sorts, dedicating a lot of time and resources to improve Suwon’s public toilets. The collection includes miniatures of many of the things referenced throughout this article. Lucy the Elephant was constructed in 1881 and is designated as a National Historic Landmark, meaning she will greet visitors to Margate City for the foreseeable future. Bragging rights for the win. Keeping Portland weird is easy, thanks to this fantastic collection of oddities and monstrosities. The US is filled with incredible roadside attractions worth the extra mileage, but it also has its fair share of truly bizarre ones. An exciting world of curiosity with scientist/artist/role-model Tyler Thrasher! Food has become an important tool for connection. 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