Americans love going on road trips, and since it’s a large country with a lot to see, the possibilities for road trip itineraries are endless. While people typically build road trips around things like national parks and important cultural and natural sites, there are a lot of small, fascinating spots out there, too.
While you likely wouldn’t make such a place the focus of a road trip, you still might enjoy it. If any of the following strange and interesting locations are along your route or just a short detour off it, take a little time to check it out!
Art Cartopia Museum– Trinidad, CO
Enjoy some “cartistry” at this self-described “greatest art car museum on earth,” where there is an array of cars that have been decked out in creative ways, including a school bus that looks like a dragon. Admission is free, so what do you have to lose if you’re passing by?
Cadillac Ranch– Amarillo, TX
Speaking of car art, this set of classic Cadillacs buried nose-first in the dirt outside Amarillo is one of the strangest things you’ll ever see, It’s even a “living” work of art since you can pick up a can of spray paint from the ground and add your own briefly lived marks.
Beer Can House– Houston, TX
Texas is a huge state, and Amarillo and Houston are nowhere close to each other, but if you happen to be driving across the state, you might be able to visit the Cadillac Ranch and this site. The name says it all– it’s a house where more than 50,000 empty cans of beer cover all four sides plus the front and back yards.
The Blue Whale– Catoosa, OK
In 1972, a zoo worker built this on a lake as a gift for his wife, intending it as a place for children to swim and play. It fell into disrepair after he died in 1980, but his son restored it in 1988. It’s a must-see if you’re traveling historic Route 66.
The Cabazon Dinosaurs– Cabazon, CA
From Interstate 10 at Cabazon, two huge dinosaur statues are visible. They were built by a sculptor who wanted to draw travelers to his restaurant (and it worked). Today, you’ll find a gift shop and museum at the base of one of the dinosaurs, and kids can climb up into the mouth of the other, a T-Rex.
Peggy Sue’s 50’s Diner– Yermo, CA
On Interstate 15 between L.A. and Las Vegas, you’ll find this nostalgic homage to the 1950s. The entrance is a giant jukebox, the diner is filled with memorabilia of the times, and there’s also Diner-Saur Park out back that includes statues of dinosaurs and King King.
Dog Bark Park Inn– Cottonwood, ID
This is one of the coolest and most unusual places you can spend the night. It’s a 30’ tall wooden beagle named Sweet Willy, and inside its belly is a fully furnished room. Breakfast comes with your stay, too!
Enchanted Highway– Regent, ND
Using scrap metal, a local artist created colorful sculptures and lined them along a two-lane highway for 32 miles. He hoped to increase traffic and an appreciation for small-town life in America.
Wall Drug– Wall, SD
As you drive Interstate 90 and other highways in the Wyoming/Dakotas region, you’ll start seeing billboards for Wall Drug the closer you get to Wall, which is almost right next to Badlands National Park.
The owners survived the Depression by bringing traffic to their small-town store by offering free water. It’s grown into a full-fledged tourist trap now, but it’s still a lot of fun.
Jolly Green Giant– Blue Earth, MN
You might think this 55’ tall fiberglass statue weighing 8,000 pounds is something the famous food label built, but that’s wrong. It was the idea of a local radio host who wanted to encourage people to visit tiny Blue Earth and also to eat healthily.
Rock City– Lookout Mountain, GA
Lookout Mountain occupies space in both Georgia and Tennessee, and it’s a mix of natural beauty and touristy spots. Rock City combines both; there are spectacular cliffs and caves, and there are gnomes, fairy tale characters, and nursery rhyme dioramas.
The World’s Largest Truck Stop– Walcott, IA
America has a lot of self-proclaimed “World’s largest” and “World’s best” places, but regardless of the accuracy of this place’s claim, it’s still huge at over 200 acres. It’s no mere truck stop, it also has stores, restaurants, a dental office, a movie theater, and more.
Coffee Pot Water Tower– Stanton, IA
This colorful water tower painted in Swedish style is shaped like a coffee pot. Originally, it did hold water, but later it was disassembled and then reassembled in a different location. It’s no longer a water reservoir, but it’s still there if you want a unique photo-op.
Hole N” the Rock– Moab, UT
About half an hour south of Moab, you’ll find this unusual tourist stop. Carved and blasted out of the sandstone here is a 14-room, 5,000-square-foot home created by a married couple back in the 1940s. Now open to visitors, it has curious exhibits, a petting zoo, Southwestern souvenirs, and other things to grab your interest.
The Thing– Benson, AZ
“The Thing” might be the Wall Drug of Interstate 10. There’s not a whole lot of interest along this road between El Paso and Tucson, so you can’t help but notice signs enticing you to visit “The Thing,” also touted as the “Mystery of the Desert.”
Once there, you’ll find a wild museum that places aliens as being behind a host of conspiracy theories and historical events. Finally, you get to the place’s namesake, but if you want to know what it is, you’ll have to go see for yourself!
The 20 Most Spectacular Waterfalls in the U.S.
Waterfalls are among the top outdoor attractions people like to visit. Their effects range from soothing to inspiring to awe-inducing, and although they’re most common in mountainous areas, there are waterfalls in every U.S. state.
With more than 17,000 documented waterfalls in the country, any list of the best is going to be subjective, but you won’t be disappointed by the ones here.
The 20 Most Spectacular Waterfalls in the U.S.
20 U.S. National Parks Everyone Should Visit At Least Once
Our National Park System is one of the country’s greatest treasures, and it’s often been called “America’s Best Idea.” Currently, there are 63 national parks from the Pacific (American Samoa) to the ocean south of Florida (Dry Tortugas) and from the Arctic to the tropics.
Most people won’t get a chance to visit them all, so if you could only visit 20 and just one time each, which ones should they be? Here are our recommendations:
20 U.S. National Parks Everyone Should Visit At Least Once
The 15 Most-Visited Countries in the World
The world is big, and there are countless places to explore. Some countries attract many more visitors than others. Countries that are popular with tourists often have a lot to see and do, as well as friendly people and great food.
According to Insider Monkey, these countries have the most visitors every year.
The 15 Most-Visited Countries in the World
The 5 States With the Best Roads (And the 5 That Are Just the Absolute Worst)
The state of the roads is important to everyone who travels over them. Virtually everyone notices when the roads are bad. The journey becomes bumpy and shaky and may even damage your vehicle.
Some states are doing a better job with their road quality than others. According to USAFacts, these are the states that have the best roads and the ones that do the worst job on their roads.
The 5 States With the Best Roads (And the 5 That Are Just the Absolute Worst)
The 30 Most Beautiful Places People Must Visit
There’s no way you could ever come up with a definitive list of the world’s most beautiful places. However, if you ask around, some places come up a lot more frequently than others do.
Not in any particular order, the following are some of those places that people mention over and over again.