The Oddest Attraction in Each State

It's always a special experience seeing an American landmark in all its glory in person. The Statue of Liberty, the Gateway Arch, the Golden Gate Bridge, the world's largest ball of paint? That's right, for every iconic symbol out there, there's an oddball attraction that's also bringing in crowds of curious travelers. Click on the slideshow to see the weird and wild world of American attractions.

Have you ever wondered where unclaimed and lost luggage ends up? Scottsboro, Alabama, that's where. Join a million other treasure-seekers who stop by the Unclaimed Baggage Center each year to sift through finds from bags that were left behind. There's also a museum that shows off some of the more bizarre things that have turned up in bags over the years.

Building a hotel that resembled an igloo halfway between Fairbanks and Anchorage sounded like a good idea at the time, but the original owners of this white elephant could never get the building approved for opening. Now it's just an "ice-sore".

Nope, it's not a typo: they went and bought the London Bridge and brought it to the desert. There have been several "London Bridges" in the English city's storied history, but the one that stood across the Thames from the 1830s until the late 1960s was definitely purchased, broken down, and reconstructed in Lake Havasu and seeing it against the backdrop of the Arizona landscape is peculiar to say the last.

The most bizarre abode in the Ozarks, Quigley's Castle is a cherished roadside stop in historic Eureka Springs. Expect to see trees living on the inside of the building, gorgeous perennial gardens and a bevy of bric-a-brac.

Will you find salvation in the desert or just an eyecatching shot for Instagram? This kaleidoscopic mount is meant to spread the good word of love and faith and has been built up by using old tires, cinder blocks, used cars and thousands of splashes of paint.

For far too long, our nation's headless chickens have been forgotten. Not in Fruita, where Mike-a local bird who is said to have survived over a year without his head-has been immortalized in statue form.

St. Edmund is famous for being a former Archbishop of Canterbury, experiencing a vision of Christ and for just being all-in when it came to being devout. If reading that has you wondering what it would be like to see his severed arm sometime soon, then the Chapel of Our Lady of Assumption at Saint Edmund's Retreat in Mystic is for you.

After you've soaked up enough sun on the beach, make a visit to the Shipwreck Museum to see what sorts of things have sunk into the sea. Here, you'll see interesting and odd artifacts that have been rescued from local wrecks and some finds from the other side of the ocean, too.

Roll into Lake Wales to see the beautiful Bok Tower Gardens but don't leave before you witness your car rolling "uphill" on this strange street. Is the road haunted by an evil spirit of an alligator or just an oddball optical illusion? There's only one way to find out.

A headscratcher for over four decades now, the Georgia Guidestones were the brainchild of a mysterious man claiming to represent "a small group of Americans who seek an age of reason". The granite blocks are engraved with instructions on how humanity should live in order to achieve enlightenment, but it seems like everyone and their brother has a theory as to the true motive of the stones' creator.

Tucked away in the lush greenery on the slopes of Hawaii's Mauna Kea, you will find a memorial to a world-famous botanist who may-or may not have-been the victim of foul play. What we know for sure is that David Douglas (yes, the same guy who has the Douglas Fir named after him) was found dead there soon after spending time with a local man in his hut. Visit to draw your own conclusions.

Of course, there's a potato museum in Idaho. Whether you like your spuds baked and loaded or like 'em sliced into fries, you'll leave this place with a plethora of fascinating facts about the humble potato.

Oh sure, you could go to Chicago and see the skyscrapers, but then you'd miss out on the wonder of the great goat tower. Also known as the "Tower of Baa", this spectacle can be spotted from the road in Windsor.

This orb is always up for another coat, in fact, its owner has been slapping paint on it for over 30 years now. Stop by Alexandria to put your own layer on the paintball, helping contribute to the always-growing world record holder.

The fictional Captain Kirk of Star Trek fame hailed from a small town in Iowa. His birthdate in the show? March 22, 2228. Put those two facts together and you get this silly sight in Riverside: a marker that claims to be the exact spot where he will be born one day. Since your chances of seeing 2228 are slim to none, you're just going to have to take their word for it.

Head to Lucas to find scores of interesting sculptures and before meeting with the artist behind them ... inside his glass coffin. Yep, you read that last part right. Oh, and while you're in town, make sure to stop by the World's Largest Collection of Smallest Versions of Largest Things, which naturally, is a multitude of miniature copies of various "world's largest" attractions.

Head to Fort Mitchell to experience the only museum dedicated to the art of ventriloquism on the planet, where you'll learn all about the past and present of this unique brand of entertainment. Whatever you do though, don't handle the displays yourself and definitely don't call the dummies "puppets", you won't like the dummies when they're mad.

You came to New Orleans to check out the music, so why not lay down under a tree in City Park and listen to the breeze blow a tune through a series of chimes in a tree. Not exactly Frenchman Street or Preservation Hall, but you'll still find it a strangely fun experience.

They say this span in York is the world's smallest suspension bridge and while that is yet to be definitively determined, what's plainly obvious is that a stroll across this little bouncy bridge will provide the pedestrian with plenty of "wiggles".

How do you honor the guy who patented the Ouija board? By making his headstone look like an ouija of course. For decades, Elijah Bond rested under an unmarked grave until an enthusiastic Ouija fan took up the cause of creating a fitting marker for him. Now, the sight is a gathering place for fans of the boards and the supernatural.

You've always wanted to be at the center of the world, haven't you? Well, you can at this stunning, three-story stained-glass globe at the Mary Baker Eddy Library. The map retains the borders and country names of 1935, so be on the lookout for lines and nation names that have changed since then.

Hidden behind a hospital in Traverse City, you'll find the twisting tentacles of an old fallen tree that has been splashed with streaks of wild colors by artists and admirers alike. All is not as it seems though, local legends maintain that the tree is, in fact, a gateway to the underworld. Smart money is on it just being a colorful tree but visit for yourself to double check.

Make for Austin to meet up with the "SPAM-bassadors", who will take you on a spin through the wonderful world of everybody's favorite tinned meat product. You're laughing, but one visit is sure to leave you shocked at how popular SPAM truly is.

All that's left of a once-grand home that featured views over the Mississippi River are these grand columns. Visit at dusk or dawn to see sunlight hauntingly play off the imposing-yet-pretty pillars.

You knew there would be a ridiculously big rocking chair on the list, didn't you? Make your way to the small town of Fanning in the Show-Me State to see this supersized seat, that for a brief time was the largest rocking chair in the world. Even though it's been eclipsed, it still makes for a fun diversion on Route 66.

It's not that a collection of Buddha statues is strange in itself, it's just the fact that you don't necessarily expect to see that many of them in one place in rural Montana. Created in an effort to foster international peace, the garden of stark white statues is set against a dramatic mountain backdrop. For the record, the garden is only about halfway to its goal of one thousand statues at present, but that takes nothing away from the peaceful feeling you'll experience strolling about the grounds.

This may look like just another one of those fun art displays that feature vehicles rammed into the ground (looking at you, Cadilac Ranch), but there's a lot more going on here. It's actually a remarkably accurate recreation of England's famous stone-age rock formation, it just happens to be comprised of old clunkers.

An oddity perfect for the age of social media, these stone kebabs of color stand outside of Las Vegas and form a spectacular contrast against the drab shades of the surrounding desert. Stop by soon, as this art display is only scheduled to be there until the end of 2021.

Back in the late 70s or early 80s, someone sketched the words "Chicken Farmer I love You" on a roadside rock on State Route 103 just outside of the town of Newbury. After years of decay and natural fading, an anonymous person gave it a fresh coat of paint and updated the message to say "Chicken Farmer, I Still Love You". While the identity of the message's intended target may never be known, the rock stands as a testament to roadside oddities.

A sprawling, sensationally-landscaped greenspace home to over 300 sculptures, Grounds for Sculpture is serious about art, but also veers into the odd as well. Expect to see shapes not of this world, wild beasts and even sculptures of giant people just going about mundane, common tasks like gossiping or having a nap on a park bench.

On the desolate outskirts of Taos, you'll find a collection of out-of-this-world homes called "Earthships". These odd abodes are all off-the-grid and are composed of everything from glass bottles to old tires. Tours are available for those curious about what the insides look like, and you can rest assured the interiors are as quirky as the exteriors.

Back in the early part of the 20th century, a gentleman named David Hess fought an epic imminent domain battle against the city of New York. While he eventually lost the case, he managed to remain sovereign over this tiny slice of pavement in Greenwich Village and laid script on it to show the city's how he really felt. It reads "Property of the Hess Estate Which Has Never Been Dedicated For Public Purposes" and the amount of people it has blocked from walking over it is exactly zero.

This unfinished project was supposed to connect Deals Gap and Bryson City, but it died on the rocks when environmental concerns came to the forefront during construction. The problem with that is the fact that the government had promised the local citizenry this road as a way of making up for flooding their land during the construction of the Fontana Dam. So, now there's just a road that abruptly ends at a tunnel and you can see by the sign, the locals are still holding a grudge.

What do you get when a local man sets his mind to attract visitors to his quiet corner of western North Dakota? The world's largest scrap metal sculpture, naturally. The record-holder is called "Geese in Flight", but there are scores of other crazy creations at this odd yet endearing collection off I-94 near the town of Regent.

People will slap "henge" onto anything these days, won't they? A public art display called "Field of Corn" in Dublin, these 100-plus cement cobs honor the agricultural tradition of Ohio and their similarity to the white crosses of Arlington National Cemetery are meant to symbolize a mourning for the loss of this traditional way of life.

Stand at this precise spot-a little north of the Oklahoma Jazz Hall of Fame to be precise-in downtown Tulsa and say something (anything!) and then witness it magically bounce back to you significantly louder than you spoke it. Strange no doubt and adding to the allure is the fact that experts who have examined the phenomenon still can't quite determine its cause.

The brainchild of a beloved local journalist who planted flowers in a spot where a light pole was supposed to be erected (but never was), tiny Mills End is officially recognized as a park by the city of Portland and over the years has taken on a life of its own. The park was the setting for all sorts of shenanigans in its creator's fictional newspaper column, where it was also dubbed "the only leprechaun colony west of Ireland".

A legend in the genre of offbeat attractions, the Mutter Museum is located at the College of Physicians of Philadelphia and features a myriad of macabre yet scientifically fascinating skeletons and remains. Whatever you do, don't miss the thousands-strong collection of objects removed from human throats.

Conventional wisdom says that the stones of the Newport Tower are the remains of an 18th-century windmill. But that doesn't stop people from theorizing that it may be much older and could be connected to Viking, Scottish or Portuguese explorers. Everyone seems to have a theory, but what they all agree on though is that the exact origin is unknown.

Famous in these parts for decades and made world-famous on House of Cards, the Gaffney Peachoid is the largest peach in the world. It also doubles as a water tower while paying homage to Gaffney's place as the "Peach Capital of South Carolina".

You'll experience a range of emotions at this unique sculpture park on the plains of South Dakota near Montrose. The star attraction is a 60-foot tall Bull's Head but that's just the tip of the iceberg of the colorful creations that founder Wayne Porter has crafted out of scrap metal and spare agricultural equipment.

Would you mind passing the salt? And the pepper? In fact, why not pass all 20,000 sets of shakers on display at this quirky museum in Gatlinburg. Seasoning is believing.

If you're cruising down Highway 90 in West Texas and suddenly realize you left you're best Prada purse at home, and get excited when you see Prada Marfa pop up on the side of the road, you're in for a big letdown. Yes, this is no real luxury retailer, it's just a "land art project" from a Berlin-based duo that's meant to say something significant about modern materialism.

So much more than just a crevice in some stone, the Hole N" The Rock was formerly a full-fledged 14-room residence that an adventurous family built by hand. While no one lives there today, you can still walk through this oddity near Moab to see what life was like for them and, naturally, take a spin through the gift shop.

Looks closely at the rooftops of Vermont's biggest city as you approach from the waters of Lake Champlain, and you'll notice some monkey business going on. What started as a promotion for a now-defunct bedding store that sported a Wizard of Oz theme is now a beloved bit of Burlington quirkiness.

The last hurrah of the "henges" on this list, this bizarre sight is an authentic replica of the original, except for the small fact that it's made out of foam. The work is the creation of artist Mark Cline and it has recently moved to Cox Farms near Centreville where it can be viewed seasonally.

You'll find this giant grey goblin chillin' under an overpass in Seattle's Fremont neighborhood while clutching a small car. He comes in at over 18-feet tall and despite all appearances is considered to be one of the friendliest trolls to ever lurk in these parts.

Don't even trouble yourself for a second debating whether or not the Mothman of West Virginia is real or a figment of everybody's imagination. Just head to Point Pleasant to see his statue, the small town that counts him as one of their own.

This spot in Marathon Country is the precise location where the 45th Parallel of Latitude intersects with the 90th Meridian of Longitude, meaning it's halfway between the Equator and the North Pole and one-quarter of the way around the world from Greenwich, England. If that's not enough for you, then maybe you'll get a kick out of the fact that in the nearby town of Wausau, the visitors center will give you a complimentary commemorative token that symbolized your membership in the 45x90 Club.

This creepy log cabin on a hill near Cody was the passion project of a local resident who toiled for years building it from the ground up by hand. Sadly, he passed away after falling from the home and the house was subsequently abandoned. Now, it stands on the side of the road sparking curiosity in all who drive past.