Roadside Americana

We like to travel the U.S. highways, typically not the Interstates, for we feel it's off the main routes one finds "true America".  We like to visit the well known roadside curiosities, some of which are listed here. When Dave retired his office gave him a book titled, "Roadside Americana". This wonderful book contains pictures and stories of curious oddities in every state. When we visit one we log onto the page for that particular item the date we first visited it and try to take a picture identical to the one in the book. The following article is copied with respect from USA Today.

Carri Wilbanks, Special for USA TODAY

There’s no time like summer for a classic American road trip. While many travelers obviously enjoy visiting the country’s major cities, landmarks and state parks, it’s the quirky roadside attractions that make the USA such a fun place to drive around. From the world’s largest frying pan to an exact replica of Stonehenge made from foam, here are 10 detours to consider while road tripping across America:

Santa Claus Statue  – Santa Claus, Ind.

Did you know that Santa Claus is actually the name of a town in Indiana? Located right off I-64 in the southern part of the state, the town boasts a Santa Claus Museum & Village complete with decades of children’s letters to Santa Claus, antique toy displays and a large collection of Santas of every shape and size. If you’re traveling with kids, they won’t want to miss the chance to write a free letter to Santa in the Original Santa Claus Post Office (every letter receives a reply from Santa prior to Christmas). But the best part of this road trip stop is the 22-foot Santa statue. Erected in 1935, the 44-ton solid concrete landmark makes for the perfect family photo opp.

Foamhenge – Natural Bridge, Va.

If you’ve dreamed about visiting Stonehenge in England but can’t squeeze in an international vacation, have no fears: Foamhenge is here. Foamhenge is exactly what it sounds like: a full-size replica of the popular British monument made entirely out of Styrofoam. Located in Natural Bridge, Va., a short detour from Route 81 off Hwy 11, the structure simply “appeared” one April Fool’s Day in 2004. Its creator was Mark Cline, an American artist and entertainer known for his foam and fiberglass works inspired by monsters and science fiction. Cline went to great pains to shape each “stone” to its original shape, and continues to maintain the site’s upkeep today as he is located just a short drive away at his Enchanted Castle Studios.

Wall Drug – Wall, S.D.

Tourists traveling through South Dakota are typically headed for the Black Hills National Forest and Mount Rushmore, but there’s actually another attraction that’s become one of America’s favorite roadside stops. Wall Drug, a drugstore, was purchased by a man named Ted Hustead in 1931, and at first wasn’t very successful in a 231-person town. But then Ted’s wife, Dorothy, had an idea: Advertise free ice water to travelers heading to Mount Rushmore. The rest is history, and Wall Drug is still an essential pit stop for tourists today (and still gives away free ice water). The modern version is a 76,000 square foot emporium with everything from five-cent coffee to travel essentials, activities for kids, a western art museum and restaurant.

Carhenge – Alliance, Neb.

Foam isn’t the only medium artists have used to recreate Stonehenge in America; in Alliance, Neb., travelers will find Carhenge. Made with 39 vintage American cars covered with grey spray paint, Carhenge is a spectacle by Jim Reinders, a geologist by profession who spent time studying the structure of Stonehenge while living in the south of England. But don’t get too puzzled trying to interpret the meaning of this piece: Reinders intended it not as a socio-economic statement, car lover’s passion or work of art, but rather something that’s just for fun. In fact, he constructed Carhenge as memorial to his father, who once lived on the farm where the site now stands and worked with 35 family members to put it together. As the site has grown in popularity, receiving more than 60,000 visitors each year, more auto sculptures have been added, and a visitor center opened in 2006.

World’s Largest Basket – Newark, Ohio

More than half a million people head to Newark, Ohio each year to see the world’s largest basket. The building, which is 192 ft long and 126 ft wide, is an enormous replica of a hand-woven party basket made by the Longaberger Basket Company, and also serves as the company’s headquarters. The seven-story, 180,000-square foot building was the brainchild of the company’s founder, Dave Longaberger and is a well-known example of novelty architecture. The basket even boasts unique features such as heated basket handles to help prevent ice damage during the winter.

Galleta Meadows – Borrego Springs, Calif.

One of the most wonderfully weird roadside attractions in Southern California is Galleta Meadows, located two hours east of San Diego in the desert oasis town of Borrego Springs. Galleta Meadows is a metallic menagerie of dozens of freestanding, life-size sculptures of prehistoric creatures that once roamed the desert valley of Anza-Borrego Desert State Park. Visitors can pose with impressive beings like Gompotheres (elephant-like creatures with four tusks) and a bird with a 17-foot wingspan based on the fossil remains of the extinct Aiorlornis incredibilis.  More giant recreations of Borrego’s fossilized past by artist Ricardo Breceda include dinosaurs, raptors, mammoths and towering sloths, as well as animals of the more contemporary kind, including elephants, camels and wild stallions, plus imaginary creatures, chiefs and historical figures. His newest creations: a 350-foot Chinese Dragon and a colossal scorpion poised to pounce on a grasshopper.

Quanah Parker Trail – Throughout Texas

The Comanche Indians once dominated large areas of North America, but when they were eventually forced onto reservations, they left few memories of their glory days behind, and their legacy is mostly forgotten by the public. Along with a group of enthusiastic citizens, artist Charles A. Smith decided to create a network of 22-foot-tall steel arrows marking sites throughout 52 counties where the Comanche people hunted, traded and fought under their last chief, Quanah Parker. Today the Quanah Parker Trail features more than 80 of these arrows, which weigh 742 pounds each. Travelers can retrace the footsteps of Chief Quanah Parker as they learn about the area’s rich culture and the history of Native Americans in the Texas Panhandle. So if you find yourself road-tripping through the Texas Plains Trail Region, keep your eyes peeled for arrows!

"World’s Largest" Frying Pan – Long Beach, Wash.

If you thought the world's largest basket was strange, just wait until you see the world’s largest frying pan. Located in Long Beach, Wash., the 14-foot-tall frying pan actually no longer officially holds the title, sadly, as other towns throughout the USA have constructed larger pans. Who knew competition for frying pan dominance could be so heated? Regardless of its not-so-record-breaking status, the giant frying pan is a reminder of Long Beach’s annual Razor Clam Festival and still serves as an important local landmark worth the detour from Hwy 103. In 1941, when the pan was built, it was used to cook the “world’s largest razor clam fritter” made of 200 pounds of clams, 20 dozen eggs, 20 pounds of flour and 13 gallons of salad oil.

Pinkie the Elephant – DeForest, Wis.

If you ever happen to be driving through DeForest, Wis., you’re likely to stop for a photo opportunity with Pinkie the Elephant, a roadside attraction that will make anyone smile. The life-size pink elephant wearing giant black-rimmed eyeglasses was drummed up by the owner of a nearby gas station in 1963 as a way to get customers inside, and has since evolved into a huge tourist attraction (the gas station today even sells Pinkie souvenirs). Pinkie is also known as a local hero, and is a hard sight to miss from the interstate.

Giant Uniroyal Tire – Detroit, Mich.

One of America’s most recognizable roadside icons is the Giant Uniroyal Tire, the world’s largest tire, visible to residents and visitors to Detroit as they travel I-94 into or out of the Motor City. The giant tire was actually originally created as a Ferris wheel at the 1964/1965 New York Wold’s Fair, where more than two million people rode it (including Jacqueline Kennedy). After the fair, the mega tire was relocated to a Uniroyal Tire sales office in Allen Park, Mich., and has remained there ever since as a symbol of the city’s automotive roots. The tire has received a few facelifts over the years, including the addition of a giant nail in August of 1988 as part of a marketing campaign to promote Uniroyal’s NailGuard tire technology.