Roadside Attractions

With the winter holidays so close, many families are starting to get ready to do some traveling.  Since many families still seem to do traditional roadtrips, I felt compelled to point out a website that is an "oldie but a goodie."

Roadside America is the ultimate website for those of us that travel by car.  They claim to be "Your Online Guide to Offbeat Tourist Attractions", and I believe that they live up to that assumption.  Here is a sample of some of the oddities listed on their website:


Oregon Vortex
A mystery spot where things are just not what they seem.  Where tennis balls roll uphill and brooms stand on end.  That's the kind of craziness you will find at the Oregon Vortex, near Gold Hill, OR.  Open to the public since 1930, no one knows exactly what is the cause of the mysterious goings-on here.

Fridgehenge
While everyone has heard of Stonehenge, over in jolly old England, have you ever heard of Fridgehenge?  This curiosity can be found near Santa Fe, New Mexico.  It is supposed to be a replica of Stonehenge made completely of old refrigerators.  If you're not into "fridges" they also have several "Carhenges" to check out too.

Corn Palace
How about visiting a palace made of maize?  That's what you will find when you stop off to visit the famous Corn Palace in Mitchell, SD.   The walls of this cool structure are adorned with murals made entirely out of corn.  Each year there is a different theme, so the murals are ever changing.  Apparently, visitors come back again and again, probably because it's truly "a-maize-ing".  By the way, guided tours (in the summer) are free.

The Thing
If you've ever traveled through the state of Arizona, you must have seen at least one billboard advertising "The Thing".  Actually, there are apparently 247 billboards that advertise this southern AZ oddity.  It is the kind of roadside attraction that kids just beg their parents to stop and check out.  And for the low price of  $1, it's kind of hard to say no.

I have been to all the attractions listed above, well, except for "The Thing".  Even though I lived in Arizona for over 20 years, I never got down to see this famous Americana relic.  I loved the Corn Palace and wondered how they keep the birds eating all the murals.  I absolutely hated the Oregon Vortex, because for some reason it made me feel dizzy and nauseous.  Everyone else in my family loved it!

The nice thing about the Roadside America website is that you can search for a list of oddities to visit by typing in a town/city and state.  There is a separate page listing for each state, so you can get a birds-eye view of what attractions each state has to offer.  They now also have a mapping feature which allows you to generate a map of roadside attractions for any cities you plan to visit.

Finally, there is now even "an app for that".  The Roadside America App for the iPhone can be purchased for $2.99, providing you with complete access to roadside attractions while you are on the road. 

So the next time you plan a family roadtrip, you might want to check out the Roadside America website in advance to see what curiosities are en-route.  While most of them will end up being fun and quirky, it will probably leave your children with a fun memories that will last a lifetime.  And afterall, isn't that what's behind the whole idea of a family roadtrip anyway?