Everything OddWay knows about. Narrow it down by what you're after, or where you're going.
Stories a place tells about itself, passed down and still repeated.
Wallula, WA
Two basalt pillars rise above the Columbia River landscape and are associated with Indigenous stories recorded in multiple versions. Use the established trail and respect adjacent private land and cultural significance.
Anchorage, AK
Stop on Upper Huffman Road, on the Hillside, put the car in neutral, and it appears to roll uphill. The slope is an illusion — the surrounding land hides the true horizon, so a gentle descent reads as a climb — which has never once stopped anyone trying it with a bottle of water. A public road, so pull over sensibly and watch for traffic.
Upton, MA
A long stone-lined underground chamber with a corbelled roof sits in Heritage Park, and its original purpose has puzzled researchers for generations. Archaeological study points to a historic construction rather than exotic ancient origins, but the dark artificial cave remains one of Massachusetts' better physical mysteries.
North Smithfield, RI
Simon Whipple Aldrich's 1841 gravestone contains the striking phrase "Consumption's vampire grasp," referring poetically to tuberculosis rather than documenting an accusation that Aldrich was a vampire. The wording has nevertheless made the grave an unusual stop within New England's broader vampire tradition. The stone is in the historic Union Cemetery Annex area; visit only during daylight and respect the graves. Secondary source: https://www.roadsideamerica.com/tip/43658
San Antonio, TX
Stop on the railway crossing at Villamain and Shane Roads, put the car in neutral, and it appears to roll uphill. The slope is an illusion — the surrounding land hides the true horizon, so a gentle descent reads as a climb — which has never once stopped anyone trying it with a bottle of water. A public road, so pull over sensibly and watch for traffic.
New Orleans, LA
Voodoo Authentica combines a spiritual shop, cultural center and collection of works made by practitioners and artists connected with New Orleans Voodoo. It also hosts educational and ceremonial programming at selected times.
New Orleans, LA
Established in 1990, the Voodoo Spiritual Temple presents traditional West African-influenced spiritual and herbal practices while working to correct misconceptions about Voodoo. Its current location is 1428 N. Rampart Street; hours are flexible, so check ahead.
Richmond, VA
The ornate mausoleum of bookkeeper W. W. Pool in Hollywood Cemetery became attached to Richmond's vampire legend after the 1925 Church Hill Tunnel disaster. There is no evidence Pool was a vampire, but the tomb remains the physical focus of the story; visit only during cemetery hours and do not damage or enter the structure.
Conway, AR
Conway has embraced the Wampus Cat, a Southern folklore creature, as a local mascot. Public art and school imagery keep the cryptid-like legend visible around town.
Weeki Wachee, FL
Historic live-mermaid attraction built around a first-magnitude spring.
Elko, NV
The home of the National Cowboy Poetry Gathering preserves and presents ranching traditions, music, poetry, gear-making, and contemporary folklore of the American West.
Stoneham, MA
A lonely stone on Great Island in Spot Pond bears only the words 'WHERE SHUTE FELL.' Stories propose a duel, a wrestling match and even a drunken accident, but the meaning was already uncertain in the nineteenth century. Reaching the island requires authorized boat access or a rental from the permitted Spot Pond boating operation.
Eminence, MO
Several small herds of free-roaming horses live on public lands around the Current and Jacks Fork rivers and have become a distinctive part of Shannon County folklore. Sightings are not guaranteed; travelers should observe from a distance and never feed, chase or block the horses.
Washington, DC
The Willard's lobby is tied to generations of political meetings and the popular, though debated, story connecting Ulysses S. Grant's visitors with the word 'lobbyist.'
Houston, MS
A Natchez Trace stop tied to an old regional legend that witches once gathered here to dance, leaving places where grass would not grow. The story is folklore rather than documented fact, but the named NPS site is real and routable.
Virginia Beach, VA
This bronze statue honors Grace Sherwood, the Virginia woman convicted of witchcraft after a 1706 ducking trial in what was then Princess Anne County. The monument depicts Sherwood with a raccoon and stands on publicly accessible grounds near Sentara Bayside Hospital, giving the famous Witch of Pungo story a specific modern stop.
Rochester, MA
A huge boulder in a residential front yard has a broom-riding witch painted across its face and carries generations of ghost stories involving voices, laughter and apparitions. The supernatural claims are folklore, and the rock is on private residential property, so it should only be viewed respectfully from the public roadside.
Craftsbury, VT
Vermont is known for occasional windows installed diagonally beneath rooflines, commonly called witch windows. Folklore claims the crooked openings were meant to prevent witches from flying through them, though practical architectural explanations are far more likely; the pin represents a Craftsbury area where examples can be spotted from public roads.
York, ME
Mary Nasson’s 1774 grave is covered by a large stone slab, which later folklore claimed was placed there to keep a witch from rising from the dead. There is no evidence Nasson was a witch; the unusually protected grave itself is real and the legend has persisted for generations.
