Everything OddWay knows about. Narrow it down by what you're after, or where you're going.
Giant objects, odd monuments and things built for no clear reason.
Stratford, CT
The eccentric Boothe brothers filled their property with unusual structures and collections, many of which survive in today's public park. Highlights include a miniature lighthouse, an old tollbooth, a blacksmith shop with dozens of sides and the wonderfully strange Technocratic Cathedral.
Carthage, MO
Built in 1939, Boots Court is a streamlined Route 66 motor court known for its neon, architecture and association with travelers including Clark Gable. The restored property functions as a motel, so exterior viewing is easy while rooms are for registered guests unless tours or events say otherwise.
Easton, MA
A stone mansion built for eccentric botanist Oakes Ames and artist Blanche Ames stands amid the unusual landscaped estate that became Borderland State Park. Blanche designed much of the house herself and filled the property with artistic and scientific experimentation.
San Antonio, NM
Seasonal concentrations of sandhill cranes and snow geese can turn the refuge into an enormous moving wall of birds at dawn and dusk. The auto loop and viewing decks make the spectacle accessible without disturbing wildlife habitat.
Boston, MA
Four elaborate historical dioramas hide inside the lobby of a Back Bay office building. The miniature scenes are easy to walk past from the street, making them a genuinely hidden bit of Boston history rather than a conventional museum exhibit.
Boston, MA
A giant gilded kettle has hung above downtown Boston since the nineteenth century. It was originally installed as an advertising stunt, complete with a contest to guess how much liquid it could hold, and has survived as a rare piece of oversized Victorian commercial signage.
Sedalia, MO
This sprawling Arts-and-Crafts lodge was built over natural caves, which were incorporated into the house as an early form of passive cooling. Guided tours climb through the unusually layered interior while the surrounding grounds remain open on a broader schedule.
Roswell, NM
A chain of deep sinkholes filled with green-blue water gave rise to the 'bottomless' name east of Roswell. The lakes are actually measurable, but their steep-sided geology and unusual desert setting made the legend stick.
Lucas, KS
Lucas turned a public restroom into a giant mosaic toilet-themed art environment, complete with sculptural plumbing references and colorful found-object details. It is functional civic infrastructure deliberately built as an absurd roadside attraction.
Wendell, ID
One of North America's largest springs bursts from the canyon wall and feeds an intensely clear stream. Trails are steep in places; remain within the state-park preserve.
Houlton, ME
A statue of a boy holding a leaking boot has stood in Houlton for more than a century as one of many versions of the once-popular “Boy and the Boot” fountain design. The Houlton figure is traditionally removed or protected during the harshest part of winter, so visibility can be seasonal.
Nashville, TN
An oversized catfish sculpture connected with Nashville's old civic and fairground culture survives as a deliberately strange public-facing landmark. It is a quick photo stop rather than a staffed attraction.
Brooksville, FL
Karst landscape with small caves and sinkholes in Hernando County.
Belleville, KS
Paul Boyer's hand-built wooden automata move through elaborate mechanical scenes powered by gears, cams, wire, and motors. The museum preserves decades of one-person engineering and folk art rather than mass-produced displays.
San Antonio, TX
A protected cave supporting one of the largest bat colonies on Earth. Public access is restricted to scheduled Bat Conservation International events.
Los Angeles, CA
The 1893 interior rises around a light-filled atrium of open cage elevators, ornate iron stairs and balconies famous from films including Blade Runner.
Hiawassee, GA
Georgia's highest point is topped by a distinctive observation complex reached from a steep mountain trail or seasonal shuttle. On clear days the view reaches across four states, while the summit's weather and isolation give it a much stranger atmosphere than a typical roadside overlook.
Almo, ID
Long rounded granite formation whose shape inspired the 'Bread Loaves' name, standing among the reserve's most recognizable rock forms. Stay on public reserve routes.
Brevard, NC
Brevard is famous for a population of white Eastern gray squirrels that are not true albinos. Local lore traces the population to two pale squirrels connected with a traveling carnival in the late 1940s; the Brevard College campus is one of the better places to look for them.
Camdenton, MO
Bridal Cave is a long-running Lake of the Ozarks show cave known for dramatic formations and an underground chapel where weddings are performed. Guided tours make it an easy routeable cave stop rather than an adventure-caving location.
Spearfish, SD
A narrow waterfall drops about 60 feet down the limestone walls of Spearfish Canyon and can be seen from a roadside viewing area. Seasonal water flow and the sheer canyon setting make it one of the most accessible geological stops in the northern Black Hills.
Groom, TX
A deliberately tilted water tower beside old Route 66, originally positioned at an angle to attract motorists. It remains one of the Panhandle's classic roadside-photo stops.
Arco, ID
Named loop through cinder, lava flows and crater features on the southern portion of the park road. Use only the signed trail and respect seasonal road closures.
Baltimore, MD
Built between 1907 and 1911 for the company behind Bromo-Seltzer headache remedy, this clock tower was originally crowned by a giant glowing blue medicine bottle. The bottle is gone, but the tower now contains artist studios and a Bromo-Seltzer museum, with scheduled access to the clock room.
