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.
St. Johnsbury, VT
Artist Stephen Huneck created this small hilltop chapel as a place for people to remember dogs they have lost. Its walls are covered with thousands of handwritten memorial notes, while dog-themed carvings and sculptures fill the surrounding grounds.
Wahiawā, HI
A large hedge maze shaped around a pineapple motif spreads across the Dole Plantation grounds. It is unapologetically roadside-tourism spectacle, but its scale and pineapple-industrial setting make it a useful OddWay stop distinct from the plantation's ordinary retail areas.
Atlanta, GA
A trail through Constitution Lakes Park contains folk-art installations assembled from discarded dolls, toys and other debris found on the property. The unsettling faces and handmade signs are intentionally created from material already present in the park; visitors should not bring outside junk to add.
Otho, IA
Sandstone cliffs and mineral-stained formations called the Copperas Beds line the Des Moines River valley in this wooded park. Trails also reach unusual erosional features and historic CCC structures.
Morgantown, WV
Morgantown unveiled this life-size bronze statue of hometown actor Don Knotts in 2016 outside the Metropolitan Theatre. The sculpture includes references to his best-known roles and is freely accessible from the downtown sidewalk area.
Dodgeville, WI
A retired Boeing C-97 transport plane sits improbably outside this roadside inn, while themed rooms inside include caves, spaceships, hot-air balloons and other elaborate fantasy environments. The combination makes the motel itself an OddWay attraction.
Concord, NH
A downtown mural transforms a tall elevator shaft into a giant level of the classic Donkey Kong arcade game. Painted in 2022, the work uses the building's vertical shape as part of the joke, with pixel-style platforms climbing toward the roof. It is best viewed from public streets without entering the residential property.
Denison, IA
Denison celebrates hometown actor Donna Reed with costumes, photographs and memorabilia connected with her film and television career. The museum occupies part of the historic downtown theater complex bearing her name.
Dotsero, CO
Colorado's youngest volcano is a maar-and-scoria volcanic complex only a few thousand years old, with Interstate 70 crossing its old lava flow. BLM provides public access, but the approach is rougher than a normal developed attraction.
Moab, UT
Two giant arches share the same eroded foundation, forming a cathedral-like opening reached by a short trail. Their intersecting geometry makes this one of Arches National Park's strangest formations.
Moapa Valley, NV
Michael Heizer’s monumental 1969 earthwork consists of enormous trenches cut into the Mormon Mesa, making the removed earth itself the artwork; the route is remote and rough.
Athens, GA
An experimental Civil War cannon built to fire two balls connected by a chain sits outside Athens City Hall. The weapon never became practical, but the surviving double barrel is an instantly understandable piece of failed military engineering.
New Orleans, LA
Two Lower Ninth Ward houses were designed with towers and galleries that deliberately echo Mississippi River steamboats. They are private residences, so appreciate the architecture from public streets only.
Galena, IL
Built in 1826, this rough limestone trading house is one of Galena's oldest surviving structures and feels dramatically older than the city around it.
Nashville, TN
The church's Egyptian Revival interior and exterior use columns, lotus-like forms and other motifs rarely seen in American Protestant architecture. Public access depends on worship, tours and events, so check before expecting an interior visit.
New Orleans, LA
Local artist Dr. Bob is known for handmade signs, assemblages and the recurring 'Be Nice or Leave' slogan. His Chartres Street studio is a dense folk-art environment rather than a conventional gallery; verify current hours before visiting.
North Freedom, WI
Artist Tom Every transformed salvaged industrial machinery into the Forevertron, a massive retro-futurist sculpture imagined as a device that could launch its creator into the heavens. The surrounding art park is packed with metal birds, machines and other outsider-art constructions.
Springfield, MA
Bronze versions of the Cat in the Hat, Horton, the Grinch and other Dr. Seuss characters surround a sculpture of Springfield-born author Theodor Geisel. The outdoor garden turns his illustrated universe into a walkable cluster of oversized characters.
Nashville, TN
A long mosaic dragon coils through this neighborhood park, covered in brightly colored tile and community-made details. The creature is climbable public art and has become one of Nashville's most distinctive non-music landmarks.
Yellowstone National Park, WY
Steam and surging water pulse from a cave-like opening, creating the roaring effect that inspired the spring's name.
Kapalua, HI
A line of jagged lava spires resembles oversized teeth where a past flow met strong wind and surf at Makaluapuna Point. The route crosses exposed coastal terrain beside resort land, and visitors should remain on the established path and respect nearby burial and cultural areas.
Milton, DE
A life-size statue of poet John Milton stands along Governor’s Walk and regularly turns up wearing seasonal costumes and accessories. The anonymous dressing tradition has become a local mystery of its own, with no single person consistently taking credit for the statue’s changing wardrobe.
Jekyll Island, GA
Weathered trunks and skeletal trees cover this eroding shoreline, creating a natural landscape that looks like a forest graveyard at low tide. The trees are the remains of a maritime forest lost as the island's north end gradually eroded.
Concrete, WA
A public road passes directly beneath part of Concrete High School, creating the unusual experience of literally driving under a school building. Stay on the road and do not treat the school grounds as a tourist facility.
