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.
Des Moines, IA
The Iowa governor's residence occupies an elaborate 1869 Second Empire mansion with a towering central tower and ornate interiors. Guided tours reveal one of the state's most extravagant surviving homes.
Menlo, IA
Artist Ray 'Bubba' Sorensen repaints this enormous roadside boulder each year with detailed military and veterans-themed scenes. The original Menlo rock inspired a statewide project placing painted Freedom Rocks in every Iowa county.
Riverside, IA
Public Star Trek-themed signs, props and festival installations around Riverside turn several downtown blocks into a playful fictional-history landscape. The displays vary over time but reinforce the town's Captain Kirk identity.
Sioux City, IA
This hilltop religious complex contains enormous statues of Jesus and Mary, shrines, chapels and devotional gardens. The monumental scale makes it one of western Iowa's most visually unusual sacred spaces.
Pella, IA
This towering working Dutch windmill rises above Pella and contains a functional grain-milling system. Guided access lets visitors climb through the machinery and see how a traditional European mill works.
Muscatine, IA
Trails wind through sandstone formations, narrow ravines and wooded bluffs with names such as Devil's Punch Bowl and Fat Man's Squeeze. The park combines strange erosion features with one of Iowa's best-preserved historic mills.
Des Moines, IA
The restored former Des Moines Public Library now functions as an ornate ceremonial hall devoted to global agriculture and food security. Murals, stained glass and restored Beaux-Arts spaces make the interior unexpectedly elaborate.
Crystal Lake, IA
The giant bullhead is actually in Crystal Lake, Iowa, not Forest City. Carl Frick and Rush Gabrilson built the 12-foot fish in 1958, and it was restored in 2007; today it sits by Crystal Lake as a free lakeside photo stop.
Sac City, IA
Sac City’s current popcorn ball was built by community volunteers in 2016 and weighs 9,370 pounds, replacing earlier record attempts by the town. It is protected inside its own transparent display building near the Sac City Museum Village, allowing travelers to see the giant snack even when the museum itself is closed.
Strawberry Point, IA
Strawberry Point’s 15-foot fiberglass strawberry was dedicated in the late 1960s and has stood outside City Hall for more than half a century. Restored again in 2025, it remains an easy public photo stop and one of the town’s defining landmarks.
Iowa City, IA
An enormous painted wooden nickel stands beside a rural road north of Iowa City. Built as a political statement and roadside curiosity, it turns a familiar coin into a house-sized object.
