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.
Ironton, MO
Mina Sauk Falls drops in a series of cascades down Taum Sauk Mountain and is generally considered Missouri's tallest waterfall. Its flow is seasonal, so the rugged trail is most rewarding after wet weather.
Golden, CO
Colorado School of Mines maintains a geology museum packed with minerals, meteorites, fossils and mining artifacts. The combination of unusual specimens and Colorado mining science makes it a useful OddWay indoor stop.
Hartford, CT
Miniature bronze versions of Abraham Lincoln and Harriet Beecher Stowe face one another across an outdoor table on the riverwalk. The sculpture commemorates their real 1862 meeting but intentionally presents the famously tall Lincoln at a surprisingly tiny scale.
South Hero, VT
A collection of small stone castles, towers and miniature architectural structures is scattered around South Hero. Many sit on or near private property, so they are best treated as a roadside viewing hunt rather than places to enter or explore closely.
Jordan, MN
A bright yellow barnlike building packs an overwhelming range of candy, soda and imported snacks into a seasonal roadside destination. The scale, color and deliberately excessive inventory make the store itself the attraction.
St. Charles, ID
Guided Forest Service cave tour through large limestone rooms and formations in the Bear Lake area. Tickets, road conditions and seasonal opening dates should be checked in advance.
Wilmington, NC
At the Minnie Evans Sculpture Garden, a chapel-like structure made from colored bottles, cement, and found material honors visionary artist Minnie Evans. Sunlight passing through the bottles gives the small structure a stained-glass effect unlike a conventional garden sculpture.
Centerville, TN
A folk-art portrait of comedian Minnie Pearl uses chicken wire and other humble materials to honor the Centerville native. The intentionally homespun construction suits the public persona that made her a Grand Ole Opry icon.
Colchester, CT
A statue of Mary survived a 2004 explosion and fire that destroyed the former St. Mary's Ukrainian Catholic Church around it. The congregation preserved the surviving figure at the rebuilt church as a physical reminder of the disaster.
Pearl River, LA
A giant alligator sculpture named Miss Pearl sits outside a Pearl River business and gives the Honey Island area an appropriately oversized roadside mascot. It is a quick exterior photo stop; stay within customer or public access areas.
New Haven, CT
A cast-iron sculpture outside Lighthouse Fire Station began as a tribute to firefighters and gradually accumulated more symbolic details, including an oversized hydrant. The finished piece is part monument and part wonderfully overbuilt firehouse lawn art.
St. Augustine, FL
A 208-foot stainless-steel cross towers over the historic mission grounds.
Tucson, AZ
The brilliant white eighteenth-century mission rises from the Tohono O'odham Nation south of Tucson with an ornate interior that sharply contrasts with the desert around it. It remains an active Catholic parish and culturally significant place, so visitors should follow church and community rules.
Lake Itasca, MN
At Lake Itasca, visitors can walk across the shallow outlet traditionally designated as the headwaters of the Mississippi River. The modest stream is visually strange when compared with the enormous river it becomes downstream.
Washington, MO
Missouri Meerschaum has manufactured corn-cob pipes in Washington since the nineteenth century. Its small museum and shop interpret the unusual local industry beside the still-active factory, while factory production areas themselves are not a public tour.
Williston, ND
Exhibits overlook the landscape where the Yellowstone River meets the Missouri, a geographic junction central to Indigenous travel, exploration, trade and military history. The center sits about half a mile east of Fort Buford and should be treated as a distinct stop.
Essex, CA
Guided tours enter limestone caverns inside Providence Mountains State Recreation Area; reservations, road conditions and seasonal schedules matter.
Moab, UT
More than a hundred life-size dinosaur models line an outdoor trail near fossil-bearing landscapes, while indoor exhibits cover tracks and paleontology. It is intentionally theatrical but grounded in Utah dinosaur science.
Vallecito, CA
A huge vertical chamber produces the low resonance that gave the cave its name, with guided stair tours and more adventurous underground options.
Lone Pine, CA
A naturally weathered granite arch frames Mount Whitney and the Sierra, reached on a short loop through the bizarre boulder landscape of the Alabama Hills.
Pawtucket, RI
This streamlined stainless-steel diner is a surviving 1940 Sterling Streamliner and became the first diner placed on the National Register of Historic Places. Its rounded, locomotive-like exterior looks more like a retro-futurist railcar than a conventional restaurant. It remains open for breakfast and lunch.
Cambridge, MA
A narrow Central Square passage has become a constantly changing legal graffiti gallery. One wall is regularly repainted by street artists, turning the alley into an artwork that may look completely different every time OddWay sends someone through.
Uncasville, CT
Blue stars embedded around the Mohegan Sun Arena entrance commemorate performers who have appeared at the casino resort. The casino's take on a Hollywood-style walk of fame has steadily accumulated names over the years.
Moline, KS
A narrow pedestrian suspension bridge crosses Wildcat Creek and is locally described as Kansas's oldest swinging bridge. Its movement underfoot and small-town park setting give it the kind of simple physical oddity that works well as a route stop.
