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.
Saugerties, NY
Sculptor Harvey Fite spent nearly four decades assembling this sprawling bluestone earthwork by hand from millions of pieces of local stone. The six-acre labyrinth of ramps, terraces, walls and platforms is open seasonally as an outdoor arts site.
Cave Junction, OR
Guided tours enter marble caves carved by acidic groundwater; the cave is accessible only with a guide, and 2026 tours operate seasonally with reservations strongly recommended.
Oregon City, OR
A municipal elevator carries pedestrians between two levels of Oregon City inside a distinctive mid-century tower, functioning like a vertical public street.
Reedsport, OR
A developed overlook reveals part of the enormous coastal dune field that stretches for dozens of miles along the central Oregon coast.
Blackduck, MN
Blackduck's namesake bird appears as a large public statue near the center of town. It is a straightforward but distinctive example of a Minnesota community converting its literal name into a physical roadside mascot.
Green Bay, WI
This enormous industrial fastener was long promoted as the world's largest hex nut. Larger examples have since appeared elsewhere, so OddWay should present it as the original famous Green Bay giant rather than an uncontested current record-holder.
Hanover, NH
Mexican muralist José Clemente Orozco covered the walls of Dartmouth's Baker-Berry Library reserve corridor with a dark, violent and often surreal interpretation of the history of the Americas. Gods, skeletons, machinery, conquest and war fill the panels rather than the genteel imagery expected in an Ivy League library. Public viewing follows current library access policies. Secondary source: https://www.nps.gov/places/orozco-murals.htm
Fergus Falls, MN
A huge concrete otter rises beside Grotto Lake in Fergus Falls, built as a community project in the 1970s. Otto turns a familiar Minnesota animal into a civic colossus that can be approached from the surrounding public park.
Eglon, WV
Built in 1958, this tiny stone church measures only about 24 by 12 feet and was once promoted as the smallest church in the 48 contiguous states. Six small pews, an altar and religious statuary fit inside, and the carefully maintained building remains a peaceful roadside curiosity open to respectful visitors.
Greer, SC
A striking Marian shrine created by South Carolina’s Vietnamese Catholic community includes a large statue of Our Lady of La Vang and landscaped devotional spaces. The elaborate monument looks unexpectedly transported from a major pilgrimage site into suburban Upstate South Carolina.
Salt Lake City, UT
A full-size humpback whale appears to breach from a traffic circle in a landlocked neighborhood. Salt Lake City formally embraces the sculpture as a local public-art landmark.
Arlington, WA
A rural wildlife attraction centered on kangaroos and wallabies, with other unusual animals appearing in guided encounters. Public access is through scheduled tours rather than unrestricted wandering.
Petersburg, AK
A Norwegian stave-church-inspired shelter and overlook turn this roadside park into a compact piece of Scandinavian-themed architecture. It reinforces Petersburg's 'Little Norway' identity while overlooking the waterways and mountains beyond town.
Lake Powell, UT
The thinnest and oldest-looking of the monument's three major bridges appears almost impossibly delicate compared with the canyon walls around it. A short trail reaches its base.
Seabrook, SC
Founded in 1970, Oyotunji was created as a Yoruba cultural and religious community in rural South Carolina. Shrines, ceremonial spaces, traditional artwork, festivals, and an unusual political structure make the village unlike virtually any other community in the United States.
Chicago, IL
A neighborhood park filled with permanent bronze Wizard of Oz character statues, including Dorothy, Tin Man, Scarecrow, and Cowardly Lion.
Kaiser, MO
Ozark Caverns is an undeveloped cave at Lake of the Ozarks State Park where tours rely on hand-held lanterns instead of installed electric lighting. Angel Showers, a formation created by water falling from the cave ceiling, is one of its signature features.
Calhan, CO
Bands of pink, orange, white and purple clay form hoodoos and sculpted gullies used by Indigenous peoples for pigments. Visitors must remain on designated trails because the formations and archaeological resources are fragile.
Mecca, CA
A narrow canyon exposes dramatically colored sedimentary layers and slot passages in the Mecca Hills Wilderness; flash-flood and road conditions matter.
Medora, ND
An I-94 exit suddenly opens onto striped, eroded badlands that can look almost detached from the surrounding prairie. The overlook and visitor center provide one of the easiest lawful places to see Theodore Roosevelt National Park's bizarre erosion forms without a long hike.
Petrified Forest National Park, AZ
This Pueblo Revival landmark on the Painted Desert rim evolved from a petrified-wood tourist building into a Fred Harvey-era inn redesigned by Mary Colter. It now serves as a museum and viewpoint rather than overnight lodging.
Mitchell, OR
Bands of red, gold, black and tan clay record changing ancient climates in one of the most visually surreal units of John Day Fossil Beds National Monument.
New Shoreham, RI
Since 1962, residents and visitors have repeatedly repainted this boulder at the junction of Mohegan Trail, Lakeside Drive and Snake Hole Road. Designs can change within days during the summer, leaving countless older layers sealed underneath the newest message. It is one of Block Island's most enduring handmade roadside traditions. Secondary source: https://torijonesstudio.com/pages/visit-us-on-block-island
Fort Stockton, TX
A giant roadrunner statue that has become Fort Stockton's signature roadside mascot.
