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.
Niland, CA
A volunteer-run open-air library serves the unconventional off-grid settlement of Slab City; conditions and staffing are informal, so visitors should be respectful and self-sufficient.
Pisgah Forest, NC
A smooth 60-foot rock face functions as a natural waterslide as thousands of gallons of cold mountain water rush over it each minute. Visitors can slide down the rock into the pool below when conditions and seasonal operations allow.
Amarillo, TX
A tongue-in-cheek companion to Cadillac Ranch built from partially buried Volkswagen Beetles. The installation was relocated to Amarillo and remains a paint-friendly Route 66 photo stop.
Belt, MT
A rugged limestone canyon cut by Belt Creek, with abandoned railroad grades, tunnels, cliffs, and mining remnants. Check current trail advisories before entering the canyon.
Eastport, ME
This oversized fiberglass fisherman was created during production of the reality series Murder in Small Town X, which filmed in Eastport. The statue later took on a more serious meaning as a memorial to the show’s winner, New York firefighter Ángel Juarbe Jr., who died on September 11, 2001.
Ozark, MO
Smallin Cave has a massive entrance and a human history tied to Native use, settlement and Civil War-era stories. Guided tours combine geology with regional history, and seasonal lantern programs go deeper into the cave's folklore.
Columbia, SC
A spherical blue water tank at Columbia’s wastewater facility wears a huge white line-art smile. Security fencing prevents close access, but the absurdly cheerful face remains visible from the public approach along Simon Tree Lane.
Longport, NJ
Longport's blue municipal water tower wears an enormous smiling face visible above the barrier-island houses. The town restored the cheerful design after tower repairs, preserving one of the Jersey Shore's friendliest pieces of infrastructure.
Atlanta, IL
Atlanta's bright yellow water tower wears an enormous painted smile, one of the easiest drive-by oddities on this stretch of Route 66.
Ashley, IN
A water tower painted with an enormous smiling face, visible from the road through Ashley. It has been repainted over the years and is the thing the town is known for.
Valentine, NE
Nebraska’s tallest waterfall drops through a cool, spring-fed side canyon into the Niobrara corridor. A footbridge and trail provide controlled public access to a natural feature that feels unexpectedly secluded for the Great Plains.
Houston, TX
A public folk-art park covered in mosaics and found-object sculpture by dozens of artists working in the tradition of the nearby Orange Show.
Washington, DC
The restored carousel on the National Mall returned in 2026 and carries a civil-rights-era connection to the desegregation of amusement facilities in the capital region.
Cabins, WV
These commercial caverns descend beneath the mountains of Pendleton County and feature flowstone, underground pools and other formations. Access to the cave itself is by guided tour, making it a limited stop even though the associated visitor facilities are open to the public.
International Falls, MN
International Falls built a giant Smokey Bear as a public reminder of wildfire prevention in Minnesota's north woods. The familiar campaign mascot becomes unexpectedly imposing when enlarged to roadside-monument scale.
Sevierville, TN
This enormous knife store mixes retail with museum-like displays of blades, militaria, fossils, taxidermy and other curiosities. Its scale and eclectic interior make it function as a roadside cabinet of curiosities even for travelers not shopping for knives.
Burlington, IA
Built in 1894, this brick street climbs a steep bluff through a series of tight switchbacks. Its exaggerated curves earned it national roadside fame and make it one of Iowa's most recognizable unusual streets.
Marlborough, CT
A large roadside boulder has been repeatedly painted into a bright reptilian creature, usually interpreted as a snake or turtle. The identity of the original artist is murky, and generations of repainting have turned it into a persistent piece of local roadside folk art.
Preston, CT
A giant glacial boulder has been painted into Snoopy's smiling profile, with a plywood Charlie Brown standing nearby to complete the scene. The attraction is on private property where visitors have historically been tolerated, so stay in the designated approach area and be respectful.
Bargersville, IN
A large, naturally lumpy boulder outside the South Central Soccer Academy has been painted again and again to resemble a giant soccer ball. The simple gag has survived for more than a decade and is visible from the soccer-complex grounds along Whiteland Road.
Maggie Valley, NC
A tall roadside observation tower behind Soco Crafts has long advertised itself as offering the “Most Photographed View in the Smokies.” For a small admission fee, visitors climb above the trees for a panoramic mountain view; the attraction remains listed by Haywood County tourism with seasonal operation.
Aline, OK
A genuine 1894 sod house remains preserved beneath a protective structure on its original farmstead. Visitors can step inside a surviving example of the earth-built homes used by settlers where lumber was scarce.
Soda Springs, ID
A carbon-dioxide-driven geyser accidentally created during drilling in 1937 and later fitted with a timer to erupt on a schedule. The city viewing area makes it an easy, legitimate unusual stop.
Scottsdale, AZ
Paolo Soleri's pedestrian bridge doubles as a solar-calendar artwork, using its pylons to cast changing shadows across the site. The structure connects his architectural ideas with one of Scottsdale's canal crossings.
