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.
Washington Island, WI
This modern wooden church was inspired by medieval Norwegian stave churches, with steep rooflines, carved details and an interior shaped by Scandinavian religious architecture. It reflects Washington Island's strong Scandinavian heritage.
Washington, DC
Near the full-size Washington Monument is a much smaller survey marker that looks like a tiny stone version of the famous obelisk.
Washington, DC
The Washington Monument's aluminum apex and later lightning-protection system tell a surprisingly destructive history of repeated lightning strikes high above the Mall.
Washington, DC
A visible change in marble color partway up the Washington Monument records the long interruption between its two major construction phases.
Palm Coast, FL
Rare exposed coquina formations create a rugged, rock-strewn shoreline unlike most Florida beaches.
Prescott, AZ
Rounded granite boulders crowd the shoreline of Watson Lake, creating coves and narrow passages that look almost artificial. Public trails and overlooks provide easy access to one of central Arizona's strangest erosion landscapes.
Los Angeles, CA
Simon Rodia spent decades building seventeen interconnected towers from steel, mortar, broken tile, glass and found objects in his backyard.
Ann Arbor, MI
Artist and architect Maya Lin created this 90-by-90-foot field of sculpted earth for the University of Michigan in 1995. The repeating grassy ridges mimic the mathematics and rhythm of water waves, turning an ordinary lawn into a walk-through landscape artwork.
San Francisco, CA
Stone pipes built into a Marina jetty amplify and transform the sound of waves, especially around favorable tides.
Miami, OK
A giant yellow cuckoo bird and surviving neon mark one of the last remnants of the Ku-Ku hamburger chain. The operating restaurant preserves a particularly strange piece of mid-century fast-food roadside design.
Atwood, MI
This tiny roadside chapel measures only about 12 by 8 feet and contains just a few miniature pews. Built in 1968, it remains an unexpectedly small place of worship along US-31 and is easy to miss despite being only a few steps from the highway.
Portland, OR
At noon, a mechanical weather sculpture in Pioneer Courthouse Square reveals a symbol forecasting sun, rain or clouds while fanfare plays.
Kennebunk, ME
Elaborate white Gothic woodwork covers this 19th-century home so densely that it resembles layers of decorative cake icing. The house is privately owned, so this is a look-from-the-public-road stop only.
Lancaster, NH
Former U.S. senator John Wingate Weeks built this mountaintop estate with a mansion, stone observation tower and carefully planned grounds overlooking the White Mountains. The house preserves period rooms and collections while the tower provides a striking landmark above Lancaster. Vehicle access, house tours and tower openings follow a seasonal state-park schedule, while trail access is broader.
Cataract, WI
Paul and Matilda Wegner covered concrete forms with glass, ceramics and found materials to build a miniature chapel, fanciful structures and sculptural monuments. The preserved environment looks like a mosaic dream hidden among rural fields.
Nashville, TN
This recording and mastering studio deliberately cultivates an analog environment filled with vintage gear and record-making technology. Public visits are not guaranteed, so OddWay should treat it as an appointment, event or check-ahead music-industry stop.
Uncasville, CT
A private backyard has been transformed into a homemade dinosaur park filled with large hand-built prehistoric creatures. Visitors have historically been welcomed with permission, but this is residential property: ask first and never wander onto the grounds uninvited.
Live Oak, FL
One of the longest mapped underwater cave systems in the continental United States.
Albuquerque, NM
A modern Route 66 visitor center on Albuquerque's west side uses local exhibits, public art and event space to interpret the historic highway. It works as a useful orientation stop before exploring older neon and roadside remnants.
Lubec, ME
The red-and-white striped West Quoddy Head Light stands beside the easternmost point of the contiguous United States. The lighthouse, cliffs, trails, and international views make the geographic superlative worth a stop even apart from the lighthouse itself.
Wetumpka, AL
This marked viewpoint sits on the rim of an approximately 85-million-year-old impact crater created by a meteor or asteroid. The public sign is part of Wetumpka’s self-guided crater route; much surrounding land is private, so stay on public roads and marked viewpoints.
Utqiagvik, AK
Two immense bowhead whale jawbones form an arch on the Arctic Ocean shoreline, reflecting the central role of subsistence whaling in Iñupiat culture. The structure is a community landmark, not a generic photo prop, so visitors should approach it with respect for local traditions.
Randolph, VT
Two enormous bronze whale tails rise from the landscape in Jim Sardonis's Whale Dance. The sculpture echoes the artist's better-known granite whale tails near Burlington while creating another deliberately oceanic landmark in landlocked Vermont.
Williston, ND
A 35-foot wheat-themed monument uses black granite panels to commemorate the farmers and settlers of the region. It is an unusually monumental treatment of the crop that reshaped much of North Dakota's prairie economy.
