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.
Martinsburg, WV
This oversized fiberglass apple was installed in 1990 as a Community Pride Project honoring Berkeley County's apple-growing history. The base contains a time capsule intended to remain sealed until 2040, while the apple itself is a permanent public photo stop.
Barboursville, WV
Billy Bob's Wonderland is a family entertainment center that preserves a working Rock-afire Explosion animatronic band, the characters made famous by ShowBiz Pizza Place in the 1980s. It has become a destination for animatronic enthusiasts because very few complete public shows remain in operation.
Weston, WV
This strange life-size glass figure was constructed from Blenko glass pieces by sculptor John Zidek and is distinctive enough that even its two right feet have become part of the story. It now stands inside the Museum of American Glass, where visitors can see it along with a much broader collection of American glassware.
Shinnston, WV
Charlie is a 21-foot scrap-metal coal miner with a lunch pail and a working light in his helmet, unveiled in 1999 as a memorial to local miners. He stands outside the Repair King property at 253 Lincoln Drive and can be photographed from the parking-area approach without entering any restricted industrial space.
Morgantown, WV
Morgantown unveiled this life-size bronze statue of hometown actor Don Knotts in 2016 outside the Metropolitan Theatre. The sculpture includes references to his best-known roles and is freely accessible from the downtown sidewalk area.
Berkeley Springs, WV
A small stone-lined outdoor bath in Berkeley Springs State Park marks the tradition of George Washington bathing in the warm mineral springs here during the 18th century. The present structure is a reconstruction rather than Washington's literal surviving bathtub, but it has become one of the state's most photographed historical oddities.
Green Bank, WV
The Robert C. Byrd Green Bank Telescope is one of the largest fully steerable radio telescopes on Earth and dominates the landscape inside the National Radio Quiet Zone. Visitors can explore Green Bank Observatory through its science center and public programs, although access immediately around the telescope itself is controlled rather than a casual walk-up.
Waiteville, WV
This former fire lookout sits on a narrow ridge reached by roughly a 1.2-mile hike and became a famous place for watching migrating hawks and other raptors. The trail remains open, but the tourism authority currently reports the observation structure itself as temporarily closed, so check status before building a route around it.
Lesage, WV
This deliberately over-the-top roadside restaurant is built around buses, junkyard art, hand-painted signs and hillbilly-themed structures along the Ohio River. It has been operating for more than two decades and remains a working restaurant, so visitors can explore the public grounds while stopping for food.
Kenova, WV
What began with a handful of carved pumpkins in 1978 has grown into an annual display covering the historic Griffith house and grounds with roughly 3,000 jack-o'-lanterns. It is a private residence transformed into a public attraction around Halloween, so this should only route travelers during the seasonal display.
Lewisburg, WV
Discovered through a surface opening and developed as a show cave, Lost World Caverns takes visitors through a huge underground chamber filled with stalactites and other formations. The standard attraction is self-guided, while a separate wild-cave experience goes much deeper and requires advance arrangements.
Charleston, WV
High on a downtown Charleston wall is an absurdly tiny human figure only a few inches tall, installed in a mortar joint by artist P. Joseph Mullins. It is around twelve feet above street level and intended to be spotted from the public sidewalk rather than approached or climbed toward.
Wheeling, WV
This unfinished stone mansion above Wheeling was begun in the 1920s by a physician whose grand plans collapsed after legal trouble, leaving a castle-like shell overlooking the Ohio Valley. The city-owned Mount Wood Cemetery and overlook can be visited, but the deteriorating ruins and steep overgrown areas should be treated as look-don't-climb features.
Beckley, WV
Dozens of fiberglass animals, dinosaurs and a Bigfoot fill several residential yards along Conway Street, all part of a collection owned by the same local resident. The owner has welcomed visitors, but these are still private residential properties, so OddWay travelers should view the figures from the public street unless they receive clear permission to enter a yard.
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.
Bunker Hill, WV
A tall grain silo beside Patriot Fireworks has been transformed into a fake missile labeled as a giant roadside weapon. The "Mega Missile" is visible from the road and business parking area, making it a quick photo stop rather than an attraction that requires entering the structure.
Nitro, WV
A giant fiberglass Paul Bunyan and blue Babe the Ox stand along First Avenue outside a local supply business in Nitro. These classic oversized advertising figures are visible from the road and are best treated as a quick public-road photo stop.
New Vrindaban, WV
Started in the 1970s as a residence for ISKCON founder A. C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada, the project evolved into an ornate gold-covered palace decorated with stained glass, marble and elaborate interior work. It now operates as a public attraction within the New Vrindaban community and looks wildly out of place in rural West Virginia.
Richwood, WV
Richwood’s giant lumberjack is a modified fiberglass Muffler Man used as the Richwood High School Lumberjacks mascot beside the football field. Roadside America was tracking the figure in Richwood by 1990, though its original manufacture date is not documented; it has been repaired and repainted repeatedly and is best viewed from permitted public areas around school events.
Charleston, WV
At the site where Alex Schoenbaum opened the Parkette Drive-In in 1947 stands a small outdoor monument and display telling the story of the chain that became Shoney's Big Boy. It is more roadside kiosk than full museum, but the Big Boy-topped structure and vintage display panels remain accessible from the public parking area.
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.
Mount Nebo, WV
Built from a recycled wind-turbine tower and dedicated in 2012, this 104-foot lighthouse is an intentionally landlocked oddity overlooking Summersville Lake. The tower can be climbed during its operating season, while off-season access may require a reservation and is weather dependent.
Wheeling, WV
This enormous cut-glass punch bowl was produced in the 1840s and weighs roughly 225 pounds, with a height of about five feet when assembled. It spent decades associated with the Sweeney family grave before being moved to the Oglebay Glass Museum in 1949, where it can now be seen indoors.
Ansted, WV
Guided tours through a tilted building where a ball rolls uphill and standing straight feels wrong, run since 1973 beside Route 60 with a Volkswagen Beetle embedded in the wall. Fifteen or twenty minutes, seasonal hours, no cameras inside, and entirely committed to the bit.
