Wacky Landmarks
Across The USA
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Extraterrestrial Highway
Location: Nevada State Route 375 near Area 51, Nevada
What It Is: Area 51 is known worldwide, even though it doesn't officially exist. Perhaps that fact, and the surrounding moon-like landscape, is why Nevada State Route 375 is named the Extraterrestrial Highway. Travelers on the highway swear they have seen mysterious aircraft hovering in the sky above them. Residents in the small town of Rachel will tell you the aliens and UFOs are real. Also, the producers of "Independence Day" used Rachel to promote the movie and even buried a time capsule there with props from the movie.
Up Next: 65-foot Elephant -
Lucy The Elephant
Location: Margate, NJ
What It Is: Lucy is a 65-foot elephant that stares at the beach. She was built in 1881 and has been used as a restaurant and a house. Legend has it that rum smugglers would hang different colored lights in her eyes to signal whether it was safe to come ashore during Prohibition. In the 1970s she was restored and has since been used as a museum. Climb to the "howdah" on Lucy's back for a panoramic view of the ocean, beach and surrounding area.
Up Next: The Big Chair -
The Big Chair
Location: Washington, D.C.
What It Is: The original chair was made of solid mahogany from the Honduras and dedicated in 1959. In 2006, a new, aluminum replica replaced the original, which had decayed beyond repair. The enormous landmark continues to be a central meeting point in the Anacostia neighborhood, and is free of charge to visitors.
Up Next: Floating Chapel -
Floating Wedding Chapel
Location: St. Petersburg, FL
What It Is: America's first floating wedding chapel (Weddings on the Water) is a 60-feet long chapel that holds up to 125 people and features a cathedral beam ceiling and stained glass windows. A bride's room is also provided. U.S. Coast Guard reviewed, tested and certified the chapel noting that it was the first of its kind. This 50-ton, two-hulled barge, vessel powered is by two diesel engines which can reach speeds of 7 knots an hour and has twin steel beams for added stability.
Up Next: 30-foot Beagle -
Largest Beagle in World
Location: Cottonwood, ID
Details Sweet Willy Colton is a wooden 30-foot beagle. It is actually part of a bed and breakfast (Dog Bark Park). Sweet Willy has a sleeping nook inside the dog's muzzle, a full bath, a microwave, and a fridge. A smaller version, 12-foot Toby, stands nearby.
Up Next: Enchanted Highway -
Enchanted Highway
Location: near Regent, ND
What It Is: Artist Gary Greff creates giant metal sculptures on roads near his hometown (Regent, ND). "World's Largest Tin Family," "Teddy Rides Again," "Pheasants on the Prairie," "Grasshoppers in the Field," and "Deer Crossing," "Fisherman's Dream," and "Geese in Flight" are along Enchanted Highway (U.S. Highway 30). The gift shop in Regent sales miniatures of each statue.
Up Next: See This From Space -
Pensacola Beach Sign
Location: Pensacola, FL
Details The flashing, animated billfish is one of the few man-made objects that can be seen from outer space, just like the Great Wall of China.
Up Next: Tree Spirits -
Tree Spirits
Location: St. Simons Island, GA
What It Is: Sorrowful faces have been carved into oaks across the island by sculptor Keith Jennings. He was commissioned to immortalize the numerous sailors who lost their lives at sea aboard the mighty sailing ships that were made from St. Simons oak.
Up Next: Mothman -
Mothman Statue
Location: Point Pleasant, WV
Details: With massive wings and bright red eyes, the statue depicting the legendary Mothman stands in downtown Point Pleasant. Legend has it that this strange creature was seen before the 1967 collapse of the Silver Bridge that killed 46 people. It also has reportedly been seen before other unfortunate incidents. A 2002 feature film, "The Mothman Prophecies" suggested the creature foretold disasters. Does it happen today? Visitors to Point Pleasant can decide by visiting the Mothman Museum or the Mothman Festival in September.
Up Next: Reversed Gravity -
Gravity Hill
Location: Bedford County, PA
Details: At Gravity Hill, the laws of physics do not exist. Visitors can travel along remote country roads and tree-lined lanes to the top of Gravity Hill. There, stop, put the car in neutral, and be amazed as the car actually slowly rolls uphill. It's an unforgettable -- and unexplainable -- experience!
Up Next: Cadillac Ranch -
Cadillac Ranch
Location: I-40, near Amarillo, TX
Details: Cadillac Ranch was built in 1974 as the brainchild of Stanley Marsh 3. Marsh half-buried 10 graffiti-covered Cadillacs, representing the "Golden Age" of American Automobiles, nose-down, facing west "at the same angle as the Cheops' pyramids."
Up Next: Carhenge -
Carhenge
Location: Alliance, NE
Details: Carhenge takes its cues from the mysterious 4,000-year-old Stonehenge. Instead of using stones, Jim Reinders created his countryside icon with 38 vintage cars from the 1950s and 60s, arranging them in a dimension and orientation that emulates the original. The attention to detail is extraordinary, and the sight is unforgettable.
Up Next: Bishop's Castle -
Bishop's Castle
Location: near Pueblo, CO
Details: Claimed to be the nation's largest one-person construction project, Bishop's Castle is the passion of one man, Jim Bishop. Resembling a fanciful Gothic castle and reaching three stories supported by flying buttresses and graced with a 130-foot-high tower, the massive project has taken Mr. Bishop over 30 years so far... and continues. Check out the dragon's head gable decoration, crafted of stainless steel and integrated into the chimney system -- when you light a fire, smoke trails from the dragon's mouth! Guests are welcome to stop by and see the progress.
Up Next: Largest Cast Iron Statue -
Largest Cast Iron Statue
Location: Birmingham, AL
Details: Vulcan, the Roman god of fire and forge, was built in 1904 for the St. Louis World's Fair. Fifty-six feet tall and made of over 100,000 pounds of iron, Vulcan was cast in one of Birmingham's local foundries. Many years after the fair, Vulcan found his permanent home atop Red Mountain in 1939, overlooking the city and serving as a gateway for the region. Vulcan is a beloved icon for the people of Birmingham and is even a source of humor because of his exposed backside that "moons" local neighborhoods.
Up Next: Totem Poles -
Largest Amount Of
Original Totem PolesLocation: Ketchikan, AK
Details: The Totem Heritage Center was established in 1976 and houses 33 totems and fragments retrieved from deserted Tlinget and Haida Indian villages. Typically carved from cedar, these totem poles can be over 100 feet tall and illustrate a legend, pay homage to a person, represent a clan or celebrate cultural beliefs.
Up Next: Largest Waterfall -
Largest Waterfall In A Metropolitan Area
Location: Twin Cities, MN
Details: Minnehaha Falls is the largest waterfall in any major metropolitan area in the world measuring at 53 feet high. Its name means "Laughing Water" in the Dakota Indian language and its waters empty into the Mississippi River. Minnehaha Falls is described in the poem "The Song Of Hiawatha" penned by Henry W. Longfellow.
Up Next: More Travel Stories -
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