- 10 hours ago
From gravity-defying cabins to creepy clown-filled motels, America’s highways are lined with weird and wonderful stops that are impossible to ignore. Join us as we take a cross-country trip to explore bizarre art installations, quirky museums, and legendary landmarks that range from the charming to the completely unexplainable. Which strange stop would you pull over for?
Category
🗞
NewsTranscript
00:00Picture this, you're traveling down a barren highway when you come across the
00:04world's largest fork, the world's largest ball of paint, the world's largest ball
00:08of twine, rocking chair, mailbox, whoa.
00:10Would you look at the size of that basket!
00:15Welcome to Ms. Mojo, and today we're taking you on a road trip across America to seek out some of
00:20the prettiest,
00:20creepiest, and most downright bizarre oddities worth pulling over for.
00:26Number 10, The Cathedral of Junk, Austin, Texas.
00:29Hidden in a backyard, this sprawling multi-level sculpture fuses an avalanche of cast-offs like bikes, TVs, hubcaps, and
00:36lawn ornaments.
00:37You might assume this climbable sanctuary of scrap was built by trinket collector Ariel,
00:42but it was Vince Hanneman who started construction in the 80s.
00:45It's a real exercise in geometry what I can fit in, there's a limit to what I can do because
00:49of the building permit.
00:50There's a height limit, there's setbacks from the property line, there's even a line in the sky they call a
00:55McMansion Tent Line.
00:56It's equal parts playground, folk art, and urban myth.
01:00Dr. Evermore's Forevertron in Wisconsin is a similar personalized property that reminds us of those demented rides from Spy Kids.
01:07These are the love bugs, love machines, they shoot out candy.
01:12Meanwhile, North Dakota's Enchanted Highway boasts 32 miles of recycled art all created by one man.
01:19The first year, local ranchers taught me how to weld, and I put in eight hours a day to get
01:27one sculpture done.
01:28Number nine, Bubblegum Alley, San Luis Obispo, California.
01:32Prepare for a sticky situation where a narrow alleyway has been transformed into a living, hopefully not breathing, and rather
01:39unhygienic mirage of bubblegum.
01:41This is one art project you don't want to touch.
01:44Smells kinda like fruity, minty bacteria.
01:48Since World War II, visitors have contributed their chewed gum to the walls, creating a vibrant tapestry of sugar.
01:54While it might sound incredibly gross, the sheer scale, stretching 70 feet long and reaching 15 feet high, is undeniably
02:01mesmerizing.
02:03Somehow, it's become a rebellious rite of passage.
02:05Chew it up, stick it on, snap a pic, and watch where you step.
02:09And yeah, the old parts fade, but people continually put on new parts, so you have all these little colorful
02:14dots all over.
02:16It's very psychedelic.
02:17Number eight, The Thing, Dragoon, Arizona.
02:20Somewhere in the remote Arizona desert along Route I-10 lies a bizarre artifact you have to see to believe.
02:27Relentless yellow billboards taunt you for miles.
02:30What is The Thing?
02:31I see some very spooky-looking things on these signs.
02:35Is that some sort of space alien?
02:37Is there a dinosaur peering out?
02:39These cryptic messages build an almost unbearable suspense, drawing curious travelers into...
02:46...an unassuming gift shop.
02:48Now, before you arrive at The Thing, you have to navigate this big gift shop.
02:53At alas, behold The Thing.
02:56It's a...it's...a paper mache mummy?
03:00The Sideshow exhibit was supposedly created by Homer Tate and sold to Thomas Binkley Price,
03:05who turned it into a permanent money grab in the 60s.
03:08I know you will buy a souvenir to remember the out-of-this-world experience.
03:13This nod to kitschy carny gaffes might be underwhelming, but at least there's a dinosaur alien war museum attached.
03:20We're still searching for answers.
03:22I don't know if we'll ever get them.
03:24I think we have more questions now than we did before.
03:27Number 7.
03:28The Spam Museum, Austin, Minnesota.
03:30This one is exactly what it sounds like.
03:33And yes, we're just as curious how a museum about shelf-stable tubed meat stays open.
03:38For one, it's free.
03:40For two, this official museum features interactive exhibits that celebrate Spam's place in culinary history.
03:45So, the museum has some dedicated fans.
03:49Mark Benson and Ann Mosley traveled 4,000 miles for a Spamtastic wedding.
03:54Fitting because before they arrived, Mark legally changed his name.
03:58Mark and Ann, I love Spam Benson.
04:00From wartime rations to assembly lines, you'll learn about the many flavors as Spambassadors dish out samples.
04:06I'm pretty sure I can also, uh...
04:13If walking the halls of a processed meat museum grosses you out, then imagine strolling through Leila's Hair Museum in
04:19Independence, Missouri, where all the art is made of human hair.
04:23Osborne was here the other day, about three weeks ago.
04:28I cut a piece of his hair and it'll be in here next.
04:30And if that gives you the creeps, you might want to avoid Fort Mitchell, Kentucky's Van Haven Museum of Ventriloquil
04:37Dummies.
04:38When Mr. Berger died in 1972, he had 500 dummies. And today we have 840.
04:43Clearly, Roadside USA has no shortage of oddly curated galleries.
04:47But our favorite concept might go to this one in Kansas.
04:51The world's largest collection of the world's smallest versions of the world's largest things.
04:57World's largest collection? Are we saying that right?
04:59The world's largest collection of the world's smallest versions of the world's largest things.
05:04Number 6, Lucy the Elephant, Margate City, New Jersey.
05:07She's revered as the oldest roadside attraction in America.
05:11Built in 1881 as an architectural gimmick to attract real estate buyers, this six-story elephant has since become a
05:17National Historic Landmark.
05:19People ask me why I'm so passionate about Lucy all the time.
05:24And the reason is that she's more than a building. There is an actual spirit that's alive inside of that
05:35building.
05:36Visitors can actually climb inside Lucy, exploring her wooden interior and taking in panoramic views from her howdah.
05:43The 90-ton behemoth has served as a summer home and even a tavern.
05:46Today, Lucy's a charming relic from an era where roadside attractions were popping up all across the country.
05:52So it's a lot of t-shirts, a lot of tours, a lot of coffee mugs to maintain the structure,
05:56but she's worth saving.
05:58She's not the only massive elephant from the tri-state area though.
06:01Brooklyn's Coney Island Boardwalk was once home to the Elephantine Colossus Hotel, which burned down in 1896.
06:07At least the Big Duck of Flanders, New York is still standing strong.
06:11Quack!
06:12Sorry.
06:14Number 5, Cadillac Ranch, Amarillo, Texas.
06:17Down the historic Route 66 is a classic slice of Americana.
06:21Ten vintage Cadillacs sit buried nose down in a dusty field.
06:24This iconic installation, created in 1974 by the art collective Ant Farm, represents the evolution of the Cadillac tail fin
06:32from 49 to 63.
06:33We were having fun.
06:36And we thought it would be fun to play with the Cadillac tail fin.
06:40And we didn't have any deep or serious motive.
06:43What makes it truly unique, however, is its interactive nature.
06:47Visitors are encouraged to bring their own spray paint and leave their mark, transforming the cards into a constantly evolving
06:53canvas of vibrant graffiti.
06:54Why it's endured all of these years and why people come to see it, I don't know.
07:00If I knew how to do it, I'd top it.
07:03And I don't know how to do it.
07:04Slightly less colorful, but equally whimsical, Jim Reinder's Carhenge sits in Alliance Nebraska's vast plains.
07:10It's a tribute to the ancient wonder Stonehenge, merging mysterious archaeology with trippy sculpture work.
07:16There's no question about this. This was not meant to be a serious thing.
07:20Carhenge does pique the curiosity of those who pass by and many people who will probably never make it to
07:27Stonehenge stop here to get their picture taken.
07:30Number four, the center of the world, Felicity, California.
07:33It kind of looks like the meeting place for the Illuminati, but is it truly the center of the world?
07:39And that's when we said we don't want to do the tour anymore, we're going to leave, and she was
07:41pissed.
07:42And then they said, she goes, this right here is the center of the world.
07:48Dreamed up by Jacques-André Estelle in 1985, this tiny outpost features a granite pyramid and a petite chapel perched
07:55on a man-made hill.
07:55We had bought some land after the Korean War, and I said to my wife, we're going to go sit
08:04in the desert and think of something to do.
08:07Surrounding the monument are sundials, stone markers, and quirky signs meant to convince visitors that this nondescript location is the
08:14real center of the world due to its precise coordinates.
08:18Really, there's no agreeable center of the world according to science.
08:21So, all this attraction proves is that you can find a lot of strange things in the California desert.
08:26Where did I find my research? The answer is that there are wonderful instruments called books.
08:34Number three, Salvation Mountain, Neelands, California.
08:38Speaking of the California desert, this beautiful pastel landscape grew from the sand between 1984 and 2011.
08:44Artist Leonard Knight spent decades shaping adobe, straw, and thousands of gallons of paint into a sprawling hillside mural proclaiming
08:52God is love.
08:53And I'd like to show you this museum in here where I've got 9,000 bales of hay in it,
09:00and I've been working nine years on it.
09:02The site ripples with rainbows, Bible verses, flowers, and winding paths that make the whole mountain feel like a walkable
09:08painting.
09:08By transforming a barren terrain into a living monument of hope, Knight intended to inspire tourists up until his passing
09:15in 2014.
09:16A lot of paint, and a lot of adobe, and a lot of happiness, and a lot of love. People
09:21are coming in and just plain like it.
09:23Today, his roadside wonder continues to draw crowds seeking a technicolor escape.
09:27I want to put God is love to the world 45 years of my life, and finally I've got God
09:33is love universal.
09:35Number two, The Clown Motel, Tonopah, Nevada.
09:38Would you stay in a creepy motel plastered with painted clowns?
09:41What if we said there's also an abandoned cemetery next door?
09:45Well, you might have to be paid to stay there, but there are plenty of travelers who've shelled out cash
09:50to spend a night in the infamous hotel.
09:56Whether they're seeking the adrenaline rush of a fabled paranormal encounter, or just really like clowns, this hunt has been
10:02handing out room keys since 1985.
10:05So many people are talking in particular rooms, like five or six rooms, they are talking about all the paranormal
10:10activities.
10:11Somebody's pulling my blanket, and I heard somebody pounding, but there's nobody next door.
10:17From the thousands of clown dolls and figurines in the lobby, to the portraits of sadistic clowns watching you as
10:22you sleep, this place leans into the campy charm.
10:26There's a reason they've earned four stars on Yelp.
10:28Were we still scared? Yes.
10:30Will we be going back? No.
10:32I feel not great.
10:34So if you're a horror fan, and they've got vacancy, consider checking in.
10:38If that's a little too extreme, maybe you'll find Boise, Idaho's Big Potato Hotel to be a more comfortable stay.
10:44The Idaho Potato Hotel used to be a six ton promotional potato that traveled around the country on the back
10:51of a flat fed semi truck.
10:52Before we reveal our top pick, here are some honorable mentions.
10:56This house made entirely of paper in Rockport, Massachusetts.
11:00Newspapers were rolled up and varnished to make them more structurally sound for things like furniture.
11:05The four corners of New Mexico, Colorado, Arizona, and Utah, which happens to be in the wrong spot.
11:12Boom! Just like that, you're in four states at the same time.
11:16Seattle, Washington's Fremont troll who lurks under the Aurora Bridge.
11:20Part of the shape of the troll was based on the shape of his nose.
11:24It's taken from this one here.
11:27Number 1. The Mystery Spot, Santa Cruz, California.
11:31It's only right to end this list back in Cali.
11:34Welcome to a place where gravity has left the chat.
11:36The Mystery Spot defies our everyday understanding of physics with an optical illusion filled cabin.
11:42Balls roll uphill, people lean at impossible angles, and it's all because it was built on a UFO burial site.
11:49These surveyors noticed it was whenever they did walk up this hill right there, all of their compasses were reading
11:54completely backwards.
11:55Since opening in 1940, its iconic yellow and black facade has become a calling card worthy of local lore.
12:02The secret to the magic is a devious blend of perceptive tricks, slanted surfaces, and showmanship.
12:08But whether you believe the theories about magnetic anomalies or recognize its pure stagecraft, you'll leave a little dizzy and
12:14plenty entertained.
12:15It felt like I was actually going to fall off and really hit my face on the other side of
12:21the wall.
12:22Have you visited any of the spots on our list?
12:25Tell us about your experience in the comments below.
Comments