The Weirdest Tourist Attractions In Every State Gallery

The U.S. is actually a treasure trove of weird attractions. From the furthest reaches of Maine to the coldest parts of Alaska, visitors will find all kinds of oddities dotting main and back roads that are made by locals, are the stuff of local legends, or are relics of historic events.

These spots are the perfect place to stop on your next road trip or to earnmark for a quick side trip on your next jaunt around the country. The Active Times has scoured the internet for reviews of kooky landmarks and weird attractions to bring you the absolute best of the best.

People will delight in hearing about your adventure to North Dakota's Enchanted Highway. They'll revel in your tales of California's Cabazon Dinosaurs. No one will believe your wild story that there is an Elvis Memorial Chapel in Arizona unless you go and take photos or come back with wacky souvenirs.

Take the road less traveled on your next journey and visit these roadside oddities, enormous ordinary items, and buried bits of history from the weirdest tourist attractions in every state.

This Anchorage shop's enormous needle is a must-see if you're into tattoos. On display in the parking lot of a tattoo parlor, this needle is truly eye-catching — so much so that it's become a major tourist photo op spot.

There are more snakes in Snake World than there are at the Little Rock Zoo, according to owner Dale Ertel. The reviews on Trip Advisor are all glowing, and they warn visitors not to be dissuaded by Snake World's sketchy exterior.

This enormous fork sculpture by Ted Yund in Creede, Colorado, is the largest fork in the United States. It's over 40 feet long and weights over 600 pounds, breaking the record of the previous world's largest fork, which was in Springfield, Missouri.

It's super-cute and also kind of morbid, but guests can visit the unofficial postal system mascot, Owney, at the National Postal Museum, where he sits wearing a vest decorated with honors accrued during his travels assisting postal professionals. Owney has been dead since 1897 but was stuffed and displayed at the Post Office Headquarters in Washington, D.C., the St. Louis World's Fair and the Smithsonian before being moved to his final resting place, where visitors can see him today.

This "Gone With the Wind" attraction was once closed for good but re-opened due to public outcry in Plant City, Florida. It houses the world's largest gift shop dedicated to the movie "Gone With the Wind."

It's relief for the eyes and for your bladder. Within the pink exterior of the Hotel Kona is the world's most scenic urinal, and the hotel is very proud of it. Men using the facilities get to enjoy a gorgeous view of the ocean and the green terrain while they relieve themselves. The hotel's manager told Roadside America that she is very proud of her hotel's bathroom's inclusion as an odd attraction.

The most romantic thing in Chicago is the plaque dedicated to the place where Michelle and Barack Obama shared their first kiss. It's now in front of a Subway restaurant (which used to be a Baskin Robbins) in the Hyde Park neighborhood of Chicago. Whatever you feel about Obama, you must admit this is a pretty adorable memorial. There's even a quote from Obama that reads: "On our first date, I treated her to the finest ice cream Baskin Robbins had to offer, our dinner table doubling as a curb. I kissed her, and it tasted like chocolate." Major swoon!

Why bother going to New York when you can drive to Des Moines? This Iowa city is home to a mini Statue of Liberty. Located on the east side of the Iowa State capitol, this replica isn't green like the lady liberty we know and love on the East Coast but rather a ghostly white.

Visitors love to Instagram this silly sign. "Home of 2000 happy people and a few soreheads," reads the iconic Harford welcome plaque. Wouldn't it be funny if the soreheads had signs designating who they are!

If this isn't the most Instagrammed spot in Maine, it should be. The L.L. Bean flagship store has a 16-foot-tall rubber boot in front of it, perfect for posing with however you choose.

If you enjoy unintentionally suggestive statues or art, this Worcester work of a naked boy with a sea turtle is a big (and weird) tourist attraction. According to Roadside America, the sculptor died before he could complete the statue. We wonder what the finished design was supposed to be??

You can sit in Paul Bunyan's huge palm and take the perfect road-trip vacation photo at this Akeley attraction. Although he is currently not the tallest Paul Bunyan statue in the U.S., his creators say that if he stood upright he would be about 60 feet fall, making him semi-officially the largest Paul Bunyan.

If you're looking for the creepiest roadside attraction, this old MFA oil service station that appears to be busy with cars is certainly it. Upon closer inspection, the cars are eerily full of mannequins! According to one reviewer, the stuffed monkeys in the taxi cab are rumored to be from the Barnum and Bailey's Circus. Depressing!

Known as the "Spinning Yellow Giant" this 20-foot-tall man wearing a yellow rain coat rotates in front of an Omaha car wash. The enormous man is also joined by smaller animatronic mannequins (also wearing yellow raincoats) throughout your car wash experience!

This might be the weirdest tourist attraction on our list. This hot dog man is carved out of a dead tree and smiles at passersby on the road. Alternatively, this enormous hot dog man wearing a baseball cap is also kind of cute!

This former UFO crash site is a big tourist attraction for sci-fi junkies and alien lovers. Supposedly, a UFO crash-landed on this site in 1948. Now all that remains is a plaque with the gory details of the crash and some rocks gathered into the shape of an alien's face.

This fun attraction is all fake! Cedar Point is home to the only plastic flamingo petting zoo in North Carolina! Located in the front yard of a tourist information center next to the highway, this is an incredible Instagram opportunity just waiting to happen. The flamingos aren't just for petting and photos — they can also be adopted (purchased).
 

This grave is rumored to belong to Dr. Frankenstein. According to one post on Roadside America, "Rumor has it that a Timken family member in Germany wrote to his successful cousin in America and told him how the grave site of Victor Frankenstein was being defaced and spit upon in their small town. The American Timken and founder of Timken Roller Bearings paid for the remains of the body to be flown to Canton to give Dr. Frankenstein a peaceful resting place." Who knows if it's true!

According to one reviewer, "The funny thing about the Memorial Toilet, according to my mom who lives in Estacada (and it's where I grew up), is that the guy it was named for was alive when they built the 'memorial toilet' in his honor."

What's cuter than Mr. Potato Head? Mrs. Potato Head. She stands 6 feet tall in her bikini and sunglasses at the Westerly State Airport greeting visitors. She is certainly one hot potato!

South Dakota's Corn Palace is a magnificent building covered in creative murals made out of corn to resembles various themes. The theme throughout 2016 and 2017, for instance, was "Rock of Ages" and included corn depictions of the likes of Elvis, Willie Nelson, and John Travolta. The current theme is a salute to the military.

Fort Worth is home to a life-size wax recreation of "The Last Supper" that you can walk up to and take a photo of. The statues are complete with real human hair. Think of it as a more religious Madame Tussaud's.

No, you won't be able to see a dead body if you look in — it's been quite a while since Timothy Clark Smith was buried in 1893. TCS's grave was outfitted with a little window because Mr. Smith feared being buried alive. Now it's just a spooky tourist attraction in Vermont.

Haters might not believe it, but this Aberdeen location is supposedly where Kurt Cobain lived in a refrigerator box. This is the former home of Dale Crover (aka the first drummer of Nirvana) and Nirvana fans take pictures of the enclosed entryway where the rocker frontman Kurt Cobain resided.

If you're looking to be terrified and impressed, look no further than the forest of chainsaw totem poles in Medford, Wisconsin. Don't be too fearful, all of the old chainsaws are "mounted" into the poles (according to one reviewer).