Roadside Attractions – Why Your Family Needs to Stop

How often has this happened?  You are cruising along on your summer road trip and you start to see road signs everywhere screaming “World’s Largest”, and you admit you’re kind of curious.  Of course, your kids are really curious!  Then you think about the wasted time, the other tourists you’ll have to deal with and the wasted money.  You. Must. Drive. By.  Or should you stop at those roadside attractions?

Yes, stop!  Your family vacation started the second you drove down your driveway.  It doesn’t start once you reach your destination, so enjoy the ride along the way.

Roadside attractions have been around forever and it seems that people always remember when they stopped and saw the World’s largest.  You may even have something that’s the World’s largest right in your hometown.  We have the World’s largest musky in our neck of the woods, and the kids always beg to stop there the few times a year that we drive by it.

Worlds largest musky roadside attraction

That’s us…fish bait!

While doing a little research, I discovered that Wisconsin is also home to quite a collection of World’s largest things.  We have the World’s largest:

  • mustard collection in Middleton
  • six pack of beer in LaCrosse
  • talking cow in Neillsville
  • talking loon in Mercer (another talking animal?)
  • largest penny in Woodruff
  • and the largest badger in Birnamwood.  This one looks kind of creepy to me, I’ll stick with the giant musky.
Roadside Attraction Worlds Largest Badger

Can you just imagine the nightmares your kids would have if you lived on the other side of that fence?

Isn’t that quite a list?  The weirder the better, I guess.

Most of these attractions can be seen right from the road and don’t cost a penny.  Some of them are part of a museum so there is a fee if you want to get up close.

Why stop?  They’re fun, weird, odd and how many times can you really say that you saw the World’s largest?  These crazy roadside attractions are a good excuse to take a break during your road trip.  Or a stop can be a fun surprise for your family on a random day in the summer.

Resources for the Top Roadside Attractions in the US

(This post contains affiliate links for your convenience.  Read my disclosure policy here.)

Here are some websites that list the top roadside attractions across America:

We love the National Geographic books that are for kids, and they have a book called 125 Wacky Roadside Attractions that is full of “useful” information.

Whether you stop just to take a picture or spend a couple of hours, the memories will last forever!

What are the odd, crazy and fun roadside attractions that your family just had to stop at?

Worlds Largest Musky Roadside Attraction

The World’s Largest Musky

 

Stop driving by all the crazy roadside attractions, and start visiting them for some family fun. Resources for finding the craziest roadside attractions in the country.

Roadside Attractions

Dont' drive by those roadside attractions! They may be the highlight of your trip!

4 Comments

  • Kate August 20, 2018 at 4:08 pm

    I love this! We totally love those touristy attractions (as well as the off-the-beaten-path sites). Wall Drug is a favorite, and Cave City KY is basically one big roadside attraction!!

    Reply
    • Vicki August 20, 2018 at 9:45 pm

      I’ve never heard of Cave City…we’ll have to check it out!

      Reply
  • Jessica Bradshaw July 13, 2017 at 10:59 am

    These are so cute!! We went on a long rad trip and talked about how awesome it would be if we would have stopped at all of these. I love seeing your photos.

    Reply
    • Vicki July 13, 2017 at 9:13 pm

      Thank you!

      Reply

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