Wyoming Needs More Roadside Attractions, Like The Old Days

Road tripping across America was very different back before there was such a thing as an interstate system. Small highways were a lot slower and often ran through the heart of every town out there. It was what seeing America was all about.

To get travelers to stop, weird roadside attractions were built with signs miles ahead of them to get travelers to take a break, and maybe buy some lunch or a few souvenirs.

Today's interstate system bypasses all of that in the name of speed and efficiency.

Recently, the town of Rawlins, Wyoming, announced that they are looking for ideas to get travelers along I-80 to see it as a stop, not just a place to refuel and move on. Maybe they can achieve that if they had something worth stopping for.

Douglas, Wyoming, does have its Jackalope and train museum. But we need a few more things that can be seen from the highway.

Here are some of the most iconic roadside stops from the era before the interstate highway system.

Blue Whale of Catoosa (Catoosa, OK): Built in the 1970s as a swimming hole, this massive blue whale is a classic, nostalgic photo stop.

Cadillac Ranch (Amarillo, TX): Ten Cadillacs buried nose-down in a field, inviting travelers to spray paint them.

Round Barn (Arcadia, OK): A distinctive, historic barn built in 1898.

Milk Bottle Grocery (Oklahoma City, OK): A tiny, historic building topped with a giant milk bottle.

Neon Drive-Thru Sign (Grants, NM): A 5-meter-tall glowing archway representing the highway shield.

Unique & Historical Stops

Lucy the Elephant (Margate, NJ): Completed in 1881, this is considered America's first, and arguably most famous, giant roadside attraction.

Carhenge (Alliance, NE): A replica of Stonehenge built entirely from old cars in 1987.
Rock City (Lookout Mountain, GA/TN): Opened in 1932, featuring rock formations, gardens, and views of seven states.

Dinosaur Gardens (Ossineke, MI): A 1935 attraction filled with prehistoric sculptures.
Totem Pole Park (Foyil, OK): Home to the world's largest concrete totem pole.

Artistic & Whimsical Attractions

Enchanted Highway (North Dakota): A 32-mile stretch of road featuring massive scrap metal sculptures.

Bottle Tree Forest (Barstow, CA): A "wild" art installation along Route 66.

Corn Palace (Mitchell, SD): A building decorated annually with corn and other grains.

Carhenge is a replica of England's Stonehenge, located near the city of Alliance, Nebraska, in the High Plains region of the United States.

Wall Drug Store is a famous, sprawling 76,000-square-foot roadside attraction in Wall, South Dakota, founded in 1931. It has grown from a small pharmacy into a massive, Western-themed tourist complex that attracts over 2 million annual visitors, known for offering free ice water, 5-cent coffee, homemade donuts, and thousands of roadside signs worldwide.