Top 10 U.S. Roadside Attractions -- National Geographic

Cabazon Dinosaurs, Cabazon, California
Photograph by Kevin Stanchfield
Climb to the top of a life-size Tyrannosaurus rex for an up-close view of its teeth at this real-world Jurassic park. Purchase souvenirs at a museum shop located inside Ms. Dinny, a 150-ton Apatosaurus considered the largest concrete dino in the world.
—FromNational Geographic Traveler magazine
Carhenge, Alliance, Nebraska
Photograph by Bill Bachmann, Alamy
Circling a patch of lonesome prairie, 38 old cars painted gray form a replica of England’s Stonehenge. Additional sculptures made from Detroit iron include “Ford Seasons,” representing seasonal changes to the landscape.
Enchanted Highway, Regent, North Dakota
Photograph by Carrie Bitner
Seven sensational scrap metal sculptures line this 32-mile stretch of highway in southwest North Dakota, including artist Gary Greff’s massive “Geese in Flight,” listed in the Guinness World Records as the world’s largest scrap metal sculpture.
Hole n' the Rock, Moab, Utah
Photograph by Andre Jenny, Alamy
Walk through a modern cave home with 14 furnished rooms carved out of Utah sandstone. If the excavation, which removed 50,000 cubic feet of stone, doesn’t move you, take in the petting zoo.
Lucy the Elephant, Margate, New Jersey
Photograph by Phil Taplin, Alamy
America’s oldest example of zoomorphic architecture, this 130-year-old, 65-foot pachyderm is actually a building that once served as a summer cottage. Lumber up the spiral stairs to Lucy’s towering howdah for elephantine views of the Atlantic Ocean.
Randy’s Donuts, Inglewood, California
Photograph by Jon Arnold Images Ltd, Alamy
This towering donut, built in 1952, has earned celeb status by appearing in films (Mars Attacks!), videos (Randy Newman’s “I Love L.A.”), and Hollywood dreams of sweet treats.
Paul Bunyan, Minnesota and More
Photograph by Greg Ryan, Alamy
America's most famous mythical lumberjack, capable of felling entire forests with his powerful ax, has a long reach. There are monumental statues of Bunyan in Akeley, Minnesota; Bangor, Maine; and Portland, Oregon. His trusty sidekick, Babe the Blue Ox, gets in on the action with colossal statues in Klamath, California, and Bemidji, Minnesota (pictured above).
Foamhenge, Natural Bridge, Virginia
Photograph by Andre Jenny, Alamy
Even a Druid would feel at home at this stoic Stonehenge replica, set on a tufted hillside in the Shenandoah Valley. Baffling perhaps, but the towering industrial foam blocks make for a mystical roadside diversion.
Hood Milk Bottle, Boston, Massachusetts
Photograph by Joseph Hoffheimer
Banish all thoughts of baked beans. If you want some ice cream that’ll make you scream, head to this 40-foot-tall snack stand at the Boston Children’s Museum. While not exactly a roadside attraction—it’s more a waterfront sight—the nearly 80-year-old icon has delighted lactose-loving families for ages. If it was real it could hold 58,620 gallons of milk.
Cadillac Ranch, Amarillo, Texas
Photograph by Tom Bean, Corbis
Created in 1974 by a group of artists, this graffiti-spattered homage to American road travel breaks the dusty Texas horizon with the force of an 18-wheeler. The ten half-buried roadsters, slanted in a perfect row into an Amarillo cow pasture, have been featured in movies and referenced in songs.