35 Gargantuan Roadside Attractions Across USA That Are Surprisingly Exciting
Giant US roadside attractions that caught people’s attention while driving.
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There’s something undeniably dystopian about the United States of America. Oddities and eccentricities have become so common across the country that we almost expect everything to feel larger than life.
This gallery is an ode to the quirky yet endearing features of the land of the free, showcasing giant roadside attractions that have captured travellers’ attention across the US. If you’re planning a road trip, these monolithic creations scattered throughout the fifty states may be well worth a detour, according to admirers who posted them on the Giant Roadside Attractions group on Facebook.
Image source: Kristen Altman Sanderson
Image source: Giant Roadside Attractions
Location • North Star Mall, San Antonio, Texas Size • About 35 feet tall, 33 feet long, and 9 feet wide • Weigh close to 10,000 pounds History • 1979 – Created by Texas artist Bob “Daddy-O” Wade in Washington, D.C. as a public art piece near the White House. • 1980 – Purchased and moved to San Antonio. The journey was tricky; the boots famously got stuck under an overpass during transport. • Present – They’ve stood outside the mall for more than 40 years, serving as a major roadside attraction and photo spot. • Guinness World Records lists them as the largest cowboy boot sculpture in the world. • Bob Wade joked they could hold 300,000 gallons of beer if hollow. • The boots have become an iconic Texas symbol and are featured in local celebrations, postcards, and tourist stops.
Image source: Christian Penaloza
Image source: Rita Bank
Image source: David Forbes
Image source: David Forbes
Image source: Thomas DeGree
Image source: Jennifer Haller
It was pretty windy, but that spaghetti isn't going anywhere! (Thank you to the ones that recommended this in the groups I'm in!)
Image source: Heather Vicars
Image source: Rudy Vargas
Image source: James Royster
Image source: James Atkinson
Image source: Marie Smith-Hancock
Image source: David Forbes
Image source: David Forbes
Image source: Rudy Vargas
The World’s Largest Ketchup Bottle in Collinsville, Illinois. Because nothing says road trip like a 170-foot bottle of catsup towering over the Midwest. ???
Another classic roadside win!
Image source: Henry Duarte
Image source: Jeffrey Brock
Here are a few interesting details about it:
• Location: It stands at the Georgia-Pacific Dixie cup manufacturing plant on Forbes Road in Lexington.
• Purpose: While it looks like a piece of giant pop-art, it is a functional water tower used by the factory for fire protection and plant operations.
• Size: It is roughly 175 feet tall. To give you a sense of scale, if it were actually filled with water, it could hold several hundred thousand gallons!
• Significance: It has become a beloved local landmark for travelers on the nearby highways and a classic example of "roadside Americana" architecture.
Image source: Wendy Murphy Williams
Image source: Debbie Day
Image source: Melanie Mckiddy
His spot at the HiWay Cafe will soon be filled by Big Chef, a muffler man with chef hat on and cooking utensils in his hands.
Image source: Jessie Peet
Image source: James Atkinson
Image source: Rita Bank
Image source: Kelly Arnold
Image source: Boehme SharonKaye
Image source: Donna Bownds
Image source: John Plashal Photo
Image source: David Forbes
Image source: Denise Caldwell
Image source: Jeffrey Brock
A hamlet on Long Island, New York. Built in 1931, this duck-shaped building served originally as a poultry store and has since become an iconic example of “duck” or novelty architecture in the United States.
Image source: Barry Groover
Image source: John Stephenson
Image source: David Forbes
Image source: Thomas DeGree
#1 Chicken Boy In LA. Probably My Favorite Muffler Man So Far!
Image source: Kristen Altman Sanderson
#2 World’s Largest Cowboy Boots
Image source: Giant Roadside Attractions
Location • North Star Mall, San Antonio, Texas Size • About 35 feet tall, 33 feet long, and 9 feet wide • Weigh close to 10,000 pounds History • 1979 – Created by Texas artist Bob “Daddy-O” Wade in Washington, D.C. as a public art piece near the White House. • 1980 – Purchased and moved to San Antonio. The journey was tricky; the boots famously got stuck under an overpass during transport. • Present – They’ve stood outside the mall for more than 40 years, serving as a major roadside attraction and photo spot. • Guinness World Records lists them as the largest cowboy boot sculpture in the world. • Bob Wade joked they could hold 300,000 gallons of beer if hollow. • The boots have become an iconic Texas symbol and are featured in local celebrations, postcards, and tourist stops.
#3 Didnity Of Earth And Sky Chamberlain SD
Image source: Christian Penaloza
#4 Wisconsin
Image source: Rita Bank
#5 Livingston Illinois
Image source: David Forbes
#6 Paducah KY
Image source: David Forbes
#7 Blue Bear In Denver
Image source: Thomas DeGree
#8 I Had To Check Out "Stile Di Famiglia", The Giant Fork, Twirling "Spaghetti" On It! You Can Find It In Omaha, In What Is Called Little Italy
Image source: Jennifer Haller
It was pretty windy, but that spaghetti isn't going anywhere! (Thank you to the ones that recommended this in the groups I'm in!)
#9 Not Sure If Anyone Has Posted This. But It's At Blackbird Hardware Store In Medford, Oregon. Wrong On Many Levels
Image source: Heather Vicars
#10 We Finally Sat (Well… Stood Next To) The World’s Largest Rocking Chair In Casey, Illinois! Standing over 56 feet tall, this roadside giant proves that in Casey, everything really is bigger.
Image source: Rudy Vargas
#11 The World's Largest Potato Masher Is A 39-Foot-Tall, 7,500-Pound Sculpture In Plover, Wisconsin, Located At The Food + Farm Exploration Center
Image source: James Royster
#12 Albert The Bull, World’s Largest Bull. Audubon, Iowa
Image source: James Atkinson
#13 Downtown Dallas
Image source: Marie Smith-Hancock
#14 Rapid City SD
Image source: David Forbes
#15 Fergus Falls MN
Image source: David Forbes
#16 Can You Pass The Ketchup??
Image source: Rudy Vargas
The World’s Largest Ketchup Bottle in Collinsville, Illinois. Because nothing says road trip like a 170-foot bottle of catsup towering over the Midwest. ???
Another classic roadside win!
#17 Lucy In The Snow. New Jersey
Image source: Henry Duarte
#18 This Is The Famous Dixie Cup Water Tower, A Unique Landmark Located In Lexington, Kentucky. It Is Designed To Look Exactly Like A Giant Disposable Dixie Cup, Complete With The Brand's Logo And The Signature Rim At The Top
Image source: Jeffrey Brock
Here are a few interesting details about it:
• Location: It stands at the Georgia-Pacific Dixie cup manufacturing plant on Forbes Road in Lexington.
• Purpose: While it looks like a piece of giant pop-art, it is a functional water tower used by the factory for fire protection and plant operations.
• Size: It is roughly 175 feet tall. To give you a sense of scale, if it were actually filled with water, it could hold several hundred thousand gallons!
• Significance: It has become a beloved local landmark for travelers on the nearby highways and a classic example of "roadside Americana" architecture.
#19 Houston, TX. Giant Pesident Heads And Charlie Chaplain
Image source: Wendy Murphy Williams
#20 Have You Seen The Worlds Largest Dinosaur “Tyra” Drumheller Ab, Canada
Image source: Debbie Day
#21 Big Bill, Complete With His Suitcase, Was At The Hiway Cafe On Rt 66 In Vinita OK. He Has Moved Next Door To The Western Motel
Image source: Melanie Mckiddy
His spot at the HiWay Cafe will soon be filled by Big Chef, a muffler man with chef hat on and cooking utensils in his hands.
#22 Fork In The Road. Franklin, Kentucky
Image source: Jessie Peet
#23 Wawa, Ontario (Lake Superior)
Image source: James Atkinson
#24 Punxsutawney, Pennsylvania
Image source: Rita Bank
#25 Catoosa, OK. August 2025
Image source: Kelly Arnold
#26 Salem Sue/ New Salem N Dakota
Image source: Boehme SharonKaye
#27 Paris, TX Eiffel Tower With Cowboy Hat Of Course
Image source: Donna Bownds
#28 Abe At Night Under Last Week's Aurora. Williamsburg, Va
Image source: John Plashal Photo
#29 Granite City Illinois
Image source: David Forbes
#30 Tin Man-Hart, Michigan
Image source: Denise Caldwell
#31 The Big Duck Is A Historic Roadside Attraction And Architectural Landmark Located In Flanders
Image source: Jeffrey Brock
A hamlet on Long Island, New York. Built in 1931, this duck-shaped building served originally as a poultry store and has since become an iconic example of “duck” or novelty architecture in the United States.
#32 Big Green Dragon. Caryville, Tennessee
Image source: Barry Groover
#33 Jolly Green Giant In Blue Earth MN
Image source: John Stephenson
#34 Chicago Illinois
Image source: David Forbes
#35 Marilyn Monroe In Palm Springs
Image source: Thomas DeGreeDE
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