Americans love big, weird things.

In fact, the United States invented the concept of a “world’s largest” roadside attraction: a giant object built solely to attract tourists.¹ Nearly every state has at least one item that claims this title, from the world’s largest corn dog (Rockaway Beach, Ore.) to the world’s largest kaleidoscope (Mount Trember, N.Y.) It would take months to visit them all, but you can see many of these iconic sights on a single road trip. We suggest two routes that visit some of the largest roadside attractions in the United States.

(Don’t have time for a cross-country trip? Visit the World's Largest Collection of World's Smallest Versions of World's Largest Things in Lucas, Kansas. This is a collection of miniature versions of “world’s largest” roadside attractions, handcrafted by artist Erika Nelson.)

Before you gas up the car, remember to buy travel insurance! Travel protection isn’t just for flights and cruises — on road trips, it can protect you in case of travel delays, trip cancellations, trip interruptions and medical emergencies, wherever you happen to roam. Find the right plan for your next adventure.

The “World’s Largest” Roadside Attraction Road Trip — Southern Route

Begin in Los Angeles by visiting the world’s largest donut, better known as the Randy’s Donuts sign in Inglewood. Built in 1953, it “represents the postwar optimism and whimsy of the city in a way few other places can,” the Los Angeles Conservancy says.

East of LA stand the Cabazon Dinosaurs: Dinny the Dinosaur, a 150-foot Apatosaurus, and Mr. Rex, who stands 65 feet tall. The title of “world’s largest dinosaur” is claimed by the 86-foot tyrannosaurus in Drumheller, Alberta, but the Cabazon pair could safely be called the world’s largest dino duo.

Continue east on I-10 (detouring to see the world’s largest cow skull south of Tucson, if you want) until you reach Las Cruces, N.M. Then head an hour north to Alamogordo, home of the must-see world’s largest pistachio. Thirty feet tall, this unique roadside attraction was built to honor Thomas McGinn, founder of the PistachioLand ranch.

Stay on I-10 and cross the border into Texas. In Fort Stockton you’ll see Paisano Pete, believed to be the second largest roadrunner in the world. Continue on towards San Antonio, where in surrounding towns you’ll find claimants to the title of the world’s largest watermelon, peanut, and pecan (both the 1962 original and the 2011 version, which is 16 feet long).

Keep heading east and stop off in Beaumont, Tex., home of the world's largest working fire hydrant. It was created as a promotional gimmick for the video release of Disney’s “101 Dalmatians.” Nine hours later, in Enterprise, Ala., you’ll come to an unusual sight: a classical monument that features the world’s largest boll weevil. It was built in 1919 to commemorate the destructive insect’s positive effect on the local economy; after the weevil destroyed the cotton crop, farmers switched to peanuts and prospered.

“I drove all day to see a bug?” you’re no doubt thinking. Don’t give up yet! There’s one more roadside attraction to see on this epic road trip: Swampy, the 200-foot alligator in Christmas, Florida.

The “World’s Largest” Roadside Attraction Road Trip — Northern Route

Now that you’ve made it all the way across the United States in pursuit of larger-than-life roadside attractions, what now?

Turn around and do it all over again!

This time you’ll start out in Margate, New Jersey, home of Lucy the Elephant. A National Historic Landmark constructed in 1881, Lucy stands six stories high. She’s considered to be the very first example of an American “world’s largest” roadside attraction. Lucy was almost demolished in the 1970s until a group of citizens rallied to save her.

Head northwest to Philadelphia for a quick peek at the world’s largest clothespin, a sculpture by Claes Oldenburg that stands across from City Hall. Then, drive west on U.S. 30 until you get to the world’s largest shoe: the Haines Shoe House in Yorklyn, Pa. Built by a shoe salesman in 1948, the shoe house is open for tours. The living room is in the toe, the kitchen is in the heel, and the bedrooms are in the ankle. You can buy ice cream from the shop in the instep.

Continue westward on I-76 (pausing to glimpse the world’s largest paint can) and then take I-70 into Ohio. The Buckeye State is home to an outsize number of very large roadside attractions, including:

• The world’s largest cuckoo clock in Sugarcreek, featuring a mechanical polka band
• The world’s largest apple basket in Frazeysburg (although it’s officially closed)
• The Field of Giant Corn Cobs in Dublin
• The world’s largest loaf of bread in Urbana
• The world’s largest horseshoe crab, aka “Crabbie,” in Hillsboro

Take I-74 west for a long time, then continue on I-80. You’ll pass the world’s largest wooden nickel, but what you really want to see is the world’s largest concrete gnome in Ames, Iowa. His name is Elwood, he’s 15 feet tall, he lives at Iowa State University, and he’s totally adorable. Stretch your legs in the Reiman Gardens while you’re there.

Now drive north to Minneapolis (see the world’s largest snowman in St. Paul, if you’d like). Then head west on I-94. Before you hit Fargo, you can visit a cluster of four giant birds: Big Tom, the world’s largest turkey in Frazee, Minn.; the world’s largest loon in Vergas; the world’s largest pelican in Pelican Rapids; and best of all, the world’s largest prairie chicken in Rothsay.

As you continue west on I-94 and then I-90, more supersized roadside attractions beckon. You’ll see the world’s largest buffalo — 26 feet high — in Jamestown, N.D., and the world’s largest Holstein cow — which dwarfs the buffalo, at 38 feet high — in New Salem, N.D. In Montana, you can visit Our Lady of the Rockies, which is the third-largest statue and the largest of the Virgin Mary in the United States.

Almost there! In Spokane, Wash. stands the Benewah Milk Bottle, a favorite local attraction. (To the west, the town of Soap Lake has long dreamed of building the world’s largest lava lamp, but that hasn’t yet come to pass.) End this road trip in Seattle, with a visit to the world’s largest cowboy hat and boots. Is there anything more American than that?

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