Hunter Thompson said that when the going gets weird, the weird turn pro. And when it comes to weird roadside attractions, the Black Hills of South Dakota have always been, at the least, semi-pro.
Where else can you see live alligators, live kangaroos, giant Jackalopes, stuffed and mounted horses, singing cowboy robots and buildings that defy gravity? Or giant plaster presidents, wax presidents, bronze presidents and presidents carved in cheese (OK, I made that last one up)? You can even see chickens that play tic-tac-toe – and win every game. (I think they cheat.)
Now, Rapid City’s Dinosaur Park has gained national fame as one of MSN City Guide’s 12 “Weird America” attractions.
The park, built as a WPA project in the 1930s, stands atop a hill in the middle of Rapid City. It has five of the life-sized concrete critters. You can see the brontosaurus from just about anywhere in town.
Dinosaur Park is actually a fun place. The view of Rapid City is wonderful, and kids love to climb around on the dinos. Besides that, it’s free.
And now it’s famous. At least to the readers of the MSN website.
Also on the list: “Carhenge” – my personal favorite — near Alliance, Neb. It’s a replica of the Britain’s Stonehenge, but it’s made of junk cars painted gray.
Among the other American weirdities on the MSN site are the world’s largest six-pack, the Jimmy Carter Peanut (Plains, Ga.), the Spud Drive-In (Boise, Idaho), the Neon Sign Graveyard (Las Vegas), Lucy the Elephant (Atlantic City), the World’s Largest Ball of Twine (Cawker City, Kans.)
I’m sure the MSN list is not complete. Feel free to add your own weird roadside attractions.
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The Great Platte River Road Archway Monument. I had to look the name up but it is near Kearney on I-80. I mean it is on I-80. It is actually a bridge that spans I-80 for no reason. It does contain a museum inside that I have been told is pretty neat.
The Corn Palace. Mitchell South Dakota. Need I say more.
I’d have to vote for the Cadillac Ranch just west of Amarillo, Texas. In the middle of this field, somebody planted all these old Caddys nose-first in the ground. They’re all standing at about a 60-degree angle in a perfect row. Very unreal.
I don’t even know if Cadillac Ranch is still there. I came across it by accident in 1975, while hitchhiking on interstate whatever. We were standing there waiting for a ride, and looked across the road. There they were, big as life and weird as hell.
Seems like Later, Bruce Springsteen turned it into a song and album cover.
If there were presidents made out of cheese, I would totally go see them. Maybe that’s how I’ll make my first million…
I like that dinosaur east of Rapid City on Highway 44. It’s just out there in a field with no buildings or signs.
Sorry to burst your bubble goingoing:
OK, now I’ve seen everything. … I should have known an idea that cheesy would have been thought of by someone, somewhere…. where it is?
That may be the single coolest thing I’ve ever seen. Well, the real Mt. Rushmore comes close, but… And I guess I didn’t need that first million after all. Wow. Cheez-It, no less.
The dino is really cool but the colour is a bit strange indeed