Since the invention of the automobile, America has been a road-tripping country. And with that cross-trekking culture has come some truly unique monuments. No, we’re not talking about the Mount Rushmores and the Cloud Gates of America, we’re talking about the WEIRD stuff that really needs a good deal of explaining. One of the best things about many of these off-the-beaten-path oddities is that their explanations are often even weirder than they’re existence...

Enchanted Highway, Regent, North Dakota
I grew up taking an annual road trip from Minnesota to my grandfather’s ranch in Montana, so I can attest to the majesty that is the Enchanted Highway. This stretch of Interstate 94 is peppered with surreal sculptures made entirely of scrap metal that evoke a mysterious Midwest—not unlike the dream world of Neil Gaiman's American Gods—mixed with a little old-fashioned kitsch. Quite a few of these oddities have popped up since Gary Greff first conceived of them in 1989, and my personal favorite is the odd, eye-shaped “Geese in Flight.”

UFO Landing Port, Green Bay, Wisconsin
We’ve had a proliferation of alien invader movies since Bob Tohak first built his UFO Landing Port in 1994, but it doesn’t make it any less strange. Tohak built this extraterrestrial airport out of scrap iron and an old fuel tank, which is said to be capable of holding the full weight of a helicopter (how that compares to the actual weight of a UFO remains to be seen). The structure stands 42 feet outside his welding shop off Highway 29, and last I heard, Bob was trying to figure out how to add some ion cannons to the piece as well.

World’s Largest Ball of Twine, Cawker City, Kansas
In 1953, Frank Stoeber was an enterprising young twine-twirler dreaming of one day out-winding the largest ball of twine known to man—which at that time was 12 feet. The man wound twine for years and years until he died in 1974, just ONE FOOT SHY of his lifelong goal. Talk about a heartbreak. Now, the town of Cawker City hosts an annual Twineathon each August where tourists can come alongside locals and wind twine around the 9 ton behemoth on display.

Paul Bunyan, Bemidji, Minnesota
Paul Bunyan is the American folklore hero of the North, and as such, there are quite a few statues of the guy out on the plains. The most famous of these towering figures is the 18 foot, 2.5-ton statue in Bemidji, Minnesota, the supposed birthplace of the giant lumberjack. The statue originated out of a beer-fueled conversation, which led to 737 hours of toiling work and its creation as a travelling carnival attraction. Eventually, the statue settled back down in good old Bemidji in 1937 next to a complimentary statue of Bunyan’s trusted companion, Babe the Blue Ox.

World's Largest Rocking Chair; Cuba, Missouri
Not that you’re necessarily looking to sit down after a long day of driving across the country, but should you be so inclined, I recommend checking out the world’s largest rocking chair just off Route 66 in Cuba, Missouri. This rocking chair stands (sits?) at 46 feet tall and was originally able to actually rock (a necessary qualification to be counted by the Guinness Book of World Records), before bystanders realized just how dangerous it was rocking back and forth next to the owner’s general store.

Carhenge, Alliance, Nebraska
Carhenge was created by artist Jim Reinders in 1987 as a full-size replica of the famed English Stonehenge, built entirely out of 38 locally recovered cars that were then painted to match the slate gray of the original monument. As of 2006, it’s officially known as the Car Art Reserve and is accompanied by several other car-themed sculptures. If you really want to get your Neo-Paganic-Americana on, I recommend visiting Carhenge this August 21st when it will be covered by a solar eclipse. Who knows what will happen.

So, there you are. Check out these obscure roadside attractions and have a unique story for your next cocktail hour.