What could be more American than the road trip? From the trailblazing covered wagons of the old west to the SUV’s and mini-vans of today, Americans have been criss-crossing this country since its inception with a frontiersman-like thirst for exploration. And while America may be famous for its Grand Canyon, its Hoover Dam, its Time’s Square, its Golden Gate Bridge, it is also teeming with other lesser-known pit-stops that really have to be seen to believe.
Plenty of Room for Your Socks
Having trouble finding space for your three-thousand pairs of pants? Not enough room in your walk-in closet for a giant to walk into? Then you might find yourself in need of a chest of drawers (the world’s largest) like those found by Realtravel bloggers, Teamedwards in High Point, North Carolina. High Point claims to be the “Home Furnishings Capital of the World”, home to a large number of furniture manufacturing operations and outlets. But the true focal-point of the town is its 38-foot tall outdoor, freestanding dresser, complete with two socks (one brown and one argyle) dangling from a drawer, which are said to represent the town’s hosiery industry.
London Bridge Was Falling Down
The London Bridge is perhaps one of the most famous of its kind, but did you know that there are two of them? By 1962, the London Bridge had withstood so much traffic that it was actually falling down. The famous Thames-River-crossing bridge was to be torn down and re-built to better support the ever-increasing traffic in London. The old bridge was put up for auction and bought by Lake Havasu City, Arizona, town-founder, and chairman of McCulloch Oil Corporation, Robert McCulloch. The bridge’s stones were skipped across the ocean, re-joined in Lake Havasu City, and opened to the public in 1971.
I Once Saw a Fish: This Big
It’s four stories tall, as long as a jumbo jet, green with fearsome-looking teeth, made out of fiber-glass, and shaped like a fish—a muskie, to be exact. It’s also the home of the Freshwater Fish Hall of Fame, charged with recording and displaying the world’s records in fishing. Entry is granted through the muskie’s tail, where visitors can then climb to the monster-fish’s mouth that doubles as an observation deck. The scaly museum proudly displays 5,000 lures, 200 rods and reels, 400 mounted fish, and a room filled with outboard motors all located somewhere within its ribcage. The Freshwater Fish Hall of Fame is located in Hayward, Wisconsin and is open to the public year-round.
Check out a few other less quirky (but still interesting!) road trips and destinations we’ve spotlighted in the past:
Big Sur Coast, California
Walking and Cycling Across the United States
Bryce Canyon National Park
