Roadside Attractions - Atlas Obscura
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Roadside Attractions

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Our Favorite Reader Stories of Surprising Roadside Hotels
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motels

Our Favorite Reader Stories of Surprising Roadside Hotels

It's check-in time for your memories of unforgettable travel lodgings.
June 18, 2018
Skeleton Man Walking Skeleton Dinosaur.
Midland, South Dakota

Skeleton Man Walking Skeleton Dinosaur

Just a man taking his prehistoric pet for a stroll.
43.8871, -101.1318
Added by solhermana
Spanish Love Sign at Twentynine Palms.
Twentynine Palms, California

Love Signs of Twentynine Palms

Colorful pieces of roadside art that say "love" in different languages.
34.1289, -115.9050
Added by fiberopticnow
Laufskalavarda.
Iceland

Laufskálavarða

Cairns built to bring travelers good luck stretch across the land like miniature stone mountains.
63.5957, -18.4646
Added by greghannahs
The Vanishing World of Neon Motel Signs
story
route 66

The Vanishing World of Neon Motel Signs

A photographer has spent decades capturing these symbols of Americana and the open road.
May 30, 2018
The gravesite among the asphalt.
New Brunswick, New Jersey

Evans/Ellis Cemetery

Seven people are buried in the middle of what's now a movie theater parking lot.
40.4892, -74.4166
Added by qazwart
Ovoo.
Ulaanbaatar, Mongolia

Centre of Shaman Eternal Heavenly Sophistication

A nondescript dirt lot hides an intriguing center of shamanic healing.
47.9167, 106.8951
Added by Max Cortesi
Boiled Green Peanuts
Gastro Obscura
Story
Prepared Foods

Boiled Green Peanuts

Roadside vendors in the Deep South soften fresh goobers with bubbling brine.
Gastro Obscura
Added by UkeMcQ
Stardust Motel sign.
Marfa, Texas

Stardust Motel Sign

This old abandoned sign flickers to announce a motel that isn't even there.
30.3053, -104.0444
Added by Kerry Wolfe
Atlas Obscura Is Going on a Summer Radio Road Trip and We Need Your Help
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travel

Atlas Obscura Is Going on a Summer Radio Road Trip and We Need Your Help

We're heading up the U.S. West Coast with NPR's All Things Considered. Leave us a voicemail to tell us where you think we should go!
May 14, 2018
Saucers in the desert.
Ocotillo, California

Coyote's Flying Saucer Retrievals and Repairs

A UFO scrapyard in the California desert.
32.6588, -116.0996
Added by lewblank
Sign for location. Can be seen from Interstate 55.
Livingston, Illinois

Pink Elephant Antique Mall

Oversized statues are just the tip of this nostalgic Americana roadside attraction.
38.9613, -89.7635
Added by Zbrah
The Tinkers' Heart.
Argyll and Bute, Scotland

The Tinkers' Heart

A rare permanent monument to the Scottish Travellers.
56.2327, -4.9741
Added by emacp1
Uniroyal Gal in her bikini during the summer pool season.
Peoria, Illinois

Uniroyal Gal

This rare female version of the Muffler Man has its clothes removed each summer to signal the start of pool season.
40.6780, -89.6077
Added by shabbytrick
Nelson's Courtyard.
Saint Petersburg, Russia

Nelson's Courtyard

A surreal pile of colorful junk fills a small yard in an otherwise gray neighborhood.
59.9628, 30.3043
Added by ahvenas
Blue Marble Bath wash.
Inyo County, California

Marble Bath

This desert oddity hides in plain sight thanks to a cartographic error and a desert explorer with a punny sense of humor.
36.9604, -117.6544
Added by Backcountry Explorers
The dragon.
Ogden, Utah

Star Noodle Dragon

Dubbed the "Blade Runner dragon," this buzzing neon sign is a beloved local icon.
41.2205, -111.9753
Added by kjmoore12
The North Pole in August.
WaKeeney, Kansas

WaKeeney North Pole

The holiday spirit lingers year-round in the "Christmas City of the High Plains."
39.0230, -99.8859
Added by kdishmon27