Trips Places Foods Stories Newsletters

Take your next trip with Atlas Obscura!

Our small-group adventures are inspired by our Atlas of the world's most fascinating places, the stories behind them, and the people who bring them to life.

Visit Adventures
Trips Highlight
Borneo orangutan
Malaysia • 12 days, 11 nights
Wild Borneo: Secrets of an Ancient Rainforest
from
Pastel de nata
Portugal • 8 days, 7 nights
Portugal: A Culinary Adventure from Porto to Lisbon
from
View all trips
Top Destinations
Latest Places
Most Popular Places Random Place Lists Itineraries
Add a Place
Download the App
Top Destinations
View All Destinations »

Countries

  • Australia
  • Canada
  • China
  • France
  • Germany
  • India
  • Italy
  • Japan

Cities

  • Amsterdam
  • Barcelona
  • Beijing
  • Berlin
  • Boston
  • Budapest
  • Chicago
  • London
  • Los Angeles
  • Mexico City
  • Montreal
  • Moscow
  • New Orleans
  • New York City
  • Paris
  • Philadelphia
  • Rome
  • San Francisco
  • Seattle
  • Stockholm
  • Tokyo
  • Toronto
  • Vienna
  • Washington, D.C.
Latest Places
View All Places »
The wall commemorating 11,908 Jewish victims of the Shoah from Frankfurt.
Börneplatz Memorial
Entrance to the munitions area of the lower part of the bunker
Simserhof
Carlos Calderón Yruegas calls the villa his personal playground.
Villa Tabaiba
Apples and pears, Spitalfields Market.
Brick Lane Roundels
Loading...
Recent Stories
All Stories Video Podcast
Most Recent Stories
View All Stories »
Longwood House, where Napoleon Bonaparte spent his final years.
The Longwood House: Napoleon Bonaparte’s Beautiful Prison
 Fenway Park at night
How Was Your First Trip With Your Significant Other?
Ivan the Terra Bus
The Bus, the Myth, the Legend: Ivan the Terra Bus
Pigeons were included in a series of 1891 illustrations entitled “Household Pets.”
What Makes a Pest a Pest?

No search results found for
“”

Make sure words are spelled correctly.

Try searching for a travel destination.

Places near me Random place

Popular Destinations

  • Paris
  • London
  • New York
  • Berlin
  • Rome
  • Los Angeles
Trips Places Foods Stories Newsletters
Sign In Join
Places near me Random place
All the United States New York State New York City Lyndonville Lyndonville Shoe Trees

Lyndonville Shoe Trees

A tree full of wishes and footwear.

Lyndonville, New York

Added By
Chris Clemens
Email
Been Here
Want to go
Added to list
CAPTION
Lyndonville Shoe Trees   Chris Clemens; Rochester, NY
Lyndonville Shoe Trees   Chris Clemens; Rochester, NY
Lyndonville Shoe Trees   Chris Clemens; Rochester, NY
Been Here
Want to go
Added to list

About

Shoe trees are a phenomena that pop up all over the place, all of them loaded with legend, but rarely explained as much more than a tradition of the area.

The Shoe Tree of Middlegate was said to be started by newlyweds in a quarrel that ended with good fortune, while the Albany Shoe Tree has no story, just a lot of participation from the community. The Lyndonville Shoe Trees are made up of four different trees, and have a variety of legends depending on who you ask, the most popular idea being simply that successfully catching your shoes in the branches will grant a wish. One thing that remains undisputed is that footwear has found its way into these branches for several decades, and despite officials discouraging the practice as environmentally irresponsible, the shoes remain. 

Related Tags

Wishing Trees Shoe Trees Outsider Art Flora Plants

Know Before You Go

Four trees are within a triangular grassy median at the intersection.

Community Contributors

Added By

Chris Clemens

Edited By

Rachel, srchnresq

  • Rachel
  • srchnresq

Published

December 4, 2013

Edit this listing

Make an Edit
Add Photos
Sources
  • http://www.roadsideamerica.com/tip/2885
Lyndonville Shoe Trees
Lyndonville, New York, 14098
United States
43.365133, -78.349218

Nearby Places

Culvert Road

Medina, New York

miles away

Cobblestone Museum

Albion, New York

miles away

Lockport Cave

Lockport, New York

miles away

Explore the Destination Guide

Photo of New York State

New York State

United States

Places 807
Stories 45

Nearby Places

Culvert Road

Medina, New York

miles away

Cobblestone Museum

Albion, New York

miles away

Lockport Cave

Lockport, New York

miles away

Explore the Destination Guide

Photo of New York State

New York State

United States

Places 807
Stories 45

Related Places

  • Land art “De Groene Kathedraal” (the Green Cathedral) in Almere, the Netherlands

    Almere, Netherlands

    Green Cathedral

    Lombardy poplars planted to imitate the size and shape of the Cathedral of Notre-Dame de Reims.

  • An aerial view of the Sky Garden’s crater and central altar

    Skibbereen, Ireland

    Irish Sky Garden

    This floating garden in the sky is straight out of a fairy tale, but the real thing is nothing short of magical.

  • Tulare County, California

    Mark Twain Stump

    The last remnant of a tree that helped prove to the world that sequoias are real—and they’re spectacular.

  • The Willow Globe shortly after it was planted

    Llanwrthwl, Wales

    Willow Globe Theatre

    In the middle of a Welsh field, a replica of Shakespeare’s Globe Theatre is made out of living branches.

  • The Much Marcle Yew Tree

    Much Marcle, England

    Much Marcle Ancient Yew

    One of the oldest and most majestic living trees in Britain, thought to be over 1,500 years old.

  • A field of pink muhly grass outside Cheomseongdae Observatory.

    Gyeongju, South Korea

    Pink Muhly Grass

    From mid-September to early November, dreamy fields of pink muhly grass spring up all over South Korea.

  • Joan of Arc medallion

    Cedar Crest, New Mexico

    Sandia Medallion Trees

    Mysterious markers have been giving the public a lesson in dendrochronology for over a century.

  • Albertinia, South Africa

    World's Largest Aloe Statue

    A larger-than-life representation of the humble aloe plant.

Aerial image of Vietnam, displaying the picturesque rice terraces, characterized by their layered, verdant fields.
Atlas Obscura Membership

Become an Atlas Obscura Member


Join our community of curious explorers.

Become a Member

Get Our Email Newsletter

Follow Us

Facebook YouTube TikTok Instagram Pinterest RSS Feed

Get the app

Download the App
Download on the Apple App Store Get it on Google Play
  • All Places
  • Latest Places
  • Most Popular
  • Places to Eat
  • Random
  • Nearby
  • Add a Place
  • Stories
  • Food & Drink
  • Itineraries
  • Lists
  • Video
  • Podcast
  • Newsletters
  • All Trips
  • Family Trip
  • Food & Drink
  • History & Culture
  • Wildlife & Nature
  • FAQ
  • Membership
  • Feedback & Ideas
  • Community Guidelines
  • Product Blog
  • Unique Gifts
  • Work With Us
  • About
  • FAQ
  • Advertise With Us
  • Advertising Guidelines
  • Privacy Policy
  • Cookie Policy
  • Terms of Use
Atlas Obscura

© 2025 Atlas Obscura. All Rights Reserved.