Revealed – The quirkiest sights in North America

After leading group adventure tours in North America for over 35 years, TrekAmerica knows more than most about the continent’s quirkiest sights. From the landmarks that will make you do a double take, to the places that will provide the best traveller’s tales or photo opportunities, here, TrekAmerica presents its guide to North America’s best off-the-beaten track sights.

• The world’s largest ball of twine, Minnesota

On Saturday 9th August, the Minnesota town of Darwin celebrates its annual Twine Ball Day to commemorate its greatest landmark – a giant ball of twine, four metres in diameter. The ball was made by one man, Francis A. Johnson, who spent 23 weeks in 1950 painstakingly wrapping twine for four hours a day. Nowadays, the ball is proudly displayed in a Plexiglas gazebo so it can be viewed from all sides.

See it on: TrekAmerica’s Northern Trail or Trailblazer tours
Find out more here: darwintwineball.com/twineball.html

• London Bridge, Arizona

Forty years ago, in 1968, London Bridge was disassembled from its position over the Thames and reconstructed in Lake Havasu City, Arizona. It remains one of the city’s most popular tourist attractions, largely spurred on by the urban myth that the American owner thought he was buying Tower Bridge…

See it on: TrekAmerica’s Westerner 2 tour or Footloose’s Western Dream
Find out more here: golakehavasu.com/londonbridge.html

• The Spam Museum, Minnesota

Yes, an entire museum dedicated to everyone’s favourite canned meat, Spam, which the website modestly refers to as ‘the cradle of civilisation’. A great opportunity for travellers suffering the credit crunch to stock up on this war-time food staple.

See it on: TrekAmerica’s Transcontinental North or Grand Trek tours
Find out more here: spam.com/museum

• Cadillac Ranch, Texas

Take a detour from Route 66 at Amarillo where you’ll find ten Cadillac cars buried nose-first into the desert. Visitors are encouraged to leave their mark by adding to the graffiti-covered vehicles.

See it on: TrekAmerica’s Americana Road Trip or Transcontinental South tours
Find out more here: texasoutside.com/amarilloframes/cadillacranchframes.htm

• Head-Smashed-In Buffalo Jump Museum, Alberta, Canada

It might sound like a wrestling move, but Head-Smashed-In Buffalo Jump Museum is actually a UNESCO World Heritage site where visitors can learn about the culture of Native Americans who populated the area for over 5,500 years. The name refers to the tradition of killing buffalo by driving herds over a cliff.

See it on: TrekAmerica’s Transcontinental North or Trailblazer tours
Find out more here: head-smashed-in.com

• The General Lee, Tennessee

Dukes of Hazzard fans will be in their element at Cooter’s Place, a shop and museum that houses memorabilia from the cult TV show including the famous General Lee. TrekAmerica tour leaders bringing groups here are advised to keep the van windows up at all times.

See it on: TrekAmerica’s Southern Sun or Grand Trek tours
Find out more here: cootersplace.com

• Chicken, Alaska

This town was due to be called Ptarmigan, after the Alaskan state bird that was abundant in the area. The only problem was that nobody could agree how to spell Ptarmigan…so they named it ‘Chicken’ instead.

See it on: TrekAmerica’s Klondike or Footloose’s Alaska–Yukon Explorer tours
Find out more here: chickenalaska.com

• Jolly Green Giant Statue, Minnesota

The universal face of sweetcorn is helping to position Minnesota as THE place to go for weird and wonderful sights by securing its third entry in this list. The Jolly Green Giant Statue, in the town of Blue Earth, stands 55 feet tall, but thankfully for visitors, his modesty is preserved despite his short tunic.

See it on: TrekAmerica’s Northern Trail or Transcontinental North tours
Find out more here: wikipedia.org/wiki/Jolly_Green_Giant

• Roswell UFO Museum, New Mexico

Find out more about the ‘Roswell Incident’ of 1947 and indulge in a whole host of UFO conspiracy theories – before nipping across the road for a milkshake at the world’s only UFO-themed McDonalds.

See it on: TrekAmerica’s Americana Road Trip
Find out more here: roswellufomuseum.com

• Devils Tower, Wyoming

Continuing the alien theme, this eerie looking monolith played a central role in Close Encounters of the Third Kind. It is a sacred site for many American Indians and was proclaimed the USA’s first national monument by Theodore Roosevelt in 1906.

See in on: TrekAmerica’s Northern Trail, Grand Trek or Transcontinental North tours
Find out more here: nps.gov/deto/

And finally…

• Sourtoe Cocktails, Dawson City, Canada

Not so much of a sight, but more of an experience, Downtown Hotel in Dawson City is home to the famous Sourtoe Cocktail Club. To become part of the 12,000+ elite, travellers must drink a shot of their choice containing a severed human toe that must touch the lips. The hotel is currently on its eighth toe, after several were ‘accidentally’ swallowed.

Try it – if you dare – on: TrekAmerica’s Klondike
Find out more here: sourtoecocktailclub.com

To find out more about the weird and wonderful sights of North America, visit Trekamerica.co.uk.