How many of these sites have you visited?

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Discussion Overview

The discussion revolves around participants sharing their experiences with various roadside attractions and notable sites in the United States. The scope includes personal anecdotes, near misses, and curiosity about specific locations, with a focus on both well-known and obscure landmarks.

Discussion Character

  • Exploratory
  • Conceptual clarification
  • Debate/contested

Main Points Raised

  • Some participants mention having visited sites like South of the Border and the World's Largest Bottle of Catsup, while others share near misses such as the Biosphere 2 and Cadillac Ranch.
  • Several participants express curiosity about attractions like The Thing in Arizona, with some noting they have driven past it multiple times without stopping.
  • There are mentions of various other attractions, including the Jolly Green Giant, Lucy the Elephant, and the General Sherman Tree, with participants recounting their experiences or lack thereof.
  • One participant reflects on the social dynamics and challenges faced during the Biosphere 2 project, describing it as a disaster without reaching a consensus on the reasons behind its failure.
  • Some participants highlight their lack of visits to any of the listed sites, sharing that their travels have been limited to specific destinations like Las Vegas.
  • Humor is present in the discussion, with playful comments about the significance of certain attractions and the experiences associated with them.

Areas of Agreement / Disagreement

Participants do not reach a consensus on which sites are most notable or worth visiting, as experiences and opinions vary widely. There are multiple competing views regarding the significance and appeal of different attractions.

Contextual Notes

Some participants express uncertainty about their memories of visits and the specific details of attractions, indicating a reliance on personal anecdotes rather than definitive knowledge. The discussion also reflects a mix of nostalgia and curiosity about roadside culture.

Who May Find This Useful

Readers interested in American roadside attractions, travel anecdotes, and cultural commentary on unique landmarks may find this discussion engaging.

jtbell
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http://www.time.com/time/specials/packages/completelist/0,29569,2006404,00.html

The only ones I've actually seen are South of the Border and the World's Largest Bottle of Catsup.

Near misses: Biosphere 2 (closed on the day my wife and I happened to drive by), The Thing (driven past it a few times, haven't had the nerve to stop... maybe next time!), and the Cadillac Ranch (drove right past it a couple of months ago without knowing it was there).
 
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Gen. Sherman, Santa Cruz Mystery Spot (and as a bonus: Winchester Mystery House over in San Jose). the Light Bulb, and yes, South of the Border - hard to miss on the I-95, not least because they have advertising billboards all the way to north Virginia IIRC!
 
Cadillac Ranch and Paul Bunyan.

Near misses: Beer Can House in Houston and Forbidden Gardens in Katy, missed a countless number of times. Then again, even though I lived in the Washington DC area for about eight years, I have yet to take the White House tour or go to the top of the Washington Monument. I didn't see the cherries in blossom until some business trip years taken after I moved out.
 
Only Lucy the Elephant which I have seen many times and been inside at least twice. She's not too far from where I live.
 
Jolly Green Giant, Blue Earth, Minn., Mystery Spot; Santa Cruz, CA, Oldest Bob's Big Boy; Burbank, CA, Paul Bunyan Statue; Bemidji, MN, and what about the Jackalopes?
 
I used to pass by the Leaning Tower in Niles on the way to work.
 
Desert of Maine. Only One!
 
Haven't seen any of them, but now I know what I have to see before I die; the shoe tree.
 
None. The only times that I've been to the US as an adult were straight to Las Vegas to play pool, then straight home again.
I was on a couple of high-school field trips to the Henry Ford museum and Greenfield Villiage when I was a kid, but they aren't on the list.
 
  • #10
Pffft! What a wimpy list! I have many times driven to Rich hill, MO.
Rich Hill, Missouri - World's Largest Coal Shovel
"The Town that Coal Built" boasts that it has the World's Largest Coal Shovel, holding 60,000 lbs. per scoop.

http://www.roadsideamerica.com/tip/767
 
  • #12
I've been to (or driven past) one.. the leaning tower in niles.. and I don't even live in the US!
 
  • #13
I've always been curious about this one:
roadside_thing.jpg


The Thing; Dragoon, AZ

Mummified chupacabra, maybe?
 
  • #14
Math Is Hard said:
Mummified chupacabra, maybe?

:biggrin:
 
  • #15
turbo-1 said:
Everybody should have their picture taken next to this sign!

http://postcardy.blogspot.com/2009/06/maine-sign-post.html

Ha, I didn't know there were that many Scandinavians in Maine!

I've never heard of any Scandinavian settlements in South Carolina, but somehow there are towns named Norway, Sweden and Denmark along US 321 south of Columbia on the way to Savannah. For a while there was a skating rink just off I-26 west of Columbia, named "Iceland." This prompted a newspaper columnist to suggest that Charleston rename its aquarium to "Finland."
 
  • #16
Math Is Hard said:
I've always been curious about this one:
roadside_thing.jpg

I've driven past it three or four times by now, on my way to/from Tucson. There are signs for it all along I-10 between Tucson and Las Cruces NM. My brother showed me a book called "Weird Arizona" which has a page or two about it. Even though I now know what it is (sort of), I think I'll stop there anyway, next time I go past. There's other weird stuff in there, besides the Thing, and there's a Dairy Queen at that exit. :-p
 
  • #17
jtbell said:
http://www.time.com/time/specials/packages/completelist/0,29569,2006404,00.html

The only ones I've actually seen are South of the Border and the World's Largest Bottle of Catsup.

Near misses: Biosphere 2 (closed on the day my wife and I happened to drive by), The Thing (driven past it a few times, haven't had the nerve to stop... maybe next time!), and the Cadillac Ranch (drove right past it a couple of months ago without knowing it was there).

I spent quite a bit of time [several years] working with one of the Biosphere 2 designers. He was... interesting; kind of like used car salesmen are interesting.

That project was one huge disaster! By the time it ended, just about everyone hated everyone else and CO2 levels were out of control. I think what really doomed the project was when a couple of [former?] team members sabotaged the lungs...not sure if that actually led to the runaway CO2 levels, but that was very near the end of things. It was clear that the social aspects of extended isolation for large groups, can be highly problematic.
 
  • #18
Dinosaur Park, Rapid City, S.D.
General Sherman Tree, Sequoia National Forest, California

I think I've been to the "Oldest Bob's Big Boy; Burbank, CA".

I haven't traveled across the country in a car since I was a kid. Anything more than 500 miles is a plane trip these days. But I do remember traveling the old Route 66 and seeing many strange roadside displays.

To kiss

A mug

That's like a cactus

Takes more nerve

Than it does practice

Burma-Shave
 
  • #19
That's a pretty famous advertising campaign Ivan
 

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