This is the second instalment of a two-part feature. Check out 5 other roadside curiosities here.
America’s roads are lined with thousands of independent and eccentric attractions offering drivers rest and rejuvenation. Many of these weird and wonderful roadside curiosities are ingenuously creative. But just as many are shamelessly ridiculous.
RoadsideAmerica.com is dedicated to this uniquely American phenomenon. The website has rated more than 10,000 roadside attractions, advising readers as to whether they’re “Mildly Interesting”, “Worth a Stop”, “Worth a Detour”, “Major Fun” or “The Best”. Here are some of our favourites.
In the Box Tour: Battles in Fake Afghanistan – Fort Irwin, California
Deep in the Mojave Desert, the US army has mocked up several replica Afghan towns (there were Iraqi ones too) where it tests the battle readiness of its troops. The “sandbox” (or “box”) is populated with thousands of Arabic speaking role-players playing both innocent locals and enemy combatants. Once security cleared, you can join a tour of the “active” training war zone – explosions included.
The Human Centrifuge – Warminster, Pennsylvania
Tour the world’s largest human centrifuge – the contraption used to test would-be astronauts’ and pilots’ ability to handle G-forces in flight. If you’re worried the owners will dare you to give it a go, fear not – it’s currently out of operation and simply a museum exhibit.
U.S.S. Ling, World War II Sub – Hackensack, New Jersey
Watch Crimson Tide, The Hunt for Red October or Das Boot and you get a little sense of what it was like to serve on a submarine during war times. But to get a real feel for the cramped conditions submariners served in, you’ve got step aboard one yourself. It may not be grand and interesting as the Bowfin in Pearl Harbor, but this US WWII submersible is in great shape.
New Mexico Museum of Space History – Alamogordo, New Mexico
Turns out America’s space programme reaches beyond Florida, California and Texas (and space, of course). Stressing the Land of Enchantment’s contribution to the extraterrestrial endeavour, the museum houses all sorts of oddities, including the grave of the first chimpanzee launched into outer space (Ham the Astrochimp) and a huge sample from the moon.
African Village in America – Birmingham, Alabama
Local man Joe Minter has been packing his lawn and yard with African-American and African artifacts since 1989. The result is an “African Village”, filled with a jumble of ramshackle objects and plastered with (mostly Christian) slogans. While this eccentric collection is intriguing, it’s Joe who’s the real attraction here.
Written by insider city guide series Hg2 | A Hedonist’s guide to…
