From themed towns to oddball festivals to unbelievable museums, if it’s weird or wacky, IgoUgo members have journeyed for a look. Here’s a new list of weird-but-true attractions to satisfy your yen for something different on your roads less traveled.
Photo by srdshelly2
Going to Van? Get ready for “endless symbols” of the area’s famous cats, says srdshelly2--including the sculpture at the top of this post, seen in a “major intersection.” The cats are “white animals with eyes of two different colors that love to swim and eat chocolate.” See them in person at the local university’s “cat house.”
Photo by Amber Autumn
Local expert Amber Autumn tells us that “one of the most popular sports of the festival is to beat on a board and get your crawfish to go past the last blue line." It's a sport!
Photo by SFPhotocraft
Manuel Antonio’s most famous bar is in a fuselage; below it, there’s an under-wing restaurant. You can’t miss this attraction: just look for the “huge military cargo plane that looks like it has just crashed on the side of the road.”
Photo by Red Mezz
Red Mezz explains that what looks like “a horrible hobo camp gone awry” is actually a “spring of healing powers” that has been accepting offerings since pre-Christian times.
Photo by Diplomat Diaries
This famous eatery in Poiana Brasov houses a "pickle museum" downstairs; go in fall or winter for a tour of pickled vegetables jarred throughout the summer. And believe it or not, “make reservations” and “keep an eye out for well-known people.”
Photo by jae_em
“The aquarium is standard; the doctor fish are a must-try,” says jae_em. Get a 20-minute appointment, choose small fish or big fish, and see how healing these darting doctors are.
Photo by MarkR37
Recently relocated to Middleton, Wisconsin, this somewhat tongue-in-cheek site (a degree from PouponU, anyone?) also sells every mustard imaginable, and offers tastings too. The macadamia honey mustard comes highly recommended.
Photo by SFPhotocraft
Score two for Wisconsin; Spider Lake is where you can “see a half-block-long muskie and stand in its mouth.” At least 20 people can fit on the observation platform in this “shrine to anglers,” and many more can squeeze into the museum’s extensive complex.
Photo by stvchin
Take a “wrong turn” near Pike Place Market and you’ll find yourself at Post Alley and its wall of gum. It’s a “bizarre yet colorful work of art formed by thousands upon thousands of people sticking their bubble gum to one of the walls of the market.” Also of interest: a similar wall in San Luis Obispo.
Photo by RoBoNC
There’s a Santa Claus Museum, a Candy Castle, and the historic Holiday World, but perhaps the best attraction in this festive town is the post office--“a fully functional post office and the only one in the world bearing the name of Santa Claus.” Its famous postmark changes each year, inspiring many to make an annual trip--much like the big guy himself.
More Weird-but-True Favorites on IgoUgo
10 Weird but Wonderful Museums
11 of the World’s Most Unique Bars and Pubs
10 Weird Attractions Around the World
Weird-but-True Travel Ideas