We wanted to provide a quick list of roadside attractions around the
U.S.A. On your next road trip take a look at some of these wonders if
you are passing by!
1. Ave Maria Grotto | Cullman, Alabama
The Benedictine monk of St. Bernard Abbey in Cullman, Ala., devoted some
50 years to the project. "To pass the time, I started hobbies," he once
said. After he made 5,000 small grottoes, which were sold to support
the abbey's work, Zoettl began work on his magnum opus, the Ave Maria
Grotto. Today, spread out across three acres of the abbey's forested
grounds, stand tiny replicas of St. Peter's Basilica, the Leaning Tower
of Pisa, the grotto of St. Theresa, the Hanging Gardens of Babylon, an
Our Lady of Guadalupe shrine, the Great Wall of China and miniature
versions of Jerusalem, Bethlehem and Rome, among others. He even crafted
a mini St. Bernard's Abbey, complete with the abbey's power station
where he once worked shoveling coal.
2. Carhenge | Alliance, Nebraska
On a 10-acre plot in Alliance, Neb., stands Carhenge — a monument that
looks like the artistic offspring of Stonehenge and Cadillac Ranch.
Envisioned by artist Jim Reinders in 1987, Carhenge is an arrangement of
38 autos, painted slate gray and placed in a formation mimicking
England's medieval wonder.
3. Desert of Maine | Freeport, Maine
When you think of Maine, you think of fresh seafood, idyllic sunsets and
endless blue water. So a desert is probably the farthest thing from
your mind. But if you're around the Freeport area, this natural wonder
is a must-see. Bad farming after 1797 led to soil erosion and the
creation of natural desert-like conditions. Surrounded by green hills,
this unlikely wonder covers nearly 50 acres and can be explored with
30-minute coach tours or on foot.
4. Lucy the Elephant | Margate City, New Jersey
Victorian speculator James V. Lafferty, who hit upon the idea of driving
up interest in beachfront property he owned by constructing 'Lucy,' a
building shaped like an elephant. Though 'zoomorphic architecture'
failed to take off, Lucy became a popular tourist attraction, her belly
serving variously as a restaurant, summer home and speakeasy. Though she
fell into disrepair in the 1960s, Lucy was soon saved from the wrecking
ball, moved onto public land and designated a National Historic
Landmark.
5. The Blue Whale | Catoosa, Oklahoma
Drive along Route 66 through a pair of side-by-side bridges and you're
bound to come across an even more bizarre sight: a famous beached whale.
Built in the 1970s as an anniversary gift from one man to his wife,
Oklahoma's grinning Blue Whale is 80 feet long, and rests in a pond that
has since become a favorite watering hole for locals and passing
travelers.
If you have a suggestion or a favorite roadside attraction, tell us and post a picture to our Facebook page!
Courtesy of Time.com
Link: http://ti.me/1gSfeMw
