16 Tourist Traps We Couldn’t Resist on Every Family Road Trip
Remember those quirky roadside attractions that made long car rides bearable? Before smartphones and tablets kept kids glued to screens, families relied on oddball tourist traps to break up monotonous highway journeys.
These kitschy destinations may seem cheesy now, but they created some of our most treasured childhood memories, complete with gift shop trinkets and bizarre photo opportunities that still make us chuckle decades later.
1. Wall Drug’s Free Ice Water Empire
What started as a desperate ploy to attract customers in 1936 blossomed into a 76,000-square-foot wonderland of weirdness. Free ice water signs lured parched travelers for miles along I-90, but visitors stayed for the 80-foot dinosaur, mechanical cowboy orchestra, and endless maze of trinket-filled rooms.
My family made our pilgrimage when I was eight. Dad insisted we’d “just stop for five minutes” but three hours later, we were still wandering through Wall Drug’s bizarre backrooms, pockets stuffed with unnecessary souvenirs.
2. Mystery Spot’s Gravity-Defying Illusions
Water flowing uphill? Balls rolling against gravity? The Mystery Spot in Santa Cruz promised supernatural phenomena that baffled generations of wide-eyed tourists. This tilted cabin in the redwoods created optical illusions that made kids swear they’d witnessed actual magic.
Back in ’85, my sister became so disoriented during our tour that she tumbled right into another tourist! The poor man spilled his camera equipment everywhere. Mom was mortified, but the guide just laughed. Apparently it happened weekly.
The gift shop sold everything from Mystery Spot bumper stickers to “gravity-defying” toys that inevitably broke before reaching home.
3. Rock City’s See Seven States Spectacle
Bird’s-eye views from Lookout Mountain weren’t enough—Rock City added gnome villages, a swinging bridge, and fat-squeezing passages between massive boulders to create an unforgettable experience.
Generations discovered this Tennessee/Georgia attraction thanks to “See Rock City” slogans painted on countless barn roofs. The highlight? Fairyland Caverns, where blacklight illuminated dioramas of nursery rhymes. Kids either found them magical or nightmare-inducing—there was no in-between.
Parents appreciated the relatively educational nature of the gardens, even while paying for overpriced photos at Lover’s Leap.
4. Roadside Dinosaur Parks’ Prehistoric Concrete
Enormous concrete dinosaurs loomed alongside highways nationwide, beckoning station wagons to screech to a halt. These scientifically inaccurate beasts, often sporting garish paint jobs, provided the perfect backdrop for family photos destined for album immortality.
The Cabazon Dinosaurs near Palm Springs achieved fame in “Pee-wee’s Big Adventure,” but similar prehistoric attractions dotted America’s roadways.
Parents suffered through gift shops hawking plastic dino toys while kids climbed on T-Rex tails, blissfully unaware of the questionable craftsmanship beneath their feet.
5. Stuckey’s Blue-Roofed Pecan Paradise
Those blue roofs signaled salvation for road-weary families. Stuckey’s combined gas station, souvenir shop, and restaurant into the perfect trifecta of road trip necessities. Their pecan log rolls, sticky nougat covered in caramel and pecans, became legendary among interstate travelers.
I still remember Dad stopping at every Stuckey’s between Ohio and Florida during our 1978 vacation. He collected those tiny state plates while Mom rolled her eyes at his “collection.”
6. Ripley’s Believe It or Not! Odditoriums
Shrunken heads, two-headed calves, and the world’s tallest man’s shoes awaited behind the bizarre facades of Ripley’s museums. These collections of oddities thrilled kids and tested parents’ stomach strength as families wandered through chambers of weird wonders.
Each location featured unique architectural gimmicks—buildings that appeared earthquake-damaged or upside-down. Inside, the mix of authentic artifacts and outlandish recreations blurred the line between education and exploitation.
7. Roadside Teepee Motels’ Concrete Wigwams
Nothing screamed “memorable overnight stay” like sleeping in a concrete teepee. These cone-shaped motel rooms clustered around highways nationwide, offering families the thrill of “authentic” Native American accommodations (despite bearing zero resemblance to actual indigenous dwellings).
The Wigwam Villages—with locations in Kentucky, Arizona, and California—became Route 66 icons. Kids begged to stay in these novelty rooms, blissfully unconcerned with the cramped quarters, questionable plumbing, and culturally insensitive theming that made parents wince.
8. Muffler Men’s Towering Roadside Presence
These fiberglass giants—originally designed to hold mufflers but later modified to clutch axes, hot dogs, or rockets—became highway sentinels that kids spotted from miles away. Standing 18-25 feet tall, these brawny behemoths advertised everything from auto shops to miniature golf courses.
My brother once convinced me the Muffler Man outside Cincinnati came alive at night to chase bad drivers. For years afterward, I ducked down in the backseat whenever we passed his towering form.
9. Gatorland’s Toothy Entrance
Long before Disney dominated Orlando tourism, brave families entered Gatorland through an enormous concrete alligator mouth. This Florida attraction combined the thrill of potential reptilian danger with the safety of viewing platforms.
The highlight for squeamish visitors was the “Jumparoo” show, where massive gators leaped from water to snatch chicken dangled by handlers. Parents pretended not to notice the questionable safety standards while kids pressed against railings for better views.
10. Corn Palace’s Kernel Masterpieces
Mitchell, South Dakota’s monument to maize showcases murals made entirely from colored corn. Each year, new agricultural artwork adorns the building’s exterior, drawing crowds who can’t believe they’ve driven hours specifically to see corn glued to walls.
Despite its underwhelming reality, families still pulled over because—well, how could you pass something called a “Corn Palace” without stopping? Inside, the gift shop sold everything imaginable with corn themes, from earrings to Christmas ornaments.
The free admission made it a budget-friendly diversion that parents could justify as “educational.”
11. Prairie Dog Town’s Furry Inhabitants
Billboards promising “Live Prairie Dogs!” lured families to dusty roadside attractions where these adorable rodents popped from burrows in fenced enclosures. Children tossed overpriced food pellets while the creatures performed their signature stand-up poses.
The real draw? Outrageous companion attractions like “The World’s Largest Prairie Dog” (actually a massive concrete statue) or five-legged cows.
These establishments particularly flourished across Kansas and South Dakota, where actual wild prairie dogs were abundant just beyond the parking lots.
12. Trees of Mystery’s Paul Bunyan Monstrosity
The 49-foot Paul Bunyan statue alongside California’s Highway 101 terrified as many children as it delighted. This behemoth lumberjack and his massive blue ox Babe guarded the entrance to a redwood forest attraction filled with unusually shaped trees and a gondola skytrail.
The statue’s most memorable feature? Paul’s ability to speak to visitors through a hidden microphone system. Unsuspecting children would freeze in terror when the giant suddenly boomed, “Hello there, little girl in the red sweater!”
13. Prehistoric Forest’s Faded Dinosaur Kingdom
Walk among dinosaurs! These woodland trails featured life-sized dinosaur statues lurking behind trees, creating prehistoric wonderlands for imaginative kids.
The weathered fiberglass creatures—often showing years of exposure to the elements—somehow enhanced rather than detracted from the experience. Many included cave attractions with stalactites made from painted papier-mâché and blacklight “cavern creatures.”
The gift shops inevitably sold rocks, geodes, and plastic dinosaurs that children treasured as scientific specimens.
14. Alligator Farms’ Reptilian Spectacles
Florida’s highways were dotted with these scaly attractions where sunburned tourists gawked at alligators in concrete pits. The brave (or foolish) could hold baby gators with their mouths taped shut—a photo opportunity no parent could resist despite obvious safety concerns.
These establishments often expanded to include snake displays, parrot shows, and “museums” consisting of dusty taxidermy specimens.
The most memorable featured airboat rides through swamps where guides pointed out wildlife while visitors clutched their hats against the wind.
15. Snake Farms’ Slithering Spectacles
Nothing tested a parent’s dedication like a child begging to visit a snake farm. These reptile-filled roadside stops featured glass cases containing everything from common garter snakes to massive pythons, often housed in questionable conditions that would horrify modern animal welfare advocates.
The brave could drape a boa constrictor around their shoulders for photos that inevitably became family legends.
16. World’s Largest Everything
America’s highways featured a bizarre competition for “World’s Largest” status. Families detoured for hours to see enormous balls of twine, frying pans, rocking chairs, and ketchup bottles—often located in towns desperate for tourism dollars.
These supersized objects served no purpose beyond photo opportunities and bragging rights. “You went to Disney? Well, we saw the World’s Largest Ball of Paint in Indiana!”