Weird California
Weird California
Weird California - By Joe Parzanese
The James Dean Memorial in Cholame
The James Dean Memorial in Cholame

Roadside Attractions


Unusual attractions, tourist traps, and "giants" litter the highways of America. Just like the other states, California is no exception playing host to large clams, gigantic fruit and even the World's Tallest Thermometer! Many decades ago, California seemed to embrace the concept of kitsch and erected giant icons all over the state. Muffler Men stand watch over the highways, Los Angeles has been immortalized by giant donuts, and sometimes it seems like every small town has a giant artichoke, olive, or turtle.

This section is broken up into the articles below, plus several sub sections including Land of the Giants, a Filming Locations, Strange Rocks, Alien Invasion Sites, and Roadside Dinosaurs.

Alamo Menagerie Auburn Statues Avenue of Faces Chromatic Gate Claes Oldenburg and Coosje van Bruggen The Clown of North Hollywood Easter Island Heads Fighter Plane Crash Gas Station Fruit Cocktail Water Tower Giant VW Spider Bug Gumby and Pokey Hidden Garden Steps Invisible Free Speech Monument James Dean Memorial Los Angeles's Programmatic Architecture Magowan's Infinite Mirror Maze Peggy Sue's 50's Diner Santa Claus Swedish Coffee Pot Trees of Mystery Urban Light Vermonica World's Largest Totem Pole World's Longest Garlic Braid

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