While my friends and I were driving through Kansas on our way to Washington DC, we saw signs for "the largest prairie dog in the world". When I was younger we took a couple of road trips out east. That meant taking I-80 all the way through Kansas. I remember passing these signs and wanting to stop. Its not that I REALLY wanted to see the worlds larges prairie dog... it was more that I had cabin fever from being in the car and I was really bored because Kansas is so flat. However my dad would never stop. So this time around I realized that I was in control and could stop if I wanted. So we pulled into the dirt parking lot and entered the most foul smelling building I have ever been in. It was filled with animals that were dead and stuffed. However we didn't see the largest prairie dog. For that we had to pay 8 bucks to go out back and check it out. In my mind the prairie dog was going to be some dead stuffed animal that was super fake, but boy was I wrong.... It was an incredibly simple cement statue.
I mean I knew it was a scam all along and I knew I was going to get ripped off, but I didn't think it was going to be THIS bad. However, other attractions out back were other live animals. The nastiest was a 6 legged cow. Unfortunately that image will be with me for a while. Dad, you were right not to stop.
So do any of you have funny stories about unusual road side attractions?
4 comments:
I think we wanted to stop there on our way from D.C. Do you remember that? So glad we didn't!
The six-legged cow sounds really horrible.
On the island of Grand Cayman there are some caves that pirates at one point used to smuggle rum throughout the Caribbean. A local family there, whose land they are on, will let you walk through them for a dollar. I think their kids must have done the attraction design for it, because aside from being littered with plastic army men, there is a section decorated with plastic dinosaurs and a hand-painted sign that says, "Dino-City". It's worth it, though, because at the end they give you a pencil.
My family loves traveling to see quirky roadside attractions like these! In fact, we have a blog,“Go BIG or Go Home,” which chronicles what happens when our small-town family visits the “world’s largest”…whatever! http://GoBIGorGoHomeblog.com
I love it! I don't think we've ever stopped at one of these types of things, but I did stop and take a picture with a fake Sarah Palin yesterday! :)
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