Quirkiest sights in North America
Friday, 8 August 2008 12:00 AM
Close Encounters of the Third Kind
From the landmarks that will make you do a double take, to the places that will provide the best traveller's tales or photo opportunities, TrekAmerica brings us a guide to the best off-the-beaten-track sights in North America.
The world's largest ball of twine
On Saturday August 9th, the Minnesota town of Darwin celebrates its annual Twine Ball Day to commemorate its greatest landmark - a giant ball of twine, four metres in diameter.
The ball was made by one man, Francis A Johnson, who spent 23 weeks in 1950 painstakingly wrapping twine for four hours a day. Nowadays, the ball is proudly displayed in a Plexiglas gazebo so it can be viewed from all sides.
London Bridge
Forty years ago, in 1968, London Bridge was disassembled from its position over the Thames and reconstructed in Lake Havasu City, Arizona.
It remains one of the city's most popular tourist attractions, largely spurred on by the urban myth that the American owner thought he was buying Tower Bridge.
The Spam Museum
Yes, an entire museum dedicated to everyone's favourite canned meat, Spam, which the website modestly refers to as 'the cradle of civilisation'.
A great opportunity for travellers suffering with the credit crunch to stock up on this war-time food staple in Minnesota.
Cadillac Ranch
Take a detour from Route 66 at Amarillo where you'll find ten Cadillac cars buried nose-first into the Texas desert.
Visitors are encouraged to leave their mark by adding to the graffiti-covered vehicles.
Head-Smashed-In Buffalo Jump Museum
It might sound like a wrestling move, but the Head-Smashed-In Buffalo Jump Museum is actually a Unesco World Heritage site in Alberta, Canada.
Visitors can learn about the culture of Native Americans who populated the area for over 5,500 years. The name refers to the tradition of killing buffalo by driving herds over a cliff.
The General Lee
Dukes of Hazzard fans will be in their element at Cooter's Place in Tennessee, a shop and museum that houses memorabilia from the cult TV show including the famous General Lee.
Chicken, Alaska
This town was due to be called Ptarmigan, after the Alaskan state bird that was abundant in the area.
The only problem was that nobody could agree how to spell Ptarmigan.so they named it 'Chicken' instead.
Jolly Green Giant Statue
The universal face of sweetcorn is helping to position Minnesota as the place to go for weird and wonderful sights by securing its third entry in this list.
The Jolly Green Giant Statue, in the town of Blue Earth, stands 55 feet tall, but thankfully for visitors, his modesty is preserved despite his short tunic.
Roswell UFO Museum
Find out more about the 'Roswell Incident' of 1947 and indulge in a whole host of UFO conspiracy theories in New Mexico - before nipping across the road for a milkshake at the world's only UFO-themed McDonalds.
Devils Tower
Continuing the alien theme, this eerie looking monolith in Wyoming played a central role in Close Encounters of the Third Kind.
It is a sacred site for many Native Americans and was proclaimed the USA's first national monument by Theodore Roosevelt in 1906.
Sourtoe Cocktails
Not so much of a sight, but more of an experience, Downtown Hotel in Dawson City, Canada, is home to the famous Sourtoe Cocktail Club.
To become part of the 12,000-plus elite, travellers must drink a shot of their choice containing a severed human toe that must touch the lips.
The hotel is currently on its eighth toe, after several were 'accidentally' swallowed. Try it - if you dare.
All of these weird and wonderful sights of North America can be seen on Trek America tours so call them on 0845 330 6095 or see the Trek America website for more information.
