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Roadside attraction

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
For the unrelated American production and distribution company, see Roadside Attractions.
World's Largest Dinosaur, a roadside attraction in Drumheller, Alberta
Big Apple in Cramahe, Ontario

A roadside attraction is a feature along the side of a road meant to attract tourists. In general, these are places one might stop on the way to somewhere, rather than being a destination. They are frequently advertised with billboards. The modern tourist-oriented highway attraction originated as a U.S. and Canadian phenomenon in the 1940s to 1960s,[1] and subsequently caught on in Australia.[2]

History

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When long-distance road travel became practical and popular in the 1920s, entrepreneurs began building restaurants, motels, coffee shops, cafes, and unusual businesses to attract travelers.[3][4] Many of the buildings were attractions in themselves in the form of novelty architecture, depicting everyday objects of enormous size, typically relating to the items sold there.[5] Some other types of roadside attractions include monuments and fictionalized-paranormal/illusionary amusements such as the Mystery Spot near Santa Cruz, California,[6] or curiosities such as The Thing? along Interstate 10 in Arizona.[7]

With the construction of the U.S. Interstate Highway System in the mid-1950s, many roadside attractions were bypassed and quickly went out of business.[4] Some remained attractive enough to divert travelers from the interstate for a brief respite and thus remain in business. The best example of this change is along US Route 66, where in the southwest, Interstate 40 provided for non-stop travel.[8][9] In 2017, the publication Best Life listed 33 top roadside attractions in the U.S. Among those listed were Lucy the Elephant, Margate, NJ; Cabazon Dinosaurs, Cabazon, CA; Oregon Vortex, Gold Hill, OR; Jolly Green Giant, Blue Earth, MN; and Secret Caverns, Howes Cave, NY.[10]

Shrinking small towns have built roadside attractions to "foster civic pride", "make our own fun...especially in the middle of winter", and "make it interesting for people to come and move here".[11] Examples include Big Tom, a 22-foot-tall turkey in Frazee, MN; a collection of giant items including a wind chime, mailbox, golf tee, and pitchfork, in Casey, IL; and a giant sugar beet in Halstad, MN.[11] Other Minnesota supersized attractions include a giant loon, otter, prairie chicken, crow, pelican, and three Paul Bunyans.[11] Giant balls of twine are located in four Midwestern states.[11]

See also

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References

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  1. ^ Rick Quinn; RoadTrip America (3 April 2018). RoadTrip America Arizona & New Mexico: 25 Scenic Side Trips. Imbrifex Books. pp. 177–. ISBN 978-1-945501-11-1.
  2. ^ Kaye Sung Chon (4 July 2013). Geography and Tourism Marketing. Routledge. pp. 147–. ISBN 978-1-136-37739-6.
  3. ^ Wickman, Forrest (11 August 2015). "A Mini History of Mega Tourist Traps" – via Slate.
  4. ^ a b Weingroff, Richard F. (27 June 2017). "Along the Interstates: Seeing the Roadside". Highway history. Federal Highway Administration. Retrieved 6 April 2018.
  5. ^ Wickman, Forrest (11 August 2015). "A Mini History of Mega Tourist Traps". Slate. Retrieved 6 April 2018.
  6. ^ Stewart M. Green (14 January 2014). Scenic Routes & Byways California's Pacific Coast. Rowman & Littlefield. pp. 45–. ISBN 978-1-4930-0475-1.
  7. ^ Wesley Treat; Mark Moran; Mark Sceurman (2007). Weird Arizona: Your Travel Guide to Arizona's Local Legends and Best Kept Secrets. Sterling Publishing Company, Inc. pp. 95–. ISBN 978-1-4027-3938-5.
  8. ^ edklein69. "Route 66 History Page". Route 66 World. Retrieved 6 April 2018.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: numeric names: authors list (link)
  9. ^ "The History of Route 66". National Historic Route 66 Federation. 5 March 2011. Retrieved 6 April 2018.
  10. ^ Crow, Sarah (December 20, 2017). "The 33 Best Roadside Attractions in America". BestLife.
  11. ^ a b c d Smith, Mitch; Dickie, Graham (2024-11-28). "This 22-Foot Turkey Roosts in a Region of Roadside Giants". The New York Times. Retrieved 2024-11-29.

Further reading

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  • Berger, Michael L. (2001). The American automobile in the 20th century : a reference guide. Westport, CT: Greenwood Press. ISBN 9780313245589.</ref>
  • Hollis, Tim (1999). Dixie before Disney: 100 years of roadside fun. University Press of Mississippi. ISBN 9781617033742.
  • Jakle, John A.; Sculle, Keith A. (2011). Remembering Roadside America Preserving the Recent Past as Landscape and Place. Knoxville: University of Tennessee Press. ISBN 9781572338333.
  • Kirby, Doug; Smith, Ken; Wilkins, Mike (1992). The new Roadside America: the modern traveler's guide to the wild and wonderful world of America's Tourist attractions. New York: Simon & Schuster. ISBN 9780671769314.
  • Margolies, John (1998). Fun along the road : American tourist attractions. Boston: Little, Brown. ISBN 978-0821223512.
  • Marling, Karal Ann (1984). The Colossus of Roads: Myth and Symbol Along the American Highway. University of Minnesota Press. ISBN 9781452905013.
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