You’ve visited the beaches in Florida. You’ve driven through the mountains of Colorado. America is full of popular landscapes and locations that have a place on every traveler’s bucket list. If you look a little deeper, you’ll also find countless attractions that are mysterious, humorous, and straight-up bizarre. Whether you’re looking for a quick stop to break up a long road trip or you want to make a vacation out of these strange sights, these three weirdest places to visit in America are worth the trip.
Winchester Mystery House
Step into the 24,000-square foot house of Sarah Winchester, wife of William Winchester and eventual heir to the Winchester Repeating Arms Company. Sarah Winchester feared that the spirits of everyone killed by Winchester firearms were coming to haunt her. To throw off the spirits, she kept building strange additions to her home. The result is a mansion full of narrowing hallways, fake doors, staircases to nowhere, and other deceitful features. After 36 years of construction, the San Jose mansion holds 10,000 windows, 2,000 doors, and 161 rooms. Visitors today can tour the house and gardens on a variety of immersive or educational experiences.
The World’s Largest Ball of Twine
Among the weirdest places to visit in America is the array of the world’s largest objects you can see advertised along the country’s highways. These quirky attractions include a rocking chair you have to climb onto, a cowboy hat that you’ll never grow into, and the iconic World’s Largest Ball of Twine. This last one is one of the best roadside attractions for anyone who spends long hours driving down the highway. A quick stop in Cawker City, Kansas, is a great way to break up your trip through the Midwest. While there, pose for a photo, enjoy the city’s small-town charm, and even add some twine to the giant ball yourself.
The Museum of Bad Art
Among the United States’ many art galleries is the Museum of Bad Art in Somerville, Massachusetts. The collection is exactly what it sounds like: two buildings full of crude and messy art from talented artists. The museum holds works of many different mediums, but you won’t see any of these in an art history book. For this reason, your trip to MOBA will be full of vibrant, unique works that you can’t find anywhere else in the world.