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Roadside Attractions: Reasons to Stretch Your Legs

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Roadside Attractions: Reasons to Stretch Your Legs

Evening Lecture/Seminar

Wednesday, July 10, 2024 - 7:00 p.m. to 8:30 p.m. ET
Code: 1NV091
Location:
This online program is presented on Zoom.
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$25
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$30
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Materials for this program

Cadillac Ranch, Amarillo, Texas (Richie Diesterheft/CC BY 2.0)

What do a giant rocking chair, a field of spray-painted Cadillacs, and a 15-foot-tall Superman all have in common? Nothing much, except that they're all examples of the thousands of unique, amusing, and sometimes-bizarre sights that travelers across America visit each year. Commonly referred to as roadside attractions, many of these quirky tourist magnets have interesting stories behind them, or at the very least make for a great photo opportunity.

Travel expert and author Bill Clevlen shares some of those tales: A loving husband built the giant Blue Whale of Catoosa, now a popular Route 66 attraction in Oklahoma, for his wife who loved whales. In Amarillo, Texas, travelers routinely spray-paint the cars at the iconic Cadillac Ranch. The world's largest wind chime—the pride of Casey, Illinois—was constructed in memory of a grandmother who collected them. From Houston's Beer Can House to South Dakota's Corn Palace, travelers have plenty of diverting excuses to pull off the highway and stretch their legs. At the same time, these fun and silly sights help attract visitors to locations they might otherwise just keep driving by.

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