Planning an Iowa road trip and looking for all the best things to do and things to see in the state? Browse below to find a selection of the best Iowa roadside attractions for sightseeing, famous tourist sites, tasty roadside restaurants, road trip stops, top attractions, destinations, and other must-see Iowa tourist attractions at Silly America. Plan your next vacation or road trip driving through Iowa and find all the most iconic, weird, cool, and silliest sites along the way!
This roadside attraction is a home run. It’s big. It’s fiberglass. It’s repurposed. And it’s wonderful. Meet the Happy Chef Umpire in Ryan, Iowa. Happy Chef was a restaurant chain founded in 1963. It was then that the Frederick Brothers, — Sal, Bob, Bill and Tom — opened the first location on US HWY 169 …
I love this roadside attraction BERRY much — and I hope you do too. It’s the world’s largest strawberry in Strawberry Point, Iowa. Strawberry Point, Iowa is billed as “The Sweetest Place to Grow” so it’s only fitting that they have a roadside attraction dedicated to their sweet namesake that grows far beyond normal size: …
Some roadside attractions you have to TREE to believe. Like the Tree of Five Seasons in Cedar Rapids, Iowa. Since 1975 Cedar Rapids has been known as the “City of Five Seasons.” The slogan replaced the previous motto of “Parlor City of Iowa” and was dreamt up by Creswell, Munsell, Fultz & Zirbel (CMF&Z) that …
Are you planning an Iowa road trip and want to find all the best Iowa roadside attractions along your route? Whether you’re driving across I-80, taking the Great River Road, or exploring the Historic Hills, you won’t want to miss these fifteen must-see places to go in Iowa. They’re fun road trip stops and great …
Why is there a Danish Windmill in Elk Horn, Iowa? Elk Horn and nearby Kimballton (home of the Little Mermaid fountain) make up the largest Danish settlement in the United States. In the 1940s the town raised over $30,000 to buy one for themselves and have it shipped over from Denmark. The Danish windmill was …
If you’re driving on a road trip on Interstate 80 near the Iowa/Illinois border and find yourself needing gas, there’s only one choice for where to stop: Iowa 80, the world’s largest truckstop. In fact, you should probably stop even if you have a full tank. Because this gas station is a roadside attraction in …
Cheers from Des Moines! I always love a good “greetings from” postcard mural (like these in Chicago and Austin) so I just had to check out this Cheers from Des Moines mural in Iowa while stopping in town on a road trip. The mural, created by artist Ben Schuh, is located on the side of …
Sculpture parks are always a roadside-attraction lover’s goldmine as they are often packed with weird and wonderful statues from a variety of artists around the world. As such, the John and Mary Pappajohn Sculpture Park in Des Moines, Iowa did not disappoint. The John and Mary Pappajohn Sculpture Park is a 4.4 acre park located …
I’ve seen a lot of corny roadside attractions on my road trips around the United States. There was the Large Rotating Ear of Corn in Coon Rapids, Iowa. There was the Field of Giant Corn Cobs in Dublin, Ohio. And now there’s this: the Agri-Symbol, a 76-Foot-Tall Corn Stalk in Shelby, Iowa. Just off of …
One of the most popular and beloved tourist attractions in Denmark is the Little Mermaid statue that has sat on a rock in Copenhagen harbor since 1913. But, if you’re in the American Midwest and can’t make it all the way across the ocean to check it out, have I got a treat for you: …
Enjoy fun games and challenges to pass the time on your next road trip and have a keepsake to look back on for years to come with this entertaining must-have for your next vacation.
Silly America is a roadside attractions blog designed to help travelers find unique stops for their next road trip. The website is a tribute to the great American road trip, devoted to all that is odd in America: roadside attractions, tourist traps, peculiar destinations, bizarre events, road food, fun festivals, and more! It’s a travel website and trip planner for those seeking an offbeat road trip.
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