What do you get when you mix a spider with a beetle? A giant Volkswagen Beetle Spider, of course! Like this one in Avoca, Iowa.
I’m not sure this car/arachnid hybrid is quite what you normally think of when you think Volkswagen bug…but, this Iowa roadside attraction stands heads and shoulders… and eight giant legs… above the rest!
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This giant VW beetle spider in Avoca, Iowa is made from a vintage Volkswagen beetle car (VW bug) sitting on top of eight long, thin, spider legs! I first visited the Volkswagen spider car on my 2008 Labor Day Mount Rushmore road trip and couldn’t believe my eyes! (So it’s a good thing I don’t have twelve eyes, like many spiders do, myself!)
The spider VW bug was built by Travis and Angela Campbell across the street from their father Darwin’s home.
I loved the Iowa roadside attraction so much I visited the big car with spider legs again 11 years later on a western road trip from Chicago to Idaho.
I guess this giant VW bug spider sculpture isn’t a roadside attraction to see if you have arachnophobia (the fear of spiders) OR vehophobia (the fear of driving). Just please make sure you stay away if you have BOTH! Luckily for me, I love to drive (at least, I love to drive on road trips) and I don’t mind a spider or two (does anyone really love spiders?). So for most of the rest of us, the VW spider bug is a fun, quick detour when looking for attractions along I-80 in Iowa… it’s only about a mile and a half south.
Photos of the VW beetle spider in 2019:
Photos of the Volkswagen spider in 2008:
Looking for more roadside attractions in Iowa? Check out these other nearby road trip stops: the giant rotating ear of corn in Coon Rapids, Albert the Bull, Agri-Symbol Corn Stalk, and the Working Danish Windmill.
Volkswagen Beetle Spider
Location: 649 S Chestnut St, Avoca, Iowa 51521
Cost: Free to see.
Hours: Visible at all hours.
Date of Photos: September 2008, August 2019
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