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Giant Volkswagen Beetle Spider in Avoca, Iowa

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.

Giant Volkswagen beetle spider in Avoca, Iowa. |Iowa Roadside Attractions.

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!

The Road Trip Journal & Activity Book - Everything You Need to Have and Record an Epic Road Trip! By Valerie Bromann

The Road Trip Journal & Activity Book

Everything You Need to Have and Record an Epic Road Trip!

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.

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.

Giant Volkswagen beetle spider in Avoca, Iowa. |Iowa Roadside Attractions.

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:

Giant Volkswagen beetle spider in Avoca, Iowa. |Iowa Roadside Attractions.
Giant Volkswagen beetle spider in Avoca, Iowa. |Iowa Roadside Attractions.
Giant Volkswagen beetle spider in Avoca, Iowa. |Iowa Roadside Attractions.
Giant Volkswagen beetle spider in Avoca, Iowa. |Iowa Roadside Attractions.
Giant Volkswagen beetle spider in Avoca, Iowa. |Iowa Roadside Attractions.

Photos of the Volkswagen spider in 2008:

Giant Volkswagen Beetle Spider in Avoca, Iowa. Giant Spider made from a Volkswagen Beetle car - a roadside attraction in Avoca, Iowa.
Giant Volkswagen Beetle Spider in Avoca, Iowa. Giant Spider made from a Volkswagen Beetle car - a roadside attraction in Avoca, Iowa.

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

Pin this Iowa roadside attraction to save for your road trip itinerary!

Giant Spider made from a Volkswagen Beetle car - a weird roadside attraction in Avoca, Iowa. Not a roadside attraction for those with arachnophobia! The giant Volkswagen Beetle Spider in Avoca is a different type of VW bug than you might be used to seeing! Add this to your Iowa bucket list of things to do on an Iowa road trip.
#IowaRoadsideAttraction #RoadsideAttraction #RoadTrip #IowaRoadTrip #IowaThingsToDo #IowaBucketList #IowaRoadTripIdeas  #IowaTravel
#WeirdRoadsideAttractions #RoadTripStop
Giant Spider made from a Volkswagen Beetle car - a weird roadside attraction in Avoca, Iowa. Not a roadside attraction for those with arachnophobia! The giant Volkswagen Beetle Spider in Avoca is a different type of VW bug than you might be used to seeing! Add this to your Iowa bucket list of things to do on an Iowa road trip.
#IowaRoadsideAttraction #RoadsideAttraction #RoadTrip #IowaRoadTrip #IowaThingsToDo #IowaBucketList #IowaRoadTripIdeas  #IowaTravel
#WeirdRoadsideAttractions #RoadTripStop
Giant Spider made from a Volkswagen Beetle car – a weird roadside attraction in Avoca, Iowa. Not a roadside attraction for those with arachnophobia! The giant Volkswagen Beetle Spider in Avoca is a different type of VW bug than you might be used to seeing! Add this to your Iowa bucket list of things to do on an Iowa road trip.

VALerie BROMANN

Founder & Head Road Tripper

Val is the founder and head road tripper at Silly America. Having grown up near Berwyn's famed car kabob, The Spindle, and a restaurant with a cow on its roof, her fascination with roadside attractions started early. Today, Val has visited hundreds roadside attractions across the United States and is constantly on the lookout for the next BIG thing!

The Road Trip Journal & Activity Book - Everything You Need to Have and Record an Epic Road Trip! By Valerie Bromann

The Road Trip Journal & Activity Book

Everything You Need to Have and Record an Epic Road Trip!

BY Valerie Bromann

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.

The road trip you’ve been dreaming of starts here! Journal about your stops and get to know your fellow passengers with activities and exercises designed to pass the time and bring you closer together. Instead of “Are we there yet?” you’ll find yourself asking, “We’re there already?”. Complete with prompts you can turn to while driving between locations, this journal will one day be a memento of your life-changing trip.