Χά�ων Posted June 25, 2014 Share Posted June 25, 2014 I was planning our vacation and trying to find destinations that are unique and fun to visit. I am not having much luck. I am tired of the same old same old. An example of same old same old is the western and cowboy themed, everything. I am over cowboy and western. After the dozenth time it is all the same. Same with retail 'attractions' (Ikea, Bass Pro, Cabellas, Nebraska Furniture Mart etc), zoos, most children's museums, ice rinks and so on. Two examples: The City Museum in St. Louis The Alien Museum in Roswell, NM Neither have anything else like it. I would love to hear about the unique places you have visited or want to visit. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Amira Posted June 25, 2014 Share Posted June 25, 2014 I love Goblin Valley State Park in Utah. I don't know if that's the kind of thing you're looking for, but we love to hike and climb around there and it seems a bit zany to me. :) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Okra Posted June 25, 2014 Share Posted June 25, 2014 Your list is so broad, maybe it would be helpful to narrow it just a little. But, here's just a few ideas. I think the Chicago Art Museum is unique, but this may not fit your requirements. What about "outside" things? Digging for quartz in Arkansas Yellowstone is amazing, and very unique. You won't find anything like it in the US Grand Canyon When visiting large cities, we like to eat more "unique" food, like Russian food, or Afghan food. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Χά�ων Posted June 25, 2014 Author Share Posted June 25, 2014 I love Goblin Valley State Park in Utah. I don't know if that's the kind of thing you're looking for, but we love to hike and climb around there and it seems a bit zany to me. :) That looks fun! Sadly, my DS cannot do hikes and such any more. :( Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Stacia Posted June 25, 2014 Share Posted June 25, 2014 http://www.roadsideamerica.com/ Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Amira Posted June 25, 2014 Share Posted June 25, 2014 What about living history museums? There are lots of them and we've nearly always very much enjoyed them. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Susan in TN Posted June 25, 2014 Share Posted June 25, 2014 http://www.roadsideamerica.com/ Oh yeah - this site is awesome :D. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
HRAAB Posted June 25, 2014 Share Posted June 25, 2014 I'm not sure if this is exactly zany, but it was fun and we all love it. The House on the Rock near Spring Green, WI. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Matryoshka Posted June 25, 2014 Share Posted June 25, 2014 Is the Corn Palace in SD still around? I remember stopping in there on a cross country trip when I was 13. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ElizabethB Posted June 25, 2014 Share Posted June 25, 2014 Well, slightly outside, but Victoria, BC has some interesting and weird attractions. It is much cheaper when it is not summer, you can take a ferry ride from the Seattle area to there. I love their miniature world, their website has no pictures but if you Google images for "miniature world," a ton come up. They have a little plexiglass bubble next to one of their scenes that makes it feel like you are in the scene, we have funny pictures of our kids in the bubble. They also have a ton of other interesting offbeat turisty things, including a bug zoo. The Seattle area also has some offbeat things, like the gum wall. You could do Seattle area things then go to Victoria. Seattle has the Pike Place market, Airplane museum, Pacific Science Center. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Word Nerd Posted June 25, 2014 Share Posted June 25, 2014 The Garden of Eden, the Garden of Isis, and the Grassroots Art Center in Lucas, Kansas, are well worth getting off of I-70 to see. In fact, there's a lot to see in Kansas if you get off I-70. Lucas also has the World's Largest Collection of the World's Smallest Versions of the World's Largest Things Traveling Roadside Attraction and Museum and the most artistic public restrooms you're ever likely to see. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kebo Posted June 25, 2014 Share Posted June 25, 2014 It's been quite a few years, but I really enjoyed the Seattle Underground Tour. Cool and funny! https://www.undergroundtour.com/about/index.html Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Slartibartfast Posted June 25, 2014 Share Posted June 25, 2014 Zany would be South of the Border in South Carolina. It is a silly place. http://www.thesouthoftheborder.com/ Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ElizabethB Posted June 25, 2014 Share Posted June 25, 2014 It's been quite a few years, but I really enjoyed the Seattle Underground Tour. Cool and funny! https://www.undergroundtour.com/about/index.html I knew Seattle had more weird stuff, I love the underground tour!! The locks and fish ladders are also fun to visit. Nearby Renton has river days with a fun Rubber Ducky race: http://www.rentonriverdays.org/rubber-ducky-derby/ Also, last time I visited downtown renton had a cool glass blowing shop. They have a big bagpipe festival somewhere in the Seattle area every summer. I never went but Kalamanak said it was fun and unique. I think this is it coming up near the end of July: http://www.sshga.org/games/spectatorInfo/gamesSchedules.htm Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
creekland Posted June 25, 2014 Share Posted June 25, 2014 Spy Museum in DC? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
prairiewindmomma Posted June 25, 2014 Share Posted June 25, 2014 ---- Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Alice Posted June 25, 2014 Share Posted June 25, 2014 I'm not sure if this qualifies as zany but we've had great experiences doing factory/visitor center tours. Ones we've been to that were fun: Rt 11 potato chips in Mt. Jackson,Va http://www.rt11.com Zippo/Case Museum in Bradford, PA http://www.zippo.com Pez Visitor Center in Orange, CT https://www.pez.com/visit_us/ Taza Chocolate in Somerville, MA http://www.tazachocolate.com/Tours/Our_Factory_Store Perhaps the most zany place we've been in Foamhenge outside Natural Bridge, VA. It's a replica of Stonehenge done entirely in giant styrofoam. http://www.roadsideamerica.com/story/9209 One thing my husband does for trips is to search on places like Yelp to look for local places near wherever we are going. Or he'll look at where we are going and then look at locations along the way to see if there is quirky stuff to see. Then we stop at those places for the more quirky flavor and also to break up the trip. For example we went to a giant snowman shaped snowcone stand in Pennsylvania or Foamhenge or a causeway in Pennsylvania with swarms of giant carp to feed. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
J-rap Posted June 25, 2014 Share Posted June 25, 2014 Is the Corn Palace in SD still around? I remember stopping in there on a cross country trip when I was 13. If you go to the Corn Palace, then of course you can see Mt. Rushmore but also the much zanier "Cosmos" exhibit! http://www.cosmosmysteryarea.com/ Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
*Lulu* Posted June 25, 2014 Share Posted June 25, 2014 Not sure this is exactly zany....but if y'all like Star Wars the Boston Childen's Museum has an incredible exhibit. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
*Lulu* Posted June 25, 2014 Share Posted June 25, 2014 Oh, There are supposed to be some very cool swamp touring groups in South Louisiana. No hiking as it is all by boat. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
umsami Posted June 25, 2014 Share Posted June 25, 2014 Two cheesy tourist places, but fun are: Gatorland in Orlando. Rock City in Georgia. Nashville has the totally trashy tours. I also really enjoyed visiting Andrew Jackson's home. When I was in high school, we did a civil war battlefield tour which was actually interesting. Greenfield Village, the Detroit Institute of Arts, Detroit Historical Society, Sleeping Bear Dunes, the Cherry Festival are all Michigan things…as is Holland, Michigan's tulip festival. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MercyA Posted June 25, 2014 Share Posted June 25, 2014 Winchester Mystery House in San Jose, CA Biltmore Estate in North Carolina Niagara Falls (lots of cheesy little museums, plus "Journey Behind the Falls," "The White Water Walk," etc.) Whale watching in Monterey, CA Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Slartibartfast Posted June 25, 2014 Share Posted June 25, 2014 Word Nerd--don't forget Kansas's other claims to fame: the world's biggest ball of twine: http://www.roadsideamerica.com/story/8543 the geographic center of the continental 48: http://www.roadsideamerica.com/tip/7032 truckhenge: http://www.roadsideamerica.com/story/16024 salt museum--most of this is on a tram, fwiw: http://www.roadsideamerica.com/story/12232 cosmosphere--their astronaut camp is pretty cool: http://www.roadsideamerica.com/story/15461 pancake day hall of fame: http://www.roadsideamerica.com/story/29673 and all of the wizard of oz sites We may not have much in Kansas, but we've got zany. There's an entire tv series on all of the zany places you can go in KS...Rare Visions and Roadside Revelations...they've expanded beyond KS now, but if you're ever bored some evening, you can stream it http://cove.kcpt.org/program/rare-visions-and-roadside-revelations/ City Museum in STL is fun, so is the magic house in Kirkwood. ;) It isn't zany If someone is driving Kansas City I would mention that the WW1 memorial is commemorating the assassination of Arch Duke Ferdinand this year. It is a memorial with a museum underneath and it is really worth visiting. We used to live in KC and people who were visiting me always enjoyed it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mona100 Posted June 25, 2014 Share Posted June 25, 2014 Two cheesy tourist places, but fun are: Gatorland in Orlando. Rock City in Georgia. Gatorland in Orlando totally surprised me. I expected it to be a dump but it was really fun and entertaining. When my daughter and I went in May, I figured we would only be there maybe an hour but we ended up staying about 3 hours. I thought Chattanooga TN had a Rock City. Maybe there are two? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
almondbutterandjelly Posted June 25, 2014 Share Posted June 25, 2014 I like places with dinosaur footprints. In Texas, there is Dinosaur Valley State Park up sort of near Dallas - ish. In Canyon Lake, there is the Heritage Museum. Both very enjoyable places to visit. I also enjoyed the Laura Ingalls Wilder home and museum in Mansfield, MO, kind of near Branson. Don't know how zany those are, but sure were fun! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
zoobie Posted June 25, 2014 Share Posted June 25, 2014 Rock City is in Chattanooga, TN which is very close to the GA border. It also has Ruby Falls, a nice aquarium, minor league baseball park, children's museum... Very cute vacation town! One of my friends is on vacation in Pittsburgh and just posted pics of Randyland. It looks very cool and offbeat. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LostSurprise Posted June 25, 2014 Share Posted June 25, 2014 There's always the SPAM museum in Austin, MN off I90. If you're lucky the SPAMmobile is there. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PinkyandtheBrains. Posted June 25, 2014 Share Posted June 25, 2014 Winchester Mystery House in San Jose, CA Biltmore Estate in North Carolina Niagara Falls (lots of cheesy little museums, plus "Journey Behind the Falls," "The White Water Walk," etc.) Whale watching in Monterey, CA The Winchester Mystery House came to mind first when thinking zany. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Terabith Posted June 25, 2014 Share Posted June 25, 2014 There's nothing like the City Museum in St. Louis. Really, really amazing. I don't know if your son is too old, but the Boo Ridley park in Carbondale, IL a couple hours from there is incredible. The Corn Palace is still around. I actually graduated from high school in it! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AnIslandGirl Posted June 25, 2014 Share Posted June 25, 2014 The best and craziest place we experienced was in Black Rock City, Nevada for the "Burning Man Festival". It's only there for a week or so, but oh my goodness what a week it is! https://www.google.com/search?q=lburning+man+festival&tbm=isch&ei=6VmrU7CECpCbqAbQioKADg#q=burning+man+festival&tbm=isch http://www.burningman.com/ Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
creekland Posted June 25, 2014 Share Posted June 25, 2014 Gatorland in Orlando totally surprised me. I expected it to be a dump but it was really fun and entertaining. When my daughter and I went in May, I figured we would only be there maybe an hour but we ended up staying about 3 hours. I thought Chattanooga TN had a Rock City. Maybe there are two? Ditto on Gatorland, but it's been ages since we've been there. Rock City is officially in GA... right outside of Chattanooga, TN. Rock City is in Chattanooga, TN which is very close to the GA border. It also has Ruby Falls, a nice aquarium, minor league baseball park, children's museum... Very cute vacation town! As mentioned, Rock City is in GA. All the rest is in TN. The border is right there. My oldest son also lives on Lookout Mt. We've enjoyed visits. ;) http://www.seerockcity.com/pages/Plan-Your-Visit/ Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Annie G Posted June 26, 2014 Share Posted June 26, 2014 Lucas also has the World's Largest Collection of the World's Smallest Versions of the World's Largest Things Traveling Roadside Attraction and Museum and the most artistic public restrooms you're ever likely to see. It has a theme song! We are SO going there if we're ever in the region! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
aug17girl Posted June 26, 2014 Share Posted June 26, 2014 Route 66 is full of zany attractions. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
aug17girl Posted June 26, 2014 Share Posted June 26, 2014 The Shelburne Museum in Shelburne Vermont is kind of wacky in just its eclectic collection of stuff. Amongst other things there is a steamboat on dry land, French Impressionist paintings, and a collection of toys, doll houses and automata. http://shelburnemuseum.org/explore/collections/ Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DesertBlossom Posted June 26, 2014 Share Posted June 26, 2014 We visited the Genoa Tower in CO a few years ago. It was the weirdest museum I have ever seen, Just bizarre. I looked it up and it says it's closed now. That's a bummer. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Χά�ων Posted June 26, 2014 Author Share Posted June 26, 2014 We visited the Genoa Tower in CO a few years ago. It was the weirdest museum I have ever seen, Just bizarre. I looked it up and it says it's closed now. That's a bummer. :( It was on my bucket list. of places to visit. Just never could get there when it was open. Dang. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
happi duck Posted June 26, 2014 Share Posted June 26, 2014 ... I don't know if your son is too old, but the Boo Ridley park in Carbondale, IL a couple hours from there is incredible. ... If this is the place I'm thinking of we all loved it and my kids were mid to late teens at the time! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Terabith Posted June 26, 2014 Share Posted June 26, 2014 If this is the place I'm thinking of we all loved it and my kids were mid to late teens at the time! It's a dragon park! Other fantasy creatures abound, but it's incredibly cool, especially for a dragon obsessed child! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AlmiraGulch Posted June 26, 2014 Share Posted June 26, 2014 There's always the SPAM museum in Austin, MN off I90. If you're lucky the SPAMmobile is there. I was going to say this! I actually thought the place was fun, even though I made fun of it in advance. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
happi duck Posted June 26, 2014 Share Posted June 26, 2014 It's a dragon park! Other fantasy creatures abound, but it's incredibly cool, especially for a dragon obsessed child! I was thinking of the right place! So cool!! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Slache Posted June 26, 2014 Share Posted June 26, 2014 The Vortex in Oregon is cool. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
trulycrabby Posted June 26, 2014 Share Posted June 26, 2014 Dig for diamonds in arkansas:http://www.craterofdiamondsstatepark.com/ Sapphire mining in Montana:http://www.gemmountainmt.com/#! Dig for emeralds in North Carolina:http://www.gemologistsam.net/dig-for-emeralds-and-sapphires-in-north-carolina/ Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
T'smom Posted June 26, 2014 Share Posted June 26, 2014 When I saw your title I was all excited to suggest City Museum in St. Louis, but I see you already have that covered. I've been to a Ripley's Believe It or Not Museum. That was pretty zany! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
trulycrabby Posted June 26, 2014 Share Posted June 26, 2014 Old Sow, the largest natural whirlpool in north america:http://oldsowwhirlpool.com/ Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
trulycrabby Posted June 26, 2014 Share Posted June 26, 2014 Mermaids! Weeki Wache Springs State park in Florida:http://www.weekiwachee.com/ Manatees! http://www.floridastateparks.org/manateesprings/ Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PIE! Posted June 26, 2014 Share Posted June 26, 2014 The Henry ford museum and greenfield village. I was also going to suggest carhenge, but I see there have already been several other "henges" mentioned. I didn't know there were so many different things duplicating Stonehenge! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
J-rap Posted June 26, 2014 Share Posted June 26, 2014 I thought of another one, if you're in the Wisconsin area: House on the Rock http://www.thehouseontherock.com/ Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BrookValley. Posted June 26, 2014 Share Posted June 26, 2014 I'm not sure if this is exactly zany, but it was fun and we all love it. The House on the Rock near Spring Green, WI. Neil Gaiman-themed road trip!! I really want to go here. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
FriedClams Posted June 27, 2014 Share Posted June 27, 2014 We have a NO CHAINS rule when we travel. That's helps a ton with the food part of vacaioning. I use the "urban spoon" app and the "road food" book from the couple from The Splendid Table. We've found some AMAZING places that way. I still salivate thinking of Cuban roast corn at Paseo in Key West... Sigh... There used to be a cool series of books called "Off the Beaten Path" and they had all kinds of cool, unusual things to see in each state. I'd highly recommend them, though I'm not sure they still print them. You could likely find them on Paperback Swap or used. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ravin Posted June 27, 2014 Share Posted June 27, 2014 A few I can think of: the statue of Paul Bunyan and Blue the Big Ox in California. Also the actual redwoods. The Santa Cruz Boardwalk. For full effect, watch the movie "The Lost Boys" first. It was filmed there. Not zany, but awesome, the Monterey Bay Aquarium. Hoover Dam is pretty awe inspiring Caves! Carlsbad, Mammoth...there are quite a few across the country and all are unique. A good one when just passing through: Cadillac Ranch outside Amarillo, TX. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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