Roadside Attractions
Some of the best stops on any road trip are the ones you never planned for. The giant thing by the highway. The weird museum in a town you’ve never heard of. The solar observatory tucked into the mountains that nobody warned you about. These are the places that make a drive memorable long after the miles are forgotten.
I am a sucker for all of it. The odder the better. Below you will find every roadside attraction and unexpected stop I have documented so far, with more being added as I find them. Take the exit. It is almost always worth it.
Visited Roadside Attractions
Two marble guardian lion statues stand in the Mojave Desert along Historic Route 66 near Amboy, California. Nobody knows who placed them there or when. Visitors have turned the site into a roadside shrine over the years, leaving tokens and writing in notebooks kept at the base of each lion. Free to visit, no signs, no explanation, just two statues watching over the desert and everyone passing through.
Not every Route 66 landmark makes it this far into the desert. Roy’s Motel and Cafe has been standing in Amboy since 1938, and its 50-foot Googie neon sign has been visible from miles out since 1959. The town around it has gone quiet but the sign is still there, still marking the spot. Come take a look at what we found when we pulled off the highway.