{"id":28220,"date":"2013-10-24T14:15:52","date_gmt":"2013-10-24T19:15:52","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.orbitz.com\/blog\/?p=28220"},"modified":"2018-03-05T12:02:27","modified_gmt":"2018-03-05T18:02:27","slug":"roadside-americana-the-big-attractions","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.orbitz.com\/blog\/2013\/10\/roadside-americana-the-big-attractions\/","title":{"rendered":"Roadside Americana: the big attractions"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"TwineBall_colorAdjust_resize_w500\"<\/p>\n

One of the best parts of a good road trip – besides kicking your feet up and turning the music up loud – is stumbling across the unexpected, off-kilter roadside attractions that dot the U.S. These\u00a0 pieces of Americana are peculiar enough to make you want to veer off the beaten path and scratch your head in disbelief.<\/p>\n

In Niles, Illinois, a suburb of Chicago<\/a>, you\u2019ll find a Midwestern take on the Leaning Tower of Pisa, for example. Dating back to 1934, it sports a 15-foot lean \u2014 just like the original \u2014 even if it\u2019s a mere 94 feet tall.<\/p>\n

Speaking of landmarks, the original London Bridge is in Havasu City, Ariz.<\/a> Built in 1831, it spanned the Thames until the middle of the last century when an oil baron had the 950-foot icon disassembled and relocated to its current resting place.<\/p>\n

Unbeknownst to most, America\u2019s largest lake, known as the Lost Sea, is tucked 140 feet below Sweetwater, Tennessee<\/a>. Descend to see 20,000-year-old jaguar tracks and take a glass-bottom boat ride to explore.<\/p>\n

Heading in a different direction, there\u2019s always the aptly named Paper House in Rockport, Massachusetts.<\/a> It is, in fact, a house made with paper, glue and \u2014 for good measure \u2014 varnish. Incidentally, it does feature a wood frame, wood floors and a shingled roof.<\/p>\n

Drive down lonely Route 50 by the town of Middlegate, Nevada<\/a>, to see the Shoe Tree, where endless pairs of sneakers hang from the tree branches thanks to tourists and locals hoping to enliven the barren stretch.<\/p>\n

Arguably even more peculiar, though, is the World\u2019s Largest Ball of Twine in Cawker City, Kansas<\/a>. Started back in 1953, the 40-foot wonder, situated off of U.S. Highway 24, is added to each year during an annual event.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Pull over for the world’s largest ball of twine, the original London Bridge and more.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":43,"featured_media":28230,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":"","_links_to":"","_links_to_target":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[898],"class_list":["post-28220","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-uncategorized","tag-road-trip"],"acf":{"api_active":null,"api_title":null,"api_excerpt":null,"api_featured_image":null,"api_lob":null},"posts_api_cpm_point":[{"name":"","description":"","thumbnail":"","address":"United States","latitude":"37.09024","longitude":"-95.71289100000001","icon":"\/images\/icons\/marker.png"}],"yoast_head":"\nRoadside Americana: the big attractions | Orbitz<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link 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