<\/p>\n
![\"Salvation](\"https:\/\/www.orbitz.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/04\/salvation-mountain-california-highway-395.jpg\")
Salvation Mountain | Photo courtesy of Jenna Faye<\/p><\/div>\n
1. Salvation Mountain<\/a>:\u00a0Niland, CA<\/h3>\nLeonard Knight spent 14 years trying to make a hot air balloon big enoughto carryhim across the country to spread his hand-stitched message of God\u2019s love. When it failed to fly, he went into the desert and, over the course of another couple of decades, built a sprawling adobe mountain 85 miles southeast of\u00a0Palm Springs<\/a> that he covered with religious messages\u2014and an estimated 100,000 gallons of paint. Knight died in 2014 at age 82, but his monument to love lives on.<\/p>\n![\"The](\"https:\/\/www.orbitz.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/10\/the-watts-towers-california.jpg\")
The Watts Towers | Flickr CC: Yevgenia Watts<\/a><\/p><\/div>\n2. Watts Towers<\/a>:\u00a0Los Angeles, CA<\/h3>\nWhen Simon Rodia was asked why he built the 17 soaring structures that make up the Watts Towers in LA<\/a>, he said \u201cI had it in mind to do something big, and I did it.\u201d Did he ever. Rodia, an Italian immigrant, spent 33 years constructing the towers out of steel rebar, concrete and wire, and covering them with a mosaic of broken glass and pottery. The tallest tower is 30 meters high and in addition to being an inspiring testament to Rodia\u2019s dedication, it\u2019s also something of an architectural and structural marvel.<\/p>\n![\"Bottle](\"https:\/\/www.orbitz.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/04\/bottle-tree-ranch-california-highway-395.jpg\")
Bottle Tree Ranch | Flickr CC: K\u0101rlis Dambr\u0101ns<\/a><\/p><\/div>\n3. Elmer\u2019s Bottle Tree Ranch: Oro Grande, CA:<\/h3>\n
There\u2019s no shortage of quirky stops along Route 66, but there\u2019s only one Bottle Tree Ranch. Located outside 95 miles northeast of\u00a0Los Angeles<\/a>, Elmer Long\u2019s property is covered with more than 200 bottle trees\u2014large scrap metal poles decorated with empty glass bottles\u2014and each one of them is different. Long is usually at his Ranch, so he\u2019d be glad to tell you the stories behind the project and, if you donate a couple of bucks, you\u2019ll get a piece of glass to take with you.<\/p>\n![\"The](\"https:\/\/www.orbitz.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/10\/The-Heidelberg-Project-detroit.jpg\")
The Heidelberg Project | Flickr CC: Jamie<\/a><\/p><\/div>\n4. The Heidelberg Project<\/a>:\u00a0Detroit, MI<\/h3>\nIf you\u2019ve postponed a visit to Detroit<\/a>\u2019s Heidelberg Project, you\u2019d better put it on your calendar now. Artist Tyree Gunton recently announced that he will be dismantling his 30-year-old public art installation, taking the teddy bears, shopping carts and dot-covered discarded items down, one piece at a time, one house at a time. \u201cI\u2019m on an elevator and I\u2019vetaken it from the ground floor up to the very top 30 years later,\u201d Gunton told the Detroit Free Press<\/a>. \u201cNow I\u2019m reversing that process and I\u2019m going to take this elevator down.\u201d<\/p>\n![\"Cano's](\"https:\/\/www.orbitz.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/10\/canos-castle-colorado.jpg\")
Cano’s Castle | Flickr CC: Michael Rael<\/a><\/p><\/div>\n5. Cano\u2019s Castle: Antonito, CO<\/h3>\n
When Dominic \u201cCano\u201d Espinoza was deployed during the Vietnam War, he became fascinated with the country’s Buddhist temples. Several decades after returning\u00a0home, he started construction on his own mostly-aluminum homage in a small Colorado<\/a> town. His castle is made up of four towers, all covered in beer cans, hubcaps and other discarded metal items, while signs convey his devotion to Jesus and \u201cVitamin Mary Jane.\u201d<\/p>\n![\"Crystal](\"https:\/\/www.orbitz.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/10\/Crystal_Shrine_Grotto_Memphis_TN_2014-03-22_007.jpg\")
Crystal Shrine Grotto | Wiki CC: Thomas R Machnitzki<\/p><\/div>\n
6. Crystal Shrine Grotto<\/a>:\u00a0Memphis, TN<\/h3>\nDionicio Rodriguez was so secretive about his creative process that he mixed hispaints in the trunk of his car and broke the jars when he was finished using them. Although no one knows how exactly he worked, Rodriguez\u2019 legacy is the world\u2019s only man-made crystal cave\u2014located on the grounds of Memphis\u2019<\/a> Memorial Park Cemetery\u2014with glittering quartz and concrete structures you\u2019ll have to touch to believe that they aren\u2019t actually the gnarled and knotted trunks of old trees.<\/p>\n![\"Dr](\"https:\/\/www.orbitz.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/10\/Dr.-Evermors-Forevertron-wisconsin.jpg\")
Dr Evermor’s Forevertron | Flickr CC: jchapiewsky<\/a><\/p><\/div>\n7. Dr. Evermor\u2019s Forevertron<\/a>:\u00a0Sumpter, WI<\/h3>\nTom Every\u2014who later christened himself Dr. Evermor\u2014built this 300-ton scrap metal spaceship outside of Madison<\/a> to catapult himself into the cosmos on a magnetic lightning beam. Spoiler alert: It didn\u2019t work. But Forevertron remains a part of Dr. Evermor\u2019s Art Park and those who visit can marvel at its size and components; some of the pieces welded onto the backyard behemoth include two Edison dynamos and parts of the decontamination chamber from Apollo 11, including the autoclave used to clean moon rocks from the mission.<\/p>\n![\"Paradise](\"https:\/\/www.orbitz.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/10\/hewahc-image-1476981357549.jpeg\")
Paradise Garden | Photo courtesy of @hewahc<\/p><\/div>\n
8. Paradise Garden<\/a>:\u00a0Summerville, GA<\/h3>\nHoward Finster was 59 years old when a paint smudge on his thumb turned into a face, one that implored him to paint \u201csacred art\u201d that spread God\u2019s message. For the next 25 years, he did just that in this town 90 miles northwest of\u00a0Atlanta<\/a>, painting almost 50,000 numbered works. Finster\u2014whose art you might recognize from R.E.M. and Talking Heads album covers\u2014collected these and thousands of other folk art-ifacts in his Paradise Garden. You can visit for the day or immerse yourself in all things Finster by staying in the onsite Airbnb.<\/p>\n![\"philly-magic-gardens\"](\"https:\/\/www.orbitz.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/10\/philly-magic-gardens.jpg\")
Philly Magic Gardens | Flickr CC: Jennifer Boyer<\/a><\/p><\/div>\n9. Philadelphia\u2019s Magic Gardens<\/a>:\u00a0Philadelphia, PA:<\/h3>\nThis outdoor art installation covers half a block on Philadelphia<\/a>\u2019s South Street, its mosaiced walls and garden maze providing a glorious contrast to the hair salon, ATMs and drug store that are on the less magical side of the street. Thanks to donations from the community, Isaiah Zager andhis wife were able to buy the land wherehe constructed this truly magical place and it is now a thriving sanctuary for outsider art, installations and Zager\u2019s limitless creativity.<\/p>\n![\"dick-and-janes-spot-washington\"](\"https:\/\/www.orbitz.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/10\/dick-and-janes-spot-washington.jpg\")
Dick and Jane’s Spot | Flickr CC: Harmony<\/a><\/p><\/div>\n10.\u00a0Dick and Jane\u2019s Spot<\/a>:\u00a0Ellensburg, WA<\/h3>\nDespite their storybook-perfect names, Dick Elliot and Jane Orleman were a real couple who filled their yard in Washington<\/a> with dozens and dozens of towering artworks and found items. Both of them contributed some of their own work to the collection, while more than 40 other artists are represented behind their modest (but decorative) chain link fence. Elliot died in 2008, but the Spot remains and, as always, it’s free to visit.<\/p>\n![\"The](\"https:\/\/www.orbitz.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/10\/the-garden-of-eden-kansas.jpg\")
S.P. Dinsmoor’s The Garden of Eden | Flickr CC: Patrick Emerson<\/a><\/p><\/div>\n11. S.P. Dinsmoor\u2019s Garden of Eden<\/a>:\u00a0Lucas, KS<\/h3>\nSamuel Perry Dinsmoor was a Civil War veteran and a sculptorwho dedicated most of his life to creating concrete versions of his own religious and populist beliefs. The resulting works were collected and displayed at his log cabin (which he also built) two hours north of Wichita<\/a> and named the Garden of Eden. After touring the site and seeing his towering Biblical creations, you can stop by to see Dinsmoor himself: He\u2019s buried in a mausoleum on the site.<\/p>\n
The Watts Towers | Flickr CC: Yevgenia Watts<\/a><\/p><\/div>\n When Simon Rodia was asked why he built the 17 soaring structures that make up the Watts Towers in LA<\/a>, he said \u201cI had it in mind to do something big, and I did it.\u201d Did he ever. Rodia, an Italian immigrant, spent 33 years constructing the towers out of steel rebar, concrete and wire, and covering them with a mosaic of broken glass and pottery. The tallest tower is 30 meters high and in addition to being an inspiring testament to Rodia\u2019s dedication, it\u2019s also something of an architectural and structural marvel.<\/p>\n Bottle Tree Ranch | Flickr CC: K\u0101rlis Dambr\u0101ns<\/a><\/p><\/div>\n There\u2019s no shortage of quirky stops along Route 66, but there\u2019s only one Bottle Tree Ranch. Located outside 95 miles northeast of\u00a0Los Angeles<\/a>, Elmer Long\u2019s property is covered with more than 200 bottle trees\u2014large scrap metal poles decorated with empty glass bottles\u2014and each one of them is different. Long is usually at his Ranch, so he\u2019d be glad to tell you the stories behind the project and, if you donate a couple of bucks, you\u2019ll get a piece of glass to take with you.<\/p>\n The Heidelberg Project | Flickr CC: Jamie<\/a><\/p><\/div>\n If you\u2019ve postponed a visit to Detroit<\/a>\u2019s Heidelberg Project, you\u2019d better put it on your calendar now. Artist Tyree Gunton recently announced that he will be dismantling his 30-year-old public art installation, taking the teddy bears, shopping carts and dot-covered discarded items down, one piece at a time, one house at a time. \u201cI\u2019m on an elevator and I\u2019vetaken it from the ground floor up to the very top 30 years later,\u201d Gunton told the Detroit Free Press<\/a>. \u201cNow I\u2019m reversing that process and I\u2019m going to take this elevator down.\u201d<\/p>\n Cano’s Castle | Flickr CC: Michael Rael<\/a><\/p><\/div>\n When Dominic \u201cCano\u201d Espinoza was deployed during the Vietnam War, he became fascinated with the country’s Buddhist temples. Several decades after returning\u00a0home, he started construction on his own mostly-aluminum homage in a small Colorado<\/a> town. His castle is made up of four towers, all covered in beer cans, hubcaps and other discarded metal items, while signs convey his devotion to Jesus and \u201cVitamin Mary Jane.\u201d<\/p>\n Crystal Shrine Grotto | Wiki CC: Thomas R Machnitzki<\/p><\/div>\n Dionicio Rodriguez was so secretive about his creative process that he mixed hispaints in the trunk of his car and broke the jars when he was finished using them. Although no one knows how exactly he worked, Rodriguez\u2019 legacy is the world\u2019s only man-made crystal cave\u2014located on the grounds of Memphis\u2019<\/a> Memorial Park Cemetery\u2014with glittering quartz and concrete structures you\u2019ll have to touch to believe that they aren\u2019t actually the gnarled and knotted trunks of old trees.<\/p>\n Dr Evermor’s Forevertron | Flickr CC: jchapiewsky<\/a><\/p><\/div>\n Tom Every\u2014who later christened himself Dr. Evermor\u2014built this 300-ton scrap metal spaceship outside of Madison<\/a> to catapult himself into the cosmos on a magnetic lightning beam. Spoiler alert: It didn\u2019t work. But Forevertron remains a part of Dr. Evermor\u2019s Art Park and those who visit can marvel at its size and components; some of the pieces welded onto the backyard behemoth include two Edison dynamos and parts of the decontamination chamber from Apollo 11, including the autoclave used to clean moon rocks from the mission.<\/p>\n Paradise Garden | Photo courtesy of @hewahc<\/p><\/div>\n Howard Finster was 59 years old when a paint smudge on his thumb turned into a face, one that implored him to paint \u201csacred art\u201d that spread God\u2019s message. For the next 25 years, he did just that in this town 90 miles northwest of\u00a0Atlanta<\/a>, painting almost 50,000 numbered works. Finster\u2014whose art you might recognize from R.E.M. and Talking Heads album covers\u2014collected these and thousands of other folk art-ifacts in his Paradise Garden. You can visit for the day or immerse yourself in all things Finster by staying in the onsite Airbnb.<\/p>\n Philly Magic Gardens | Flickr CC: Jennifer Boyer<\/a><\/p><\/div>\n This outdoor art installation covers half a block on Philadelphia<\/a>\u2019s South Street, its mosaiced walls and garden maze providing a glorious contrast to the hair salon, ATMs and drug store that are on the less magical side of the street. Thanks to donations from the community, Isaiah Zager andhis wife were able to buy the land wherehe constructed this truly magical place and it is now a thriving sanctuary for outsider art, installations and Zager\u2019s limitless creativity.<\/p>\n Dick and Jane’s Spot | Flickr CC: Harmony<\/a><\/p><\/div>\n Despite their storybook-perfect names, Dick Elliot and Jane Orleman were a real couple who filled their yard in Washington<\/a> with dozens and dozens of towering artworks and found items. Both of them contributed some of their own work to the collection, while more than 40 other artists are represented behind their modest (but decorative) chain link fence. Elliot died in 2008, but the Spot remains and, as always, it’s free to visit.<\/p>\n S.P. Dinsmoor’s The Garden of Eden | Flickr CC: Patrick Emerson<\/a><\/p><\/div>\n Samuel Perry Dinsmoor was a Civil War veteran and a sculptorwho dedicated most of his life to creating concrete versions of his own religious and populist beliefs. The resulting works were collected and displayed at his log cabin (which he also built) two hours north of Wichita<\/a> and named the Garden of Eden. After touring the site and seeing his towering Biblical creations, you can stop by to see Dinsmoor himself: He\u2019s buried in a mausoleum on the site.<\/p>\n2. Watts Towers<\/a>:\u00a0Los Angeles, CA<\/h3>\n
3. Elmer\u2019s Bottle Tree Ranch: Oro Grande, CA:<\/h3>\n
4. The Heidelberg Project<\/a>:\u00a0Detroit, MI<\/h3>\n
5. Cano\u2019s Castle: Antonito, CO<\/h3>\n
6. Crystal Shrine Grotto<\/a>:\u00a0Memphis, TN<\/h3>\n
7. Dr. Evermor\u2019s Forevertron<\/a>:\u00a0Sumpter, WI<\/h3>\n
8. Paradise Garden<\/a>:\u00a0Summerville, GA<\/h3>\n
9. Philadelphia\u2019s Magic Gardens<\/a>:\u00a0Philadelphia, PA:<\/h3>\n
10.\u00a0Dick and Jane\u2019s Spot<\/a>:\u00a0Ellensburg, WA<\/h3>\n
11. S.P. Dinsmoor\u2019s Garden of Eden<\/a>:\u00a0Lucas, KS<\/h3>\n
![\"Orbitz,](\"https:\/\/www.orbitz.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/09\/OrbitzApp.jpeg\")
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