5 Roadside Destinations Worth the Detour

Looking for a quick stop to add a little fun to your road trip? These memorable roadside destinations — from giant nuts to replicas of famous archaeological sites — wow with their weirdness and offer up some hilarious photo opportunities.

Located just outside of Las Vegas, these towers of colorful stacked boulders stand more than 30 ft. high. The art exhibition, which opened in 2016, was created in collaboration with the Nevada Museum of Art by the Swiss artist Ugo Rondinone.

According to the installation's website, Seven Magic Mountains aims to reflect on the interaction between artificial and natural elements in the landscape and offers "a creative expression of human presence in the desert."

The attraction is conveniently located right off I-15 in Nevada, making it an easy stop for road-trippers in the area. And it's just down the road from the iconic Las Vegas Strip: Seven Magic Mountains is on South Las Vegas Boulevard, which runs right into the heart of the city.

If you're passing through southwestern Texas, you can make a stop at this remote Prada store in the desert — but don't expect to buy anything.

Located on the side of Route 90 in the small town of Valentine, Texas, the fake luxury boutique on the side of a barren highway is a pop-art installation by European artists Michael Elmgreen and Ingar Dragset.

Created in 2005, the structure was originally intended to slowly decay into the surrounding desert without any human maintenance. However, less than a day after its inauguration, Prada Marfa was vandalized, and the building has needed repairs after continued graffiti attacks.

Although Prada Marfa lies within the town of Valentine, it gets its name from the nearby city of Marfa — just 26 miles away. The town is home to famed artist Donald Judd's Chinati Foundation and is known for a vibrant art scene centered around the Ballroom Marfa arts center.

The area has a supernatural connection as well: Visitors can stop by a viewing platform just outside of Marfa to get a chance to see the "Marfa Lights," a strange phenomenon where glowing orbs reportedly twinkle in the distance.

Although Akeley isn't the only town in Minnesota to have a Paul Bu -

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nyan statue, it certainly has the largest.

Unlike other depictions of the woodsman, Akeley's statue features Bunyan on one knee, with a hand outstretched towards the ground, making it easy for visitors to grab a quick pic sitting in his massive palm.

The statue — which is just slightly shorter than another Bunyan in California, but much larger overall — was unveiled at the town's Bunyan Days celebration in 1985 by local resident Dean Krotzer and his six sons. And it's fitting that this welcoming version of Bunyan lives in Akeley: in 1949, the town declared itself as the Birthplace of Paul Bunyan.

For visitors to the area hungry for some other Bunyan-themed attractions, the Paul Bunyan State Forest lies just north of the statue in the town of Laporte.

Visitors to the stunning dunes at White Sands National Park can add a fun extra stop on their way in or out of the park at PistachioLand in nearby Alamogordo, New Mexico.

The pistachio farm is home to the World's Largest Pistachio, a 30-ft. tall structure built in 2007 by farmer Tim McGinn.

McGinn, who cultivates grapes as well as pistachios, constructed the giant shell in an attempt to "honor the memory of his father," Tom McGinn, who founded the ranch.

"We would stop at oddities and World's Largest things," Tim told RoadsideAmerica.com. "And then I realized: he would think it was ahootif I put up a giant pistachio."

Unlike the real Stonehenge, there's no mystery about how this one came to be.

Artist Mark Cline created Foamhenge, an entirely foam (but incredibly realistic) replica of the iconic archaeological site, which can be found in Bull Run, Virginia — making it an easy detour for visitors to Washington, D.C.

Originally installed in Natural Bridge, Va., in 2004 as an April Fool's Day prank aimed at boosting tourism in the area, the faux monument was transported to its current location in 2017.

But visitors can also see some real history in the area. Foamhenge lies just a few miles north of Manassas National Battlefield Park, which encompasses two important battlefields from the Civil War: the First and Second Battle of Bull Run both took place in the area.

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