Pa. Pit Stops: Pennsylvania’s weirdest roadside attractions

Plan a road trip to visit these strange but fun tourist attractions along Pennsylvania’s highways.

It wasn’t long after the introduction of the automobile that Americans discovered the pure pleasure of the road trip. And as families took the roads, intrepid folks built restaurants, motels, and all sorts of attractions along the highways to encourage travelers to stop. Some of these attractions were a bit weird, like, say, a gigantic coffee pot.

Pennsylvania is home to a number of highways that were frequented by road trippers of the past and still see tourists in the present, like the Lincoln Highway in southern Pa., and Route 6 that stretches across the northern part of the state. The commonwealth is also home to plenty of weird roadside attractions, both those that were built decades ago (like Bedford’s giant coffee pot) and new roadside attractions that lure travelers from the interstate.

We’ve put together a list of some of our favorite roadside attractions, which happen to all be at least a little odd. Pack your bags and start planning your next Pa. road trip!

Weird roadside attractions in Western Pa.

Giant Coffee Pot – Bedford (Bedford County)

A quintessential roadside attraction, Bedford’s Coffee Pot is an 18-foot-tall building constructed in the shape of a coffee pot. The giant coffee pot was originally built in 1927 to serve as a restaurant feeding travelers along the Lincoln Highway. Today, it’s a photo opportunity.

Photo courtesy of Jeff Kubina/CC BY-SA 2.0.

Kecksburg UFO Monument – Kecksburg (Westmoreland County)

On a December day in 1965, nearly 60 years ago, people all across the eastern part of the U.S. swore they saw a strange fireball soaring through the sky. And in the small town of Kecksburg in Southwestern Pa., residents reported something crashing into the woods. Since then, UFO conspiracy theorists have latched onto Kecksburg as the possible site of a UFO landing that was later covered up by the U.S. government. The town commemorates the strange event by displaying a replica of the object as some described it — a large acorn with characters that look like Egyptian hieroglyphics. Today, you can visit the “Kecksburg Space Acorn,” which sits on a pole in the tiny town.

Photo courtesy of Hawaiian Sea/CC BY-NC-ND 2.0.

PennDOT Sign Garden – Fredericksburg (Crawford County)

The PennDOT Sign Garden, located along historic Route 6 in Northwestern Pa., is a sculpture garden made entirely of old Pennsylvania Department of Transportation road signs, retired from their duties of announcing city borders or roadway instructions. The art, which stretches 1,200 feet at a PennDOT headquarters, was created by an Allegheny College art teacher and her students over several years. You’ll see depictions of important regional scenes, like the early oil industry in Titusville and the liveliness of downtown Meadville, as well as beautiful flower sculptures.

Photo courtesy of Adam Moss/CC BY-SA 2.0.

Weird roadside attractions in Central Pa.

Mister Ed’s Elephant Museum & Candy Emporium – Orrtanna (Adams County)

Mister Ed’s Elephant Museum & Candy Emporium is a giant candy store and museum holding thousands of elephant-themed items. Originally, Mister Ed’s operated as “The Territory’s Most Unusual General Store” when it opened in 1975, serving travelers with events, gifts, and candy. A few decades later, and in a new location along the Lincoln Highway, the Mister Ed’s family business is a popular candy store in the Gettysburg area that attracts elephant lovers everywhere. 

Photo courtesy of Ron Cogswell/CC BY 2.0.

Haines Shoe House – Hellam Township (York County)

The Haines Shoe House was originally built to promote the shoe business, as its owner had several shoe stores and was known throughout York as “the shoe wizard.” The giant shoe is in the shape of a work boot that rises to 25 feet tall. Today, you can actually stay the night in the shoe house by booking it on Vrbo.

Pennsylvania’s Statue of Liberty – Dauphin (Dauphin County)

Just north of Harrisburg, a mini replica of the Statue of Liberty sits within the Susquehanna River and is visible from Route 322. This version of Lady Liberty is just 25 feet tall and stands atop an old railroad piling in the Dauphin Narrows section of the river. Local activist and prop artist Gene Stilp designed the original statue and placed it in the river with the help of friends in 1976 to celebrate the centennial of the actual Statue of Liberty in New York. When she was damaged in a storm, he replaced her with the current Lady Liberty of Pa., built with the support of the Dauphin Borough Council out of wood, metal, and fiberglass.

Photo courtesy of Landin H/CC BY-SA 2.0.

Weird roadside attractions in Eastern Pa.

Red Caboose Motel – Ronks (Lancaster County)

The history of the Red Caboose Motel begins with the 1969 purchase of nineteen surplus cabooses from the Pennsylvania Railroad. A year later, the cabooses had been transformed into the Red Caboose Motel & Restaurant. Fast forward to today, and the Red Caboose is still providing guests with the experience of spending the night in converted train cars! And when guests/passengers are hungry, they can visit the motel restaurant that sits inside two old Pennsylvania Railroad dining cars.

Photo courtesy of Cowtools/CC BY-NC 2.0.

Toynbee Tiles – Philadelphia

The Toynbee Tiles are a mysterious collection of tiles embedded into asphalt that began appearing in major North American cities in the 1980s. All of them blared strange and discomforting messages like “TOYNBEE IDEA IN Kubrick’s 2001 RESURRECT DEAD ON PLANET JUPITER.” The city that had the most tiles? Philadelphia. Most of the tiles have been removed or have otherwise disappeared from the street, but you can still find a handful in the city — if you know where to look. You’ll certainly find some tiles on Philadelphia’s Chestnut Street between 12th and 16th Streets. Check the Toynbee Tile map for others!

Photo courtesy of Zuzu/CC BY-SA 3.0.

Brooks Mine at Nay Aug Park – Scranton (Lackawanna County)

Brooks Mine was originally constructed in 1900 as a small model of a coal mine to educate the local community about the industry that was so important to the Scranton area. It was even underneath a public park, Nay Aug Park. The mine was eventually closed in 1975, but a community effort fully restored it for a grand reopening in 2023! Brooks Mine at Nay Aug Park is now open for public tours and other events.

Photo courtesy of Myers85/CC BY-NC-ND 2.0.

This article first appeared on Good Info News Wire and is republished here under a Creative Commons license.