News from the offbeat tourist attraction landscape of Roadside America.
Sightings Vol. 9, No. 8 November 19, 2013

Gettysburg and Dealey Plaza

Gettysburg and Dealey Plaza -- two place names forever associated with national trauma. Lincoln and Kennedy, two martyred leaders eternally conjoined in greatness. They're in the news this week.

November 22 marks the 50th Anniversary of the assassination of John F. Kennedy (a milestone hard to miss in the flurry of media coverage and documentaries). We've sought out JFK landmarks for years. Our new JFK Tourist Guide and map pinpoints 47 unique President Kennedy landmarks.

JFK Guide.

JFK Tourist Guide and Kennedy Attractions Map

It was 150 years ago today, November 19, when Abraham Lincoln delivered his Gettysburg Address in a cemetery of soldiers killed in the town's tide-turning three-day battle in 1863. So we just thought you needed to know about this robot in Nevada.

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99ยข Sale:
Roadside Presidents App for iPhone

Roadside Presidents App.This week we're offering the Roadside Presidents app for the special low price of 99 cents (67% off!). It's full of landmarks, museums and monuments (and Lincoln and Kennedy sights). We just released an update optimized for iOS 7, and added more essential places for your Presidential meandering.

Available on the App Store

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Spotted by Tipsters

World's Largest Potato.Mobile attractions on wheels are problematic to map, but we heard from tipsters such as Jacob Krejci and Mike Gassman about the charms of the World's Largest Potato, so large that it's chained to an industrial-size flatbed truck. The potato is on the move nine months of the year, but in the winter it hibernates in Boise, Idaho.

Large Ball of String.An example of a simple yet exceptionally worthy sighting is this one submitted by Craig Tate: a specific location and a photo of the Large Ball of String in Huntsville, Missouri. It languished on the Vague Target List for years; we couldn't pinpoint its location nor gauge its size until Craig sent his tip.

Cradle of Aviation Museum.The Cradle of Aviation Museum in Garden City, New York, offered plenty to see for tipster K Von R, who pointed out that the museum has the Lunar Landers for both Apollo 18 and 19, moon missions that never happened because of budget cuts. The moon's loss is our gain.

Check out more discoveries in the very Latest Tips.

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Tourism News

Robot CyborgMark Cline of Foamhenge fame unveiled his latest creation: Robot Cyborg Muffler Man in Buena Vista, Virginia. The man-machine was assembled from pieces of an earlier Cline android destroyed in a 1996 hurricane.

Plantation Man.In other fiberglass colossus news, Plantation Man of Chicopee, Massachusetts (a.k.a. Southern Gentleman, Big White Guy) was sold at auction. He may reappear at an undisclosed local venue.

Oswald House.Formerly just a suburban house that you could only drive by, the House Where Lee Harvey Oswald Stashed His Gun has been transformed into an official attraction, retro-restored inside and out to its 1963 appearance. You're driven by bus from a remote location; four tours daily.

Get more info about these and other breaking news stories on the Roadside America Twitter feed.

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Hope your Thanksgiving includes some road trip fun!
The RoadsideAmerica.com Team

Mobile Apps

Roadside America iPhone app Roadside America App for iPhone: Update 1.8.5 - iOS 7 optimized.
9,000+ Offbeat attractions, research targets. Fun trip tools. Option to open in Google Maps.

$2.99 on the App Store (inc. access to 1 region); addtl. regions in-app optional purchase.
iOS 6+ iPhone, iPod touch (iPad compatible)

Roadside Presidents App for iPhone: Update 1.3.5 - iOS 7 optimized.
Full of nutty, surprising, and obscure Presidential sights, photos, maps. Factoids and fun poked at our leaders!

iOS 6 + iPhone, iPod touch, (iPad compatible).

99 cents SALE - Nov. 19-24 on the App Store

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Main image: Robot Abe Lincoln at Bonnie Springs Ranch, Blue Diamond, Nevada