Iowa Attractions and Oddities
All the weird attractions, hidden sights, and unusual places in Iowa. Visitor Tips, news, stories, field reports.
Also see: Gone But Not Forgotten - Closed classic attractions
-
Ackley: 1920s Bull Durham Painted Wall
-
Ackley: Large Ice Cream Cone
-
Ackley: Raging Thunder the Bull
-
Adair: Jesse James - First Train Robbery in the West
-
Adair: Smiley Face Water Tower
-
Akron: Painted Stegosaurus
-
Albia: Welcome Home Soldier Monument
-
Algona: Camp Algona POW Museum
-
Altoona: Freddy: Big Frog Head
-
Altoona: Moai Dude: Laid-Back Easter Island Head
-
Altoona: Retro Rocket Ship
-
Ames: Metal Woman's Head
-
Ames: Stainless Steel Turkey
-
Ames: World's Largest Concrete Gnome
-
Anamosa: Giant American Gothic Statue
-
Arcadia: Missouri-Mississippi Divide
-
Arnolds Park: Amusement Park with Ancient Coaster
-
Arnolds Park: Spirit Lake Massacre Monument and Graves
-
Audubon: Albert the Bull
-
Aurelia: 12-Foot-Tall Metal Mammoth
-
Avery: Great Pyramids of Avery
-
Avoca: Volkswagen Beetle Spider
-
Bagley: Partridge Family Bus Replica
-
Belle Plaine: George Preston Gas Station Remains
-
Bentonsport: Indian Artifact Museum
-
Bloomfield: Confederate Invasion of Iowa Monument
-
Bloomfield: Mars Hill Church: Haunted Bridge, UFOs
-
Boone: Tallest Double-Track Railroad Bridge in America
-
Boxholm: Boxholm Museum
-
Brandon: Iowa's Largest Frying Pan
-
Brayton: Tree in the Middle of the Road
-
Britt: Hobo Museum
-
Brooklyn: Community of Flags
-
Brooklyn: John Wayne's Boyhood Home
-
Burlington: Snake Alley: A Very Crooked Street
-
Cascade: Mom's Christmas Cookies Tombstone
-
Casey: Behold the Mighty Wind Turbine Blade
-
Cedar Falls: Ice House Museum
-
Cedar Rapids: African American Museum of Iowa
-
Cedar Rapids: Awkward Airport Sculptures
-
Cedar Rapids: Flying Wienie Plane
-
Cedar Rapids: Last Slabs of the Seedling Mile
-
Cedar Rapids: Logo Tree of the City
-
Cedar Rapids: Our Mother of Sorrows Grotto
-
Cedar Rapids: Scrap Metal Plow Horse
-
Centerville: Pancake Day, World's Largest Town Square
-
Charles City: World's First Tractor
-
Chillicothe: Grave of the Oldest Soldier in the Civil War
-
Clarion: Birthplace of the 4-H Emblem
-
Clarion: Heartland Museum
-
Clear Lake: Buddy Holly Crash Site
-
Clear Lake: Ice Cream Cone Building
-
Clear Lake: Iowa Trolley Park - Private Rail for Kids
-
Clear Lake: Pyramid House
-
Clear Lake: Surf Ballroom: Buddy Holly's Last Gig
-
Clear Lake: Tiny Church: Guardian Angel Roadside Chapel
-
Clinton: The Sawmill Museum
-
Colfax: Trainland U.S.A.
-
Colo: Niland's Cafe and Colo Motel
-
Columbus Junction: Large Cattails
-
Columbus Junction: Lover's Leap Swinging Bridge
-
Coon Rapids: 10-Foot-Tall Rotating Ear of Corn
-
Coralville: Firefighter and 9/11 Memorial
-
Corning: Johnny Carson Birthplace
-
Correctionville: Fighter Plane Park
-
Corydon: Dinosaur Skeletons
-
Council Bluffs: 33-Foot-Tall Humanoid
-
Council Bluffs: Black Angel of Iowa #2
-
Council Bluffs: Black Squirrels and Purple Martins
- Council Bluffs: Boy and the Boot
-
Council Bluffs: Coffee Pot Water Tower
-
Council Bluffs: Giant Golden Spike
-
Council Bluffs: Little People: The Bregant House
-
Council Bluffs: Odyssey: Iowa's Spiky Towers
-
Council Bluffs: Spiky Viaduct
-
Council Bluffs: Squirrel Cage Jail
-
Council Bluffs: Union Pacific Railroad Museum
-
Creston: Restored Phillips 66 Gas Station
-
Crystal Lake: Fish - World's Largest Bullhead
-
Davenport: Abe Lincoln Saves a Bridge
-
Davenport: Big Mother Goose
-
Davenport: Famous Chiropractor Cracks Your Back
-
Davenport: Giant Fiberglass Bull
-
Decorah: Ice Cave - Frozen in Summer
-
Decorah: Vesterheim Norwegian-American Museum
-
Decorah: Viking with Pie
-
Denison: Big Bull Statue
-
Des Moines: Alphabet Heads
-
Des Moines: Big City Cow and Calf
-
Des Moines: Big Hands And Wrenches of the Plumbers and Steamfitters
-
Des Moines: Crazy Sculpture Park
-
Des Moines: Family Grave Bed
-
Des Moines: Giant Garden Trowel
- Des Moines: Landmark Bridge - Glass Bottom
-
Des Moines: Mini Statue of Liberty
-
Des Moines: Pondering Rabbit
-
Des Moines: Tom Jones Tribute Toilet
-
Dexter: Bonnie and Clyde Dexfield Park Shootout
-
Dexter: Bonnie and Clyde Shootout Souvenirs
-
Diagonal: Freedom Rock
-
Dubuque: Crystal Lake Cave
-
Dubuque: Dubuque Shot Tower
-
Dubuque: Fenelon Place Elevator
-
Dubuque: Gas Station Jesus
-
Dubuque: Holy Family Grotto
-
Dubuque: Miniature Replica of the Statue of Liberty
-
Dubuque: Miniature Statue Of Liberty
-
Dubuque: Miniature Statue of Liberty
-
Dubuque: Walk-Thru Catfish
-
Dunlap: Big Dalmatian and Girl Holding Teddy Bear
-
Dyersville: Field of Dreams
-
Dyersville: Ghost Players Mural
-
Dyersville: National Farm Toy Museum
-
Dysart: Main Street Gorge
-
East Peru: Home of the Original Delicious Apple Tree
-
Eldon: American Gothic House
-
Elk Horn: Only Working Danish Windmill In America
-
Elk Horn: Tiny Church: Morning Star Chapel
-
Emmetsburg: A&W Teen Burger and Rooty the Bear
-
Emmetsburg: Scrap Metal African Animals
-
Estherville: Estherville Meteorite Fell Here
-
Exira: Plow in the Oak
-
Fairfield: Golden Dome of Pure Knowledge
-
Festina: Tiny Church
-
Forest City: Bicycle Creatures
-
Forest City: Big Blue Steer and Totem Pole
-
Fort Dodge: Floyd of Rosedale: Famous Pig
-
Fort Dodge: Replica Cardiff Giant
- Fort Dodge: Silo Mural: Largest In Iowa
-
Fredericksburg: Hawkeye Buffalo Ranch
-
Fredonia: Drive A 1914 Road Built by Convicts
-
Froelich: Froelich Museum: First Tractor
-
Gladbrook: Matchstick Marvels Museum
-
Goose Lake: Rooster on a Pole
-
Grinnell: Bank Golden Lions by Louis Sullivan
-
Griswold: Cabbage Patch Fantasy Land
-
Hamburg: Stoner Drug Store and Soda Fountain
-
Harris: The Miniature Grotto
-
Hospers: Hospers Memorial Statues
-
Humboldt: Fay Hessain Fountain
-
Humboldt: Frank Gotch, Wrestling Superstar
-
Ida Grove: Castles of Ida Grove
-
Indianola: National Balloon Museum
-
Iowa City: Devonian Fossil Gorge
-
Iowa City: Hamburg Inn: Booths of Reagan and Clinton
-
Iowa City: Medical Museum
-
Iowa City: Metal Corn Cob
-
Iowa City: Steel Hawk Mascot Statue
-
Iowa City: The Black Angel
-
Iowa City: The Sitting Man
-
Iowa City: U.S. Air Force Jet
-
Iowa City: World's Largest Wooden Nickel
-
Iowa Falls: Peter Toth Big Indian Head
-
Jefferson: Furniture Shop and Theater
-
Jefferson: Mahanay Memorial Carillon Tower
-
Jewell: In God We Trust Menagerie
-
Johnston: Giant Pitchfork
-
Kelley: Phone Booth - Welcome to Kelley
-
Kellogg: Historical Treasures of Kellogg
-
Keokuk: Mississippi River Paddle Boat
-
Keota: Hal Colliver's Acreage and Sign Extravaganza
-
Kimballton: Little Mermaid
-
Kingsley: Black Squirrel Town
-
La Porte City: Auto Thrill Show Memorabilia
-
Lake Mills: Promise of America Monument
-
Laurens: Hometown of Lawnmower Man
-
Le Claire: Birthplace of Buffalo Bill Cody
-
Le Mars: Ice Cream Capital of the World Museum
-
LeClaire: Antique Archaeology - Home of American Pickers
-
LeClaire: Tug Fest - West Side of Mississippi River Tug-of-War
-
Leclaire: Little Wayside Chapel and Schoolhouse
-
Leon: Old Elephant Statue
-
Lewis: Secret Passages for Enslaved People
-
Lone Tree: Neon Tree
-
Lynnville: L.J. Maasdam's Wheel Art
-
Madrid: High Trestle Trail Bridge: Glows at Night
-
Mallard: Big Mallard Duck
-
Manning: German "House Barn" Built in 1660
-
Manson: Largest Crater in the U.S.
-
Maquoketa: Two-Butted Lamb
-
Marion: Corn Sculpture in Iowa Corn Field
-
Marquette: Pinky the Elephant
-
Marshalltown: Spritzing Elephants and Crocodile
-
Mason City: Bank John Dillinger Robbed
-
Mason City: Grave of The Music Man
-
Mason City: Pink Can Poodle
-
Mason City: Rancho Deluxe Z: Junk Art Lot
-
Mason City: The Music Man Square
-
McGregor: Spook Cave: Underground Boat Tour
-
Menlo: Freedom Rock
-
Menlo: Neon Gas Station Man
-
Mount Pleasant: Statue Of Liberty
-
Mt. Vernon: American Gothic Barn
-
Muscatine: Fisher of Clams Statue
-
Muscatine: National Pearl Button Museum
-
Nashua: Little Brown Church in the Vale
-
Nevada: Top Hat Lincoln from Tree Trunk
-
Newton: Big Aluminum Bugs
-
Newton: Joy, the Movie Theater Pig
-
Newton: Maytag Repairman Statue
-
Newton: Rocky Marciano Memorial Rock
-
Nodaway: Nodaway Town Sign
-
Okoboji: Higgins Museum of National Bank Notes
-
Olds: Kylie the Gorilla
-
Osceola: Seminole Chief Osceola Statue
-
Oskaloosa: Graves of Two Civil War Mules
-
Ottumwa: Birthplace of eSports Plaque
-
Palo: Three Large Arrows
-
Pella: Largest Dutch Windmill In the U.S.
-
Pella: Museum of Traffic Control
-
Percival: Sapp Bros Giant Coffee Pot
-
Perry: 1940s Sinclair Station with Dino
-
Perry: Giant Bicycle
-
Perry: Molten Metal, Speed Train
-
Pisgah: Old Home Fill-er Up And Keep On Truckin' Cafe
-
Plainfield: Barrel Cows
-
Plano: Tiny Church
-
Pocahontas: Pocahontas, the Princess Giant
-
Polk City: Virgin Mary in a Tree
-
Prairie City: Metal Buffalo Statue
-
Red Oak: Student Solar System Walk
-
Riverside: Bronze Statue of James T. Kirk
- Riverside: Captain Kirk Conceived Here
-
Riverside: Future Birthplace of James T. Kirk
-
Riverside: Star Trek Voyage Home Museum
-
Robins: Lebowski Bar and Grill
-
Ryan: Happy Chef - Now an Umpire
-
Ryan: Ryan Veterans Living Memorial
-
Sac City: Barn Quilt Capital of the World
-
Sac City: Sac County Freedom Rock - Tunnel Rat
-
Sac City: World's Largest Popcorn Ball
-
Shelby: 76-Foot-Tall Corn Stalk
-
Sheldon: Elephant Bones and Dirt Collection
-
Sibley: Highest Point in Iowa - Hawkeye Point
-
Sioux City: Big Monument to Lewis and Clark's Only Fatality
-
Sioux City: Death Spot of Booze-Hating Churchman (Moved)
-
Sioux City: Flight 232 Memorial
-
Sioux City: Grave of Sioux City's First Bride
-
Sioux City: Steel Statue of War Eagle, Friend of White Man
-
Sioux City: Tire Man
-
Sioux City: Tire Man
-
Sioux City: Trinity Heights: Giant Jesus and Mary
-
South Amana: Henry Moore's Mini-Americana Barn Museum
-
Spillville: Bily Clocks Museum
-
St. Ansgar: Albino Deer
-
Stanton: Coffee Pot and Cup Water Towers
-
Storm Lake: Grave of the Pilot Who Killed Music
-
Storm Lake: Landlocked Lighthouse
-
Strawberry Point: Wilder Museum - 900 Dolls
-
Strawberry Point: World's Largest Strawberry
-
Stuart: Bank Robbed by Bonnie and Clyde
-
Sutliff: Sutliff Bridge
-
Swedesburg: Swedesburg Museum, Dala Horse
-
Swedesburg: Swedish Straw Goat
-
Tama: Lincoln Highway Orphaned Bridge
-
Templeton: Whiskey Barrel Tree, Distillery Tour
-
Tiffin: Literary Rest Stop
-
Tipton: Mini-Golf Burger Family
-
Toledo: Butter Cow Statue
-
Traer: World's 2nd Largest Collection of Salt and Pepper Shakers
-
Urbandale: Sword in the Stone
-
Vail: Restored Standard Oil Gas Station
-
Van Meter: Bob Feller Museum (former)
-
Villisca: Villisca Ax Murder House and Museum
-
Villisca: Willard the Pig
-
Vinton: Nathan's Miles Glow Trail
-
Wadena: Squidward's House: Giant Tiki Head
-
Walcott: Castle Hall
-
Walcott: Museum at World's Largest Truck Stop
-
Wall Lake: Birthplace of Andy Williams
-
Walnut: Mini-Bomber: Crash Site
-
Washington: Replica of Once Tallest Corn Stalk
-
Waterloo: John Deere Tractor and Engine Museum
-
Waterloo: National Wrestling Hall of Fame
-
Waterloo: Replica World War I Trench
-
Waukon: Muffler Man and Long Horn Steer
-
Waverly: Big Red Mug
-
West Bend: Grotto of the Redemption
-
West Branch: Creepy Goddess of Life: Gift for Herbert Hoover
-
West Des Moines: Folded Flags
-
West Union: Boy and the Boot
-
Westfield: Metal Farmer Driving Tractor
-
Whittemore: Freedom Rock
-
Williamsburg: First Pilot to Take Off and Land on a Ship
-
Williamsburg: Totem Pole in Iowa
-
Williamsburg: Tower of Grain Wagons
-
Winterset: Bridges Of Madison County
-
Winterset: Clark Tower - Castle
-
Winterset: John Wayne Birthplace Museum
-
Woodbine: Dinosaur Den
Gone But Not Forgotten
Closed and extinct places -- the classics and the quirky. A virtual revisit, even if it's just to milk them for one more chuckle...
- Algona: World's Largest Chee-to
- Amber: Hula Hoop Tree
- Avoca: Farmall-Land USA
- Battle Creek: Battle Hill Museum of Natural History
- Clear Lake: Fort Custer Maze
- Clear Lake: Large Chicken, Ice Cream Cone
- Council Bluffs: Oldest Dairy Queen
- Des Moines: Jack Pershing, Stuffed WWI Patriot Rooster
- Eldora: Twister Movie House
- Honey Creek: Scenic Overlook of Two States
- Iowa City: Giant Cow
- Logan: Museum of Religious Arts
- Muscatine: Fanta-Suite Motel - Theme Rooms
- Princeton: Rooster in a Top Hat
- Sioux City: First Corn Palace
- Ventura: Iowa's Largest Muskie
- Waterloo: Sistine Chapel in Spray Paint
- Waukon: Sweeney's House of Clocks
- West Amana: Large Indoor Rocking Chair
- West Burlington: Enormous Human Spine
- West Des Moines: Cemetery in a Traffic Circle
- Whiting: Gypsy Ride: Big Motorcycle