Of all of the articles we have written over the years, this one has always had a soft spot for me. Most of these are pieces of quirky roadside Americana, and many of these spots on the list are completely gone, or endangered. The sheer variety of PA strangeness here is amazing, but for how quirky and out of place many of these things are, by their very nature, they are also endangered for their difficulty to maintain, or overall lack of appreciation. With the exception of one of these weird spots, they are all worth checking out and appreciating, especially with a sense of urgency. Many of these relics may not be long for this world.
Our travels have taken us to every corner and through every county within the state of Pennsylvania, so needless to say, we've seen some pretty strange, neat, and/or quirky roadside stuff. Most of these places consist of neat Roadside Americana that is sure to pique your interest in some way. These interesting roadside oddities and slices of Americana are some of our favorites. By no means is this an all encompassing list, but this is a pretty good cross section of things that left us scratching our heads, or impressed with beauty. The following list is in no particular order.
Sadly, as of 2024, five of these oddball attractions are no longer with us, one is vastly changed (the Shoe House) and one is with us with just the building and no longer the business (Bedford Gulf). We leave them up as a tribute to what they were, and as a reminder that we need to strongly advocate to preserve the remainder of the sites on this list. Many of them are vulnerable to removal as they age.
1) Kecksburg Space Acorn UFO: Kecksburg, PA, Westmoreland County
On the 40th anniversary of the incident, an individual with NASA claimed that the object was likely a Soviet satellite crashing back to earth, though this was eventually debunked. On the fiftieth anniversary in 2015, a compelling case was made by some researchers that this was a GE Mark 2 Reentry Vehicle that was part of an American spy satellite. Almost immediately after the crash, the government showed up in radiation suits and a lead box to take away the crash remnants, for they were nuclear powered. Regardless of the case, this is a replica of what the civilians in the area claimed to see on the evening of December 9th, 1965.
Coordinates:
40.186154, -79.462239
2) Mary Monument "Shrine of the Blessed Mother, Our Lady of the Parkway": Pittsburgh
Pittsburgh's Mary Monument overlooks a busy section of the Parkway East, AKA Interstate 376, AKA the juncture of the historic William Penn and Lincoln Highways. This site also overlooks the Pittsburgh Technology Center that sits on what was once the sprawling J&L Steel Plant, and downtown Pittsburgh out in the distance. Several rumors exist as to why this was erected. One story says that the shrine was erected there after a deadly accident on the Parkway, which dead ended in this spot heading from downtown, prior to completion. Another origin story mentions a steelworker having a vision during a lunch break during a long shift at the old J&L Steel Plant. The plant was one of the largest steel plants in the nation and located where the technology park is located now. Regardless of origin, this sculpture and parklet that can't hurt in protecting the many individuals that traverse this heavily travelled stretch of highway. The family that erected the little parklet area does not mind you going into their backyard and checking it out. They have even set up some benches and a small altar at the site.
3) Cadet Restaurant Hamburger Cowboy "Muffler Man": Kittanning, PA, Armstrong County
The Cadet Restaurant a nice little diner outside of Kitanning on Route 422, just off of Route 28. The restaurant has this giant cowboy, said to be thirty feet tall, holding a hamburger and beckoning you to go to the restaurant. He was purchased at the 1962 Chicago Restaurant Show. At one point a truck backed into the cowboy and it took twelve years to get him back into shape. You can read more about the figure from the Cadet Restaurant's website, and more about "Muffler Men" from Roadside America. Within the state, Oaks, Uniontown, Greensburg, and Rockwood still have examples of Muffler Men. International Fiberglass created these and they once stood in great numbers throughout the country. They have slowly faded out as time has gone on. They surely attract attention to businesses, something that was the original intent of the creation of these. Roadside Americana at its finest. Here is an article we wrote on the muffler men across the state. A similar variant that I saw the other day in Elysburg, but did not manage to snap a picture of is a "Transmission Man" from Elysburg, which really impressed me.
Our first stop in Bedford County takes us into what seems to be the epicenter of Pennsylvania's roadside oddities and cool americana. The Abandoned Turnpike is a pretty awesome place to explore and it certainly makes the oddities list. Traveling through the tunnels on the Pennsylvania Turnpike is always fun. Take away the lights and your automobile, and you are in for a thrill. On even the hottest days, you are sure to get a nice chill heading into these tunnels. Do it at your own risk though, and with strong flashlights, since one tunnel measures in at over half a mile, and the other is over a mile long, the longest ever created for the Turnpike. This section of road is right near Breezewood and goes through some beautiful countryside. The roads and tunnel look like they are just frozen in time, with nature slowly taking them back. If you want a preview of a post-apocolyptic world, this is a great place to go.
Coordinates:
40.000061, -78.227585
The Koontz Coffee Pot is an awesome example of Roadside Americana. It was built along the Lincoln Highway, one of the original transcontinental highway systems. You are sure to find a bunch of cool things on any journey across this beautiful highway, and the Coffee Pot is one of these things. It was once in lousy shape and about to be torn down, but was thankfully preserved for generations to come. It is located at the Bedford County Fairgrounds. It was once used as a serving counter for food and coffee, as a part of an old service station. The service station is long gone, and if it were not for the vision of the people, the coffee pot may have disappeared as well. This oddball attraction is something you definitely need to check out.
Coordinates:
40.023060, -78.517266
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| Our next stop takes us to an Art Deco gas station right down the street from the giant coffee pot. Dunkle's Gulf Service Station dates back to the golden age of the automobile and is a place that I love to appreciate every time we pass by. It dates back to 1933, and is a breath of fresh air, away from big box America. Coordinates: 40.019265, -78.499936 |
Gravity Hill is a place where the road cut makes it look as if you are going uphill, even though you are going down hill. It has become a sort of oddball roadside attraction that attracts people from all over. Some people believe that gravity is defied in this spot. While we do not buy into that idea, the drive to it is more than worth some exploration. A number of other spots around the state make a similar claim, though this is the most well known and the drive to it is extremely scenic.
For more information on visiting and the location of this spot, check out our article
8) Storyland Remnants, Schellsburg, PA, Bedford County
The Lincoln Highway, as one of the oldest major highways in the nation, is filled with awesome Roadside Americana. In the small town of Schellsburg in central PA, there was once a "storybook forest" park, where larger than life figures represented different chidren's stories. These parks sprang up all around the country in the post war years as families grew and road travel flourished. One of the few examples of these parks remains in operation as part of Idlewild and Soak Zone, just down the road on the Lincoln Highway in Ligonier.
Most of these parks have disappeared, without many remnants even hanging on. Schellsburg's Storyland is one of the few that has closed, AND still has some remnants having around. It closed decades ago, but reminders of it still hang out at the road, and in the woods with a giant Pied Piper still sitting in front of the property. You are welcome to pull over to the shoulder of the road to see the Pied Piper and the remnants you can see from the road, but the rest of the place is private property and part of the Piper's Country Originals Store. The Pied Piper is just another random roadside sculpture that is pretty neat, earning it a place on this list.
Coordinates:
40.048642, -78.647130
9) Rocks that Ring at Ringing Rocks: Upper Black Eddy, PA, Bucks County
In Bucks County there is a boulder field that is filled with a series of boulders that have a relatively unique quality to them, they ring. Using a hammer, you can make these boulders ring, and thanks to the different sizes and qualities of the rocks, you can even make songs using the different notes that they ring. It is a pretty neat thing. It helps too that there is a nearby waterfall and different attractions that make this region fun to explore. Ringing Rocks Boulder Field is a fun place to check out.
For more information on visiting and for its location, check out our article.
A hotel and restaurant dedicated to potatoes? Sadly, Potato City, our number 10 oddity, is no longer with us. Potter County still has some odd stuff though.
Potter County has multiple oddities mixed in with the natural beauty of the area, including the Coudersport Ice Mine, a geological phenomenon that leaves an cave area filled with large icicles as the weather gets warmer through the year. Additionally, nearby Cherry Springs State Park is home to the darkest skies on the East Coast.
For more information on visiting, check out our articles at this link, and this link.
11) Bilger's Rocks: A Labyrinth of Rocks: Clearfield County
There are a number of rock cities throughout Pennsylvania, though Bilger's Rocks in Clearfield County is practically a labyrinth. It legitimately feels like you are in a different world, with small passages that weave through the giant boulders that are pine needle, moss, and lichen covered. This is a neat oddball attraction that you should certainly check out.
For more information and location information, check out our article.
12) Haines Shoe House: York, PA, York County
Extra Tip: Fifteen minutes northwest of the shoe house is the world headquarters of York Barbell, home to the York Barbell USA Weightlifting Hall of Fame. A 7.5 foot sculpture of Bob Hoffman, the father of modern weightlifting and founder of York Barbell, stands on top of the roof of the famous factory.
13) The Reading Pagoda, Reading, PA, Berks County
Speaking of zany buildings, it is not often that you see a pagoda stateside, let alone atop a mountain in Reading, PA. For roughly 111 years, the pagoda has stood seven stories tall atop Mount Penn, overlooking Reading and standing as an enduring symbol for this city. Quarry owner William Abbott Witman Sr. noticed that his rock quarry was severely damaging the mountain, so he wanted to build something aesthetically pleasing to cover the damage to the mountain. His intention was to create a resort, but due to financial troubles and the denial of a liquor license, the pagoda was sold, and the new owner sold the building to the City of Reading for only one dollar. Since the sale, the city has operated the building for public enjoyment. On the way up, don't forget to check out the anchor from the USS Maine. Be sure to REMEMBER THE MAINE!
Coordinates:
40.336405, -75.905467
You don't expect to hear much about history regarding Marie Antoinette when you are in Pennsylvania, but that is exactly what you find when you are in rural Bradford County along the Susquehanna River. A settlement was built in this location for exiled French elites during the French Revolution and colonial unrest, namely with the success that the Haitians had in freeing themselves from French colonial rule. Many exiled French nationals and elites ended up coming to this beautiful area in the Susquehanna Valley and starting new lives at this settlement, with some permanently staying in the region. It is rumored the Marie Antoinette, pending a successful escape, may have ended up in this settlement. We all know how that ends, but she may very well have ended up at the French Azilum settlement, and the Marie Antoinette Overlook on beautiful Route 6 overlooks this beautiful place. Both the settlement and overlook are open to the public to explore.
For more background and location information, check out our article.
15) Apollo Rocket Dairy Queen: Franklin, PA Venango County (No longer with us) 
Ever have the urge to get yourself a delicious Dairy Queen burger and Strawberry Shake, and then head off to the moon? You will need a few more components to make this happen, but this piece for an Apollo Rocket, outside of the Dairy Queen in Franklin, PA, will help you get on your way to that goal.
For more location and background information, check out our article.
16) Wooden Street, Roslyn Place: Pittsburgh
For more background and location information, check out our article.
17) 400 Pound Chocolate Turtle, Daffin's Candies: Sharon, PA, Mercer County: 
Daffin's Candy is a local institution in Sharon, PA, and it is home to the Chocolate Kingdom, a place filled with chocolate sculpture creatures, the largest of which is a turtle, said to weigh four hundred pounds. The smell of chocolate in this room is awesome, and only eclipsed by how delicious their chocolate is.
18) Mr. Ed's Elephant Museum: Orrtanna, PA Adams County
19) PennDOT Sign Sculpture, Meadville, PA Crawford County
Public art seems to be an overall theme of this list. Some great creativity by Allegheny College turned this otherwise mundane PennDOT road maintenance building into a public art installation, by repurposing old street signs into a giant roadside display that commands your attention at the crossroads of historic Route 6, Interstate 79, and US 19.
For more location and background information, check out our article.
20) Sleep in a Caboose at the Caboose Motel, Titusville, Crawford County, and at the Caboose Motel in Strasburg, Lancaster County
For more background and location information, be sure to check out our article and their website.
21) Decker Chapel, Smallest Chapel, St Marys, PA, Elk County
Decker's Chapel in Saint Mary's, PA is one of the world's smallest churches, measuring in at 12 by 18 feet, though, in my opinion, this is not the most compelling part of visiting this little landmark. This chapel represents the will of a man who worked in an orchard, fell, and, due to his serious injuries, had a pretty bleak outlook in regards to his future. He said that if he ever recovered, that he would build a chapel. His ethnic group, Bavarian Catholics, ended up in the region, for they had faced religious and racial intimidation in Baltimore and Philadelphia. They moved up to Elk County in the area of St. Mary's, having purchased this remote land for only 75 cents an acre. The father had overcome that, and later overcame his injury and built this chapel. His son went into the priesthood, and the chapel was dedicated in his honor. The backstory of this place is so compelling and so relatable, as a small town story and the kind of will that makes up the American spirit.
For more background and location information, check out our article.
22) The Groundhog City: Punxsutawney, PA, Jefferson County
This one is pretty self explanatory. Bringing out a strange, albeit cute, and giant rodent to predict the weather, with a huge tradition and celebration is certainly quite odd. The fun in Punxsutawney does not stop though once the party is over in February. You are free to visit Gobbler's Knob, visit Phil's Burrow at the town's library, and see Punxsutawney Phil and his wife in their residence, in addition to seeing dozens of statues spread throughout the area as a public art installation. All in all, Punxsy is a ton of fun to visit and well worth checking out.
For more background and location information, be sure to check out our article.
23) An Abandoned Urban Prairie + Underground Mine Fire: Centralia, PA, Columbia County  As of 2020 Graffiti Highway is extinct and the reason why this place landed on the oddities list to begin was why a post industrial waste land was even a draw in the first place |
| One of the oddest things about Centralia is that it is such a huge tourist draw. I just did not get the attraction to it, but the fact that this place piques the interest of people is what makes it an oddity. The idea of a coal mine burning underground is intriguing, but only as a case study on why we need to be responsible with our environmental practices. A large portion of the area is still publicly accessible, except this spot, the "Graffiti Highway," an area that is illegal to visit and not worth checking out. It is an abandoned highway with a bunch of graffiti on it. The rest of the place is a barren wasteland with some occasional smoke/steam coming out of the ground in places. The areas immediately around 61 are still open to checking out, though there really is not much to see, even in the area that is now posted "no trespassing." The idea that this barren wasteland is an attraction is what stands out as odd to me personally. This place is not unlike many of the industrial brownfields where large factories were once located, abandoned and completely torn down towns and neighborhoods, strip mines, slag piles, drilling sites, other mine fires, and other environmentally degraded places. There is really not much to see here. If you have seen any of those things, you have practically seen Centralia already. Extra Tip: I would not recommend making a special detour to visit this, though it is within a half hour of two of the finest places to visit anywhere, Knoebels Amusement Park, and our nation's oldest operating brewery, Pottsville's Yuengling Brewery. For more background information, check out our article. |
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| VFW Post 8168 in Midland, PA Beaver County |
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| A huey in a permanent attack posture at the American Legion in Stoystown, next to the Trostletown Covered Bridge |
Extra tip: Southwest of the US Army War College on I-81, you will see a giant paint can, in addition to two giant highway signs: one with a full size tractor trailer, and another with a limo, sitting on poles about thirty feet in the air. Heading westward on Route 30 AKA the Lincoln Highway, will lead you to the giant apple truck, another neat roadside adornment.
25) Giant Lighted Heinz Ketchup Bottle Sign, Pittsburgh:
A 42.5 by 32 foot wide lighted ketchup bottle that slowly pours out? Certainly not something you see everyday, especially outside of a place like Times Square, but that is certainly what many commuting Pittsburghers are treated with seeing every day
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| This picture was taken over a mile away from the sign! |
Location: Heinz History Center
26) World's Oldest Operating Roller Coaster: Leap the Dips, Lakemont Park, Altoona, PA, Blair County
For more background and location information, check out this article on our other page.
Lakemont Park Website
27) Jenny Steam Rotating Globe: Somerset, PA, Somerset CountyLakemont Park Website
Extra tip: At the Eat N' Park Restaurant, you will see a random elephant sculpture at the corner of the road.
Coordinates:
40.015335, -79.076008
28) Sherman Memorial Lighthouse: Tionesta, PA, Forest County |
The lighthouse is fully operational and it was a dream come true for lighthouse aficionado Jack Sherman. It is now named in his honor as the Sherman Memorial Lighthouse. It has seven floors and is open to the public for three days of the year. The profits from the tours go to the Tionesta Lions Club. This photo shows the sun almost aligned with the lighthouse, making it look as if the sun is the light within the building. Extra Tip: Enjoy the area surrounding this in the PA Great Outdoors Region and the Allegheny National Forest. This is a remote and beautiful region. Coordinates: 41.490081, -79.458308 |
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| The Linesville Spillway is one of our favorite attractions in the state This "where the ducks walk on fish." This is the place where any inedible bread or cereal needs to be taken. The carp likely number in the thousands in this single spot on any given day. The fish get so huge that some of them can even swallow an entire hot dog roll in one swoop. There are so many fish here that the ducks can actually walk on top of the fish, without being submerged at all, when they go to scoop up the food thrown in by visitors. The spillway has attracted visitors for generations, stemming back to the Great Depression, and later rationing during the World War II effort thanks to it being a fun and affordable destination to take families. This roadside attraction is extremely popular, attracting many thousands of people throughout the year, often heading to or from the awesome Conneaut Lake Park. For more background and location information, check out our article. 30) Roadside America Miniature Village: Shartlesville, PA Berks County -Gone but not forgotten  Sadly, we lost Roadside America in 2020. Rest In Peace old friend. Nestled alongside the old William Penn Highway corridor, aka Route 22, and Interstate 78, is Roadside America, a phenomenal miniature railway exhibit that is a great slice of Roadside Americana. For 76 years it has amazed travelers along the historic William Penn Highway/Route 22 corridor in agrarian Berks County. The handiwork of Roadside America has attracted curious travelers for generations.  Extra Tip: Be sure to check out the nearby beached ferry that is very far away from any sort of navigable water. For more background and information, check out our article: Sadly, Roadside America is longer with us. |
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| We were driving along and hit a literal fork in the road when we got to the small village of Centerport. This property once had a corner service station and the corner was home to an old sign. The pillar from the sign was all that was left once it was taken down. This proved to be problematic, so the property owner had a sense of humor and erected this epic statue, a literal fork in the road. 32) Schaeffer's Auto Art: Erie County  A bunch of sculptures made from wrecker cars and other scrap? Sounded like a dream to me so I immediately had to go check it out. I had always walked around at parts yards and looked at them as kinda depressing, seeing many cars beyond their useful life in various states of disrepair and neglect. To turn these cars into sculptures is brilliant. A family with a dream pulled this off in Erie County. Highly recommend this quirky display. 33) Landed Borg Cube, aka the Shell Petrochemical Plant in Beaver County.  This is the one spot on this list that I don't recommend seeking out. To be honest, the reason I revisited this article was how struck I was at how ghastly and ugly the Shell Cracker Plant is in Beaver County. I've been struck by how ugly the thing is when you pass it at night, and the other night I thought "wow, this looks like a Borg Cube." If you are unaware, the Borg are a set of aliens in Star Trek: The Next Generation that go around space in giant cubes that look just like this and they violently "assimilate" humanoid beings around the universe. This place checks out all of the aesthetics on that one and fits nicely into the oddities list, though it is the only one I don't recommend checking out. This article talks about some of the many problems the plant is causing for local residents. |
That leaves us in a pretty good spot for checking out Pennsylvania's roadside oddities, architecture, and overall Americana. These are only a few of the many neat and/or odd things that you will find, certainly not an all encompassing list, though these are some of our favorites. You will find something neat with pretty much every turn you take in the state, so get out there and explore.
