Heading out of North Carolina, we began to notice a change in the roadside attraction landscapes. We didn’t think it was possible, but South Carolina seems to have even stranger things on offer!

Want to know what we found? Read on to find out…

1. UFO Welcome Center: Bowman, South Carolina

A warm welcome is given not just to the aliens, but also to those strangely interested visitors to the UFO Welcome Center in Bowman, South Carolina.

The owner of this wacky attraction, Jody Pendarvis, has been awaiting the arrival of non-human beings since 1994 and insists that his attempt at a UFO will be a welcoming environment for aliens to get to know the human kind.

2. Button King Museum: Bishopville, South Carolina

Is there a cure for insomnia? While there may not be a definitive answer, one man has certainly made the most of this tiring condition, turning his time into a lifelong obsession with buttons.

From button suits, to button cars, Dalton Stevens has it covered…quite literally. The Button King Museum showcases a man’s lifework and offers quite a sight to look at.

3. South of the Border: Dillon, South Carolina

The South of the Border Tourist Complex is guarded by the very lovable Pedro, shaded from the harsh Mexican sun by an imposing sombrero. Pedro is a sign of what you can expect as you head further south…so basically every stereotypical embodiment of Mexico.

However, the kids seem to love this kind of thing, so either avoid this stretch of highway like the plague, or be prepared to make a roadside stop to scramble through the endless buckets of cheap novelties, all in the aim of bagging a bargain.

4. Kingdom of Oyotunji African Village: Sheldon, South Carolina

Regarded as a whole other country in its own right, the Kingdom of Oyotunji is a relatively uncrowded African Village that can be found right in the heart of Sheldon, South Carolina.

Home to several bizarre concrete monuments, and well, not much else, this African village does provide an interesting day out for the family, if nothing else.

-Chrissy

Know of any other South Carolina attractions that are just plain weird. Comment us below to tell us more!

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North Carolina is a state that is growing fast, and the roadside attractions on offer here are following suite and multiplying as well. With this increase in numbers comes more attractions contesting for the title of “World’s Biggest”, while come are just content to remain just plain strange.

So come along for the ride as we uncover some of the biggest and strangest things on offer in the great state of North Carolina.

1. World’s Largest Chest of Drawers: High Point, North Carolina

High Point has taken the lead in the “world’s biggest furniture” battle, boasting two giant chests of drawers. The largest of these stands at an impressive 80-foot tall, dwarfing its little sister on the other side of town, which comes complete with socks and all.

2. World’s Largest 10 Commandments: Murphy, North Carolina

Never before has the presence of God felt so big than at North Carolina’s World’s Largest 10 Commandments.

This 300-foot tableau rests on the side of a mountain in one of the state’s most obscure western corners, and is accompanied by a Prayer Mountain and a replica tomb of Jesus, from which you can roll the stone away, literally.

3. Shell Shaped Gas Station: Winston-Salem, North Carolina

Winston-Salem’s shell-shaped gas station is the last of its kind and stands proud on the roadside just a little north of Interstate 40.

This clamshell structure has been preserved and given a whole new burst of life with a fresh coat of paint making it the ideal background for a tourist photograph.

4. World’s Oldest Coffee Pot: Winston-Salem, North Carolina

Coffee is something very close to the hearts of many Americans so it should come as no surprise that many towns across the states have put these feelings into large tin structures.

Old Salem is home to the oldest of these, boasting a shiny metal vessel that has been standing proud since 1860. Pose for a photo with the 12-foot shiny metal structure, if only to prove you’ve been to the world’s oldest coffee pot.

5. Belhaven Memorial Museum: Belhaven, North Carolina

If the sight of some of the things in this museum isn’t enough to make you sick to the stomach, you may very well have a stomach of steel!

The Belhaven Memorial Museum houses the knick knacks of a 92 year old woman who didn’t have the heart to throw anything away. And when we say, anything, we mean EVRYTHING.

From one-eyed fetal pigs and two-headed kittens, to stuffed snakes and 30-year-old jars of chicken fat, this museum gives a whole new meaning to the word wacky!

-Chrissy

Been to North Carolina lately and discovered any other strange things. Let us know about them in the comments below.

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Home to everyone’s favorite kind of deep-fried chicken, Kentucky is a southern state that has enough strange roadside attractions to, well, fill a bucket!

So join us as we twister our way through the land of Colonel Sanders and uncover the weirdest and wackiest attractions on offer here.

1. Mammoth Cave Wax Museum: Cave City, Kentucky

These days wax replicas have taken on a whole new meaning, with some so realistic, it’s hard to tell between the wax figure and the real person. However, due to the age of the Mammoth Cave Wax Museum, many of the figures aren’t quite as realistic as one would expect.

From Martin Luther King and Mark Twain, to the cast of Baywatch and Elvis, Mammoth Cave boasts everyone significant to both the Hollywood and History worlds.

2. The First KFC: Corbin, Kentucky

This is where the junk food craze that was to take the nation, and inevitably the world by storm, began. Experience the original recipe in its original setting…fortunately though, you won’t be offered the original chicken!

3. World’s Largest Bat: Louisville, Kentucky

The search for “world’s biggest things” was met with another entry in the country town of Louisville, Kentucky, when we stumbled across a giant baseball bat. In fact, it weighs in at an impressive 34 tons to be exact.

The bat appears to wreck havoc right across town, with a 3D painting of the ball smashing into a window of the local glass shop, and a leathery bat also found at the nearby costume shop.

4. Vent Haven: Ventriloquist Museum: Fort Mitchell, Kentucky

Ventriloquism is something that has intrigued the public for many years, and as fascinating as it may be, many of us are still wary of just what these “dummies” can do.

This museum really puts you right in the thick of it, as you walk through endless rooms of silently grinning dolls, it’s hard not to get a slight feeling of the “heebie-jeebies” and wonder just what’s going on in their little wooden heads.

5. Answers in Genesis Creation Museum: Petersburg, Kentucky

Offering some sort of answer to the age old debate between Evolution and Creationism, the Answers in Genesis Creation Museum is an attraction that is guaranteed to surprise even the most skeptical among us.

From dinosaurs and cave men, to Damnation Alley and the Garden on Eden, this museum has it all, leaving no stone unturned and no myth left without an attempted answer.

-Chrissy

Think there’s more to fill the bucket? Leave your ideas in the comments below.

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