South of the Border
This I-95 institution on the North and South Carolina border welcomes visitors to my home state. Curiously Mexican themed in the heart of Dixie, South of the Border once advertised on billboards as far north as Delaware. Today the stereotypical and definitely offensive Pedro towers over the highway inviting you in for cheap souvenirs, a round of mini golf, but more than likely just some gas and the restrooms.
The Jolly Green Giant
A tribute to the regions green bean canning history the Jolly Green Giant in Blue Earth, Minnesota welcomes those travelling through on I-90. Towering over the local Walmart this roadside attraction is attentively staffed by folks who treat this statue with as much significance as Michelangelo’s David.
Sublett Fuel Stop
If you are ever stupid enough to drive out of Salt Lake City with a quarter tank of gas there will be few oases to help you out. Riding on fumes and expecting the worst the US Travel Services team coasted into Malta, Idaho only discover the greatest gas station in this entire county. Feed and pet the llamas, goats, and donkeys as they supervise the pumps. The gas is priced to reflect the areas ruralness as are the bathrooms, however it’s better than hitchhiking back to Ogden.
The Four Corners
The geographical symmetry of Colorado, Utah, Arizona, and New Mexico form a neat point in the middle of Navajo Nation. Go for the culture not the geography. It is far from civilization but in the best of ways with many National Parks and Monuments nearby. Talk to the people, buy their local goods, and be reminded how this X on the map is a symbol of the federal oppression of an entire indigenous group.
The World’s Largest Buffalo
Along a grassy ridge overlooking I-94 (sense a theme here?) in Jamestown, North Dakota sits the world’s largest buffalo statue, supposedly. Midwestern families gather for photos, children run through the plywood frontier village, and the US Travel Services team recognized some sites are best seen from the highway.
The Paul Bunyan Statue
Ten US towns claim to be the birthplace of Paul Bunyan. Because the US Travel Services team stumbled upon this statue in Akeley, Minnesota we declare this place the official hometown of ole PB. The dense woods of the Upper Peninsula, northern Wisconsin, and Minnesota feel like the home of mythological lumberjacks so grab some cheese curds and take a road trip.
The southernmost point in the continental US
A painted cement block symbolizing the southernmost point in the states, as long as you forget we govern Hawaii, sits at the very end of the Florida keys. I actually feel bad for the guy with a $5 million Key West beachfront home who lives next to this thing and the tourists it attracts. The Overseas Highway through the keys is one of the most scenic in the world, just finish your drive at a bar or beach instead of here.
Roswell, New Mexico
A town with a reputation. The US Travel Services team spotted no aliens but many otherworldly transient people. The rampant oil and natural gas extraction in the region adds an eerie sense of unwelcomeness leaving me to hope if extraterrestrial beings do land on earth, they choose somewhere better than Roswell.