Lens Artists Photo Challenge #307 – Tourist Attractions Near and Far

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Our guest host Leanne of Leanne Cole asks us to feature tourist attractions. She says”What the normal tourist wants to see is not always what we want.” For this challenge I chose some often overlooked quirky and fun tourist attractions from around the United States and Canada. To see a larger image just click on the image.

These days, Florida’s beaches and Orlando area theme parks are the main tourist attractions that bring people to the Sunshine State. Long before Walt Disney began planning Walt Disney World there were other attractions for tourists. The header image is from the St. Augustine Alligator farm which was founded in 1893. The following gallery features the glass bottom boats in Silver Springs which have been operating since the 1870s, mermaids at Weeki Wachee Springs which have been entertaining visitors since 1947, and Homosassa Springs State Wildlife Park which has been around since the early 1900’s.

There are museums, factories and distilleries to explore all around the United States. The following gallery features, in clockwise order starting with the upper left image: The Brer Rabbit Museum in Eatonton, Georgia; the Laurel and Hardy Museum in Harlem, Georgia; The Hammer Museum in Haines, Alaska; the Spam Museum in Austin, Minnesota; the UFO museum in Roswell, New Mexico; the Mighty Eighth Air Force Museum in Savannah, Georgia; the Tabasco Factory in Avery Island, Louisiana; the Jack Daniels Distillery in Lynchburg, Tennessee.

You can find unusual attractions if you take the time to look around. Shown below are the tree that owns itself in Athens, Georgia; a double-barreled cannon in Athens, Georgia; the eiffel tower with a red cowboy hat in Paris, Texas; the giant duck boot at the L. L. Bean store in Maine; and the southern most point in the continental United States in Key West, Florida.

The following statues are: Andy and Opie in Mt. Airy, North Carolina; John Henry in Talcott, West Virginia; Buddy Holly in Lubbock, Texas; Fisherman’s Memorial in Glouchester, Massachusetts; Tom Sawyer and Huckleberry Finn in Hannibal, Missouri.

There are many fun things to see on the way to somewhere else. Here are: Cadillac Ranch near Amarillo, Texas; Wall Drug Store in Wall, South Dakota; the Corn Palace in Mitchell, South Dakota; the start of the Alaska Highway in Dawson Creek, British Columbia.

If you enjoy road trips in the United States and are interested in finding other fun roadside attractions, take a look at Roadside America for some ideas.

Many thanks to our guest host for this challenge Lens-Artists #307 – Tourist Attractions

25 thoughts on “Lens Artists Photo Challenge #307 – Tourist Attractions Near and Far”

  1. Loved your quirky response this week Beth! You showed us a bit of the road less taken and some of the truly fun, off the beaten path spots. One of these days I MUST get to the Alligator Farm. I understand the birds there are incredible, especially during nesting season.

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    1. Tina, you would love the Alligator Farm. We went in February when the birds were nesting. You are right, it was incredible. I’d love to go back after the chicks have hatched.

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    1. Leanne, I really enjoyed your challenge. I thought about some of the major tourist attractions I’ve seen but instead decided to go with some of the smaller and less visited attractions. Those cars at Cadillac Ranch in Texas are in the middle of a field by the Interstate. People like to bring cans of spray paint to decorate them.

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  7. Wow! You did this challenge very well! What great places you have been to! I have seen the Corn Palace, Wall Drug, and the Cadillacs in Amarillo, Texas!
    Road trips are a blast especially Rte 66!
    Great challenge!

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    1. Judy, I don’t remember what I bought there but I know we spent a lot of time in the store. We also stopped at a Bean outlet and found some bargains. We were there about 18 years ago.

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      1. You’re welcome. We have an older road atlas that lists 2 roadside oddities in every state, and we often try to find these when travelling.

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