When we polled 1,000 American travelers about how weird and wild they like their itineraries, 44 percent took the lead and said, “As long as I don’t get hurt, let’s go!” Well, you asked for it! These 13 places may sound like an April Fool’s Day joke, but trust us – America is that this cray a day. substitute awe of Mother Nature’s best pranks and marvel at manmade mayhem. It’s time to go to America’s weird and weird places and fly the star-spangled freak flag high.
1. Salton Sea , CA
Near the eerie Salton Sea, Salvation Mountain may be a rainbow-splashed work of art by Leonard Knight. Nearby Slab City will see that psychedelic mountainside and lift it one off-the-grid art community and a few famously anti-establishment TV monitors. Can someone please hold Slab City’s beer?
2. Homestead, FL
Working only in the dark for nearly 30 years, Edward Leedskalnin built the Coral Castle from 1,100 plenty of coral. The complex is actually stunning and therefore the architecture is nothing in need of impressive and admittedly eccentric.
3. Kanab, UT & Page, AZ
Coyote Buttes cover the Utah-Arizona state boundary with stripes of their own—of red, orange, and purple. The Wave may be a particularly intriguing sandstone formation on the Arizona side of the slopes. You’ll be tempted to grab a surfboard, but stick with your hiking shoes.
4. Centralia, PA
Buried over 300 feet below ground, a coal line has been burning in Centralia since a minimum of 1962. Centralia has been almost completely evacuated thanks to gas emissions, but it’s a well-liked stop for taking some striking travel photos #noairfilter.
5. Rachel, NV
Rachel is shrouded in interplanetary legends and government conspiracy theories. Take a drive down Extraterrestrial Highway and appearance for the elusive mailbox on Hwy 375 near Area 51. Once a message center for other lifeforms, the box has been removed and replaced several times. Ooh…
6. San Jose, CA
If you thought Silicon Valley’s smart appliances were weird, wait till you tour the maze-like Winchester Mystery House. a bit like a refrigerator that orders your groceries for you, several of the mansion’s staircases are completely superfluous but undeniably cool.
7. Maui, HI
There are just a couple of black-sand beaches within the U.S., and One’uli Black Sand Beach is arguably the simplest one to ascertain Mother Nature being a serious drama queen.
8. Cincinnati, OH
Underneath the town of Cincinnati, there’s an abandoned subway system that was plotted over 100 years ago but never used or completed. However, this 2.2-mile network is hospitable to the general public twice a year, and it’s deliciously spooky to behold.
9. Yachats, OR
Looking for more naturally weird places to go to within the U.S.? In Yachats, Thor’s Well maybe a fountain of gurgling, guzzling ocean tides about as big as a little swimming bath, but much deeper. Look, but don’t get swept in!
10. Gibsonton, FL
Located near many circus hubs, Gibsonton (aka Gibtown) became an area for performers to measure and spend their downtime for much of the 20th century. Fun fact: At one point, Gibtown was home to the sole post office counter built specifically for small people.