When you are in the vehicle shipping industry, you will find that your travels take you past all sorts of weird destinations. Roadside attractions are a distinct part of classic Americana and believe us when we say that there are many of them all over the country. So when you are shipping your car, it is quite likely that you will find yourself making these quick stops just to see what all the hype is about. We’re going to go over some of our favorite stops so you can see them for yourself during your big move.
Carhenge
Now, it would probably make sense to many of you that our list will start off with something related to cars. After all, vehicle shipping is the trade we are a part of. The truth of the matter is that there are many car-related attractions located along the highways and byways of the United States. Each of them memorialize the industry in some way. But none of them are quite as unique as Carhenge.
This unique monument to the American automotive industry, Carhenge is a large statue set up on the long and dull plains outside of Alliance, Nebraska. Just under forty cars are found here, each of them hailing from the golden age of car manufacturing with the oldest model being a 1962 Cadillac. The sculpture was set up around the “bones” of three foreign cars in the summer of 1987. Each vehicle is spray-painted gray and has attracted tourists from around the United States since it first gained press attention that same year. It still stands to this day with preservation efforts tirelessly carried out by the city of Alliance.
Lucy the Elephant Cottage
Shipping your car takes place on more than just a cross-country scale. Vehicle shipping also happens locally. We have done more than our fair share of local and short-distance shipments and nowhere is this more true than in New Jersey. New Jersey is the most densely populated state in the country, so naturally we get a lot of folks who are just moving from end of the state to the other rather than going across hundreds of miles through the Nebraska prairies.
Now, New Jersey has many odd things about it and Snookie doesn’t even reign on top. There is one attraction along the Atlantic coast that has snagged the attention of more than a few passersby. We are talking about Lucy the Elephant.
Now, we’re not saying that somebody keeps a real elephant in their backyard. Lucy, however, bears the unique description of being the oldest roadside attraction in the country. Set up over 130 years ago as a summer cottage, the original owner wanted a pleasant view of the ocean from his pagoda. So he had this built in the town of Margate. Over sixty-five feet of lumber, a spiral staircase in one of the legs leads you to this home and the observation deck up top. Margate, just like its counterpart in Alliance, works ceaselessly to keep this attraction preserved and open to the public.
We can only imagine how vehicle shipping would change if this thing actually moved! We just might be out of business.
Paul Bunyan Statues
Everybody from New York to California is aware of the legends of Paul Bunyan. This American icon, along with his trusty steer, Babe the Blue Ox, are supposedly responsible for many varieties of impossible feats from cutting down whole forests with one swoop of his axe to actually creating the Great Lakes. So there is no doubt that he has inspired a tremendous amount of inspiration for folklorists everywhere.
Now, it’s ridiculous to think that a single man and a blue cow have something to do with making the Great Lakes. But there is evidence that this figure may actually have been a real man. So naturally cities all over the country claim that he was born there. Some of these just might be destinations for your vehicle shipping venture, so it’s quite likely you’ll pass by one or several monuments dedicated to him. Among the candidates are Akeley, Minnesota; Bangor, Maine; Klamath, California; and Portland, Oregon. Keep an eye out for this tall tale! His statues are just as big as his legend.
So these are our favorite roadside stops. When you’re shipping your car, do be sure to take in the sights. We certainly enjoy making these rest stops! Be sure to contact us to find out about routes and rates.
