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Way Out West Statue Farm

Candy B. Harrington art, attraction, chapel, church, Highway 20, Interstate 90, metal, north cascades, roadside, sculpture, Skagit River, Spokane, statue, tiny, Washington, wayside, yard art June 7, 2025

11610 W. White Road
Spokane, WA 99224
www.facebook.com/wayoutwestspokane/

Located just west of Spokane, Way Out West Statue Farm is worth a stop on any Interstate 90 road trip. Owned by two brothers who relocated from downtown Spokane, this rural property allows them plenty of room for expansion. You get your first glance of the property on the north frontage road while driving east on Interstate 90. Fortunately it’s not hard to backtrack. Just take the next exit (272), cross the freeway, then head west on the frontage road. The parking lot is not paved and it has gravel to fill in the low spots, so it’s not that great for most wheelchairs. That said, the whole area where the metallic works of art are displayed is level. The pathways are narrow and not paved, but it’s still a great choice for slow walkers. But if you have a little help it may also work for some wheelchairs.

The selection of yard art is second-to-none at the Way out West Statue Farm. You’ll find a little bit of everything, from signs and metal sculptures to small decorations and larger works of art. A chicken here, an alligator there, flamingos planted in the flowerbeds and a cactus or two are just a few examples of the offerings; but trust me, there’s much more. Everything is for sale, but browsers are also welcome. There are no pushy salespeople there; in fact if you want to buy something you’ll have to flag down one of the owners who are usually roaming the grounds in golf carts. If you can’t find them, then just ask — the other tenants are usually out and about and they will go and fetch them for your. As one friendly guy told me “It’s part of our job”. Either way it’s a fun stop, and I came home with a cool “welcome rooster”. And had a wonderful conversation with the owner, who wanted to make sure the rooster was going to a good home. This fun roadside attraction is also worth a revisit, as the selection constantly changes, but the owners are always friendly. And don’t miss their trademark alien spaceship.

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Cornerstone/ Roadside Attractions/ Travel Basics

Wheelchair-Accessible Roadside Attractions

Candy B. Harrington attractions, memorials, monuments, museums, quirky, road trip, roadside, sites, stops, wheelchair May 24, 2025

Road trips are an excellent vacation choice for wheelchair-users and slow walkers. They offer the freedom to motor through the countryside at your own pace, and stop whenever you want. There’s no tour group to keep up with, no mandatory stops at oddball attractions, and no worries about personality conflicts with other tour participants. You can go wherever you want, and do whatever you choose on a road trip. Additionally, road trips are a great way to explore small towns that are often overlooked on large group tours. Of course road tips require some serious planning and advance research, so here are some tips to help you plan a wheelchair accessible road trip (emerginghorizons.com/wheelchair-accessible-road-trip-tips/)

Half the fun of a road trip is stopping at quirky roadside attractions along the way. It’s a great way to take a break, get off the highway and get some fresh air. And although you’ll probably not find these fun and funky stops splattered across the pages of high end travel magazines, they are all great spots to take a break and enjoy the local color. So here’s a fun assortment of wheelchair-accessible roadside attractions to consider for your next getaway.

Attractions by State

Giant Lincoln Head

Candy B. Harrington attraction, giant, head, highway, Interstate 80, Laramie, Lincoln, roadside, Russin, sculpture, Wyoming May 8, 2025

Laramie, WY

Although it may seem a bit unusual to see a Giant Lincoln Head sculpture in the middle of Wyoming, it makes more sense once you realize that it’s located along the Lincoln Highway. More specifically, it’s on Sherman Summit on Interstate 80, just east of Laramie. And although it’s called a highway, it’s actually a collection of roads that run from San Francisco to New York City. And this stretch of Interstate 80 just happens to be part of that historic route, with Sherman Summit marking the highest place along the way.

The larger-than-life Lincoln head was first sculpted by Robert Russin from 70 tons of clay, and then cast in bronze in Mexico City. The Giant Lincoln Head stands 12.5 feet high, but it rests on smaller shoulders, giving it a somewhat caricature-like appearance. Still it’s an impressive work, with the former president looking down on his audience. And it was fittingly dedicated in 1959, 150 years after the former presidents was born.

Although you can see the massive head from Interstate 80, it’s worth a stop to get a closer look. There’s accessible parking with a cement walkway over to sculpture, and although there are four steps up, you can still get an adequate look at Mr. Lincoln from ground level.

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Roadside Attractions

Cadillac Ranch

Candy B. Harrington Amarillo, attraction, Cadillac, Cadillac Ranch, graffiti, Interstate 40, roadside, Route 66, Texas, The Ant Farm May 6, 2025

13651 I-40 Frontage Rd
Amarillo, TX

If you’re cruising along Interstate 40 near Amarillo, Cadillac Ranch is a required stop. Located on South Frontage Road between Arnot and Hope Roads, this public art display was created by an artist’s collective called The Ant Farm. It features 10 Cadillacs planted nose first into the ground. Built along the remains of Route 66, they were meant to symbolize the “golden age” of the American automobile. The cars are routinely painted with graffiti and even dressed up on some holidays. And although the creator frowned on this practice at first, it’s now encouraged.

There’s just a wide spot on the road to park in front of Cadillac Ranch, but there’s plenty of room for an accessible van. The entrance gate has a 24-inch clearance, but after that there is a six-foot wide hard-packed dirt path out to the cars. And if you can’t manage the walk, you can still a good view from the road. This roadside attraction is a good appetizer for The RV Museum & Storage (emerginghorizons.com/jack-sisemor-rv-museum/) located up the road on Interstate 27.

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World’s Largest Purple Spoon

Candy B. Harrington Big Martha, Charlie Wagner, East Glacier Park, Glacier National Park, Montana, photo op, roadside, Spiral Spoon, Two Medicine May 5, 2025

1012 Highway 49
East Glacier Park, MT
thespiralspoon.com

If you’re heading up to the Two Medicine area of Glacier National Park, be sure and stop in at East Glacier Park Village to see the World’s Largest Purple Spoon. Located next to the Spiral Spoon (www.thespiralspoon.com) on MT 49, this local landmark is affectionately known as Big Martha. Crafted by Charlie and Jo Wagner, the 25-foot high utensil, which is made of plywood and Styrofoam, was unveiled on May 20, 2005.

There’s level parking in a dirt area next to the spoon, and a level path over to the Spiral Spoon. The shop itself has two small steps up into it, and if you can manage those, it’s definitely worth a look inside. This quaint shop offers a good selection of spoons and other implements carved by local artists. And in the back room, there’s an interesting display of vintage spoons on the ceiling, and a prop spoon that was used on the television show Bonanza in a case on the back wall.

All in all it’s a fun stop, if only for the photo op. It may or may not be the world’s largest purple spoon (hence the “maybe” etched on the plaque) but it’s definitely the largest one in this tiny village.

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Darwin Twine Ball

Candy B. Harrington attraction, ball, Darwin, Francis Johnson, Minnesota, museum, one person, roadside, twine May 5, 2025

Darwin, MN
www.darwintwineball.com

Not to be confused with the Cawker City Twine Ball (https://emerginghorizons.com/cawker-city-twine-ball/) the Darwin Twine Ball is the largest ball of twine made by one person. While the Cawker City Twine Ball has visitors continually adding twine, the Darwin Twine Ball was made entirely by Francis Johnson. Johnson began work on the twine ball in 1950, and worked on it for the next 39 years. After his death in 1989 the twine ball was moved to a Plexiglas kiosk on the corner of William and I Streets. The finished product weighs 17,400 pounds and stands 13 feet tall. You can’t miss it — just look for the water tower.

There’s no parking lot, but it’s not a busy town so you can usually snag a parallel spot on the street. There’s curb-cut access up to the sidewalk which leads to the twine ball. A small museum in the former railroad station is located right behind the twine ball. There’s ramp access up to the building, which features information about Francis Johnson, and includes some of his prized possessions. It also houses some old town artifacts, railroad timetables and photos. And don’t forget to pick up a twine ball hoodie in the gift shop.

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Hot & Cold Water Towers

Candy B. Harrington cold, high school, Highway 281, hot, Kansas, Main Street, prank, Pratt, road trip, roadside, water tower May 5, 2025

Main Street Pratt, KS If a road trip takes you along Highway 281 in Southern Kansa, then be sure and stop for a quick photo op in Pratt. Although there’s not much to the town, they do have have a unique set of water towers. The Hot & Cold Water Towers are located at the intersection of Highway 281 (Main Street) and Green Street. You can get a good view of them from the Pratt Community Center parking lot (which has accessible parking), located just across the street. What supposedly began as a high school prank when students graffitied the towers in the 1940s, led to the town formally adopting — and accepting — the designations, and repainting the towers in a more formal and permanent way. Yes, other towns in Kansas also have similar water towers, but the story behind these sends them to the top of the list.

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Cawker City Twine Ball

Candy B. Harrington attraction, ball, Cawker, Frank Stoeber, Kansas, road trip, roadside, twine May 5, 2025

719 Wisconsin Street (Highway 24)
Kawker City, KS
facebook.com/pages/Worlds-Largest-Ball-of-Twine/307121536379156

The Cawker City Twine Ball is definitely off the beaten path, but that’s part of the charm of it all. Located about an hour-and-a-half northwest of Salina, you definitely have to go out of your way to visit this Kansas roadside attraction. It was started by Frank Stoeber in 1953 with sisal twine from his hay bales. Frank had been a bit under the weather and he thought twine winding would be a good way to pass the time. After he recovered, he found he had a new hobby, so he decided to keep it up.

Today this massive twine ball sits in an open-air pavilion on Highway 24 between Maple Street and Lake Drive. Accessible street parking is available on the corner of Highway 24 and Lake Street. There are steps up to the twine pavilion from Highway 24, so it’s best to head up Lake Street and cross over the grassy area next to the building with the mural on front, to get to the twine ball. And depending on the upkeep of the grounds, some wheelchair-users may need a bit of assistance bumping up the cement slab where the twine ball sits. Still you can get a good view of it from anywhere on the grass.

And this isn’t a static exhibit — it’s still growing. Every August there’s a twine-a-thon, where visitors are encouraged to add to the twine ball. So if you’re in the area during that time, make plans to become an official twine winder.

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World’s Largest Peanut

Candy B. Harrington Ashburn, attraction, Georgia, Interstate 75, largest, Nora Lawrence Smith, peanut, road trip, roadside April 16, 2025

Ashburn, GA

Although there are many contenders for the World’s Largest Peanut, the true winner resides in Ashburn, GA. You can spy the stately goober from I 75, just south of exit 82 on the west side of the highway. And if you’d fancy a closer look, then take the Washington Drive exit and turn west, then make a left on Sylvia/Whittle, between Zaxby’s and the Pizza Hut. The big nut can be found on a small service road on the left, about a half-mile from the turn. Although it was knocked from its perch in Hurricane Michael in 2018, it was replaced and renovated in 2023. During that interim phase, several other peanuts claimed “largest” status, but after the replacement the Ashburn giant regained the title.

There’s a small paved parking lot, and although it’s not striped it is level and seems adequate for the amount of traffic the peanut gets. There’s level access over to the nut, but if you are expecting a big peanut gift shop filled with tasty treats, coffee cups and t-shirts, you will be sorely disappointed, as the only thing at this stop is a commemorative plaque, and the World’s Largest Peanut. Still it’s a fun stop, and there’s a journalistic twist to the nut too, as it was erected in memory of Nora Lawrence Smith, the former editor and co-publisher of the Wiregrass Farmer, Turner County’s award-winning newspaper. So why a peanut? It is of course Turner County’s most important agricultural product. As an added bonus, if you hit this site after dark, it’s also lighted.

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Bravo Farms

Candy B. Harrington Bravo Farms, California, cheese, fudge, fun, gift shop, Highway 99, kids, petting zoo, road trip, roadside April 16, 2025

36005 Highway 99
Traver, CA
bravofarms.com

Located in sleepy little Traver, Bravo Farms offers a much needed break from California’s monotonous Highway 99. To be fair, this gift shop-restaurant-farm-cheese factory has three other locations; but since the Traver one is the flagship, it’s also the kitschiest.

Accessible parking is located near the restaurant, and there’s level access to the restaurant, ice cream shop, gift shop, fudge shop and saloon. The gift shop has a wide selection of local products including Bravo Farms Cheese, (they have samples) and there’s even a wine tasting bar at the far end. And if you arrive at the right time you can also get a gander at the cheese-making process. Out back there are level pathways around a shooting gallery, a treehouse, a playground, a petting zoo, and a collection of old wooden buildings that are lined with vintage road signs and filled with memorabilia. It’s a great stop for kids of all ages!

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