2024 other attractions

A summary of roadside attractions from 2024, and other attractions that didn’t fit in other summary posts.

Again, you can also see the attractions from 2023, from 2022, and from 2021. And you can see all of the attraction-related blog posts via the exploring category, with the earliest posts at the top, or the latest posts at the top, or more specifically the roadside attraction category (with earliest or latest posts at the top).

Total solar eclipse in Paris, Texas:

Iowa 80 truck stop in Walcott, Iowa:

Mall of America in Bloomington, Minnesota:

Mitchell Corn Palace in Mitchell, South Dakota:

Custer Battlefield Trading Post & Cafe in Montana:

Oregon Cabaret Theatre: Legally Blonde, the Musical in Ashland, Oregon:

Oregon Shakespeare Festival in Ashland, Oregon:

Scenic drive along Dead Indian Memorial Road and Green Springs Highway in Oregon:

Shields Date Garden in Indio, California:

The Thing? in Arizona:

McGinn’s PistachioLand Home of the World’s Largest Pistachio in Alamogordo, New Mexico:

Moody Gardens Festival of Lights in Galveston, Texas:

Fun stuff.

Merry Christmas; Moody Gardens Festival of Lights

Happy Holidays! Merry Christmas to all who celebrate.

To mark the occasion, here’s a post out of sequence. We stayed at Galveston Island State Park in Texas in early December (posts coming about that in January). While there, we visited the Festival of Lights at Moody Gardens.

Holiday lights

Fire

Holiday lights

Merry Christmas!

McGinn’s PistachioLand Home of the World’s Largest Pistachio

We visited McGinn’s PistachioLand Home of the World’s Largest Pistachio. A fun roadside attraction that we saw in passing a couple of years ago, but got around to visiting this time.

World's Largest Pistachio

PistachioLand:

PistachioLand

World's Largest Pistachio

Nutastic!

The Thing?

During our travel to Las Cruces, we stopped at Bowlin’s “The Thing?” Travel Center for lunch (as mentioned in the travel post), and of course we had to explore “The Thing?” museum, another fun roadside attraction. The idea being WHAT IF… aliens have manipulated human history?

What if?

Cheesetastic fun.

Museum of History in Granite

On the other side of the I-8 freeway from the Encore Pilot Knob RV Resort was the Museum of History in Granite, along with the Center of the World, the Maze of Honor, and the Church on the Hill.

One could consider this a kitschy roadside attraction, and it is that, but it’s also a lasting testament to the passions of one man, wanting to record history in stone that’ll last for centuries. Reading about his history is interesting: born in France in 1929, moved to the US at age 11, became an investment banker, bought a war-surplus plane and learned to fly, then invented the sport of skydiving (or “sport parachuting”), and finally created the “town” of Felicity in 1985, establishing it (via a fairy tale he wrote) as the Center of the World, and created the History of Humanity in Granite. Read that history page for details.

An interactive map:

Sign

Sundial, using a sculpture of Michelangelo’s Arm of God from the Sistine Chapel:

Sundial

The official center of the world:

The official center of the world

Selfie in front of the pyramid that encloses the Official Center of the World:

Selfie in front of pyramid

Jenn standing astride the Center of the World:

Jenn standing astride the Center of the World

Looking from the pyramid past the Museum in Granite to the Church on the Hill:

Looking from the pyramid to the church on the hill

Museum of History in Granite:

Museum of History in Granite

Replica half-scale Liberty Bell:

Replica Liberty Bell

Museum of History in Granite

The Church on the Hill:

Church on the Hill

Museum of History in Granite

The Maze of Honor, where people can pay to have granite memorials (it’s mostly empty):

The Maze of Honor

Stairs from the Eiffel Tower:

Stairs from Eiffel Tower

Certificates for visiting the Center of the World:

Certificates for visiting the Center of the World

The Living Desert Zoo and Gardens

We visited The Living Desert Zoo and Gardens in Palm Desert, California. It is one of the nicest zoos we’ve been to; not because it has a lot of animals; it doesn’t have as many as others. But because it specializes in desert animals and plants, and harmonizes the gardens so well with the area.

This was our second visit to this zoo, though the first time was somewhat different: we attended some holiday lights in December 2021.

Here’s a map of the zoo; click or tap to see a larger map on their site (please let me know if the link breaks in the future):

An interactive map:

Entrance:

Entrance

Animals:

Animals

A tasty lunch from their grill:

Lunch

Animals

Also fascinating plants:

Plants

Miniature railway:

Miniature railway

Miniture railway

Miniature railway

New area under construction:

New area under construction

Animals

Plants

Animals

Shields Date Garden

We visited Shields Date Garden in Indio, California, to have brunch, explore their garden, and browse their store.

Shields entrance sign

Firstly we went to their restaurant, the Café at Shields, for brunch:

I had the Churro Waffle, and Jenn had the Beef Sopes:

Food

There was live music (can’t really see him, but a guy playing a guitar):

Live music

Restaurant

After lunch, we explored The Walk, a garden path that winds through the date farm, with biblical statuary:

The walk

Ladders formerly used to harvest dates (nowadays they just use cherry pickers):

The walk

Then we watched their film about date growing and harvesting in the Romance Theatre (you can watch it on YouTube):

Romance Theatre

We perused their shop:

Shop

We bought a couple of date samplers, plus some Cactus Candy (that we’ve enjoyed elsewhere):

Date samplers and Cactus Candy

Finally, we got a date shake to share; it was very tasty:

Date shake

A worthwhile visit in the Palm Springs area.

Scenic drive along Dead Indian Memorial Road and Green Springs Highway

On our last day staying in Ashland (a Saturday), we took a scenic drive along Dead Indian Memorial Road and Green Springs Highway (OR-66), along the historic Applegate Wagon Trail, through the Cascade-Siskiyou National Monument.

An interactive map of our route, traveling clockwise (with a fuel stop first, then a stop at the “Boat Launch” waypoint; the other waypoints are just to force the route:

We really like the Ashland area, and Dead Indian Memorial Road is one of the favorites, the kind of terrain we enjoy.

Some interesting rocks:

Interesting rocks along Dead Indian Memorial Road

A bit of wildfire smoke in the area:

View from Dead Indian Memorial Road

A glimpse of Mount Washington, a 7,795 foot peak in the Cascade range:

Mount Washington

Smiley face on a tank:

Smiley face on tank

We stopped at the Sunset Day Use Area of Lake of the Woods for a picnic lunch:

Lake of the Woods

Another angle of Mount Washington across the lake:

Mount Washington

Lake of the Woods

A dog with shark fin, carrying a stick:

Dog with shark fin

Selfie

Ducks:

Ducks

Duck

Back on the road, on highway 140 W:

Highway 140 W

Upper Klamath Lake:

Upper Klamath Lake

Reservoir:

Reservoir

OR-66:

OR-66

A nice drive.

Oregon Shakespeare Festival

We attended a couple of performances of the Oregon Shakespeare Festival in Ashland.

Back when we had a homestead, we used to be members of OSF, and did annual visits to Ashland to attend performances and enjoy the town. (Though we do plan to be back in Ashland next year, and probably every year, so we could resume our membership.)

This time, we attended a performance of Jane Eyre, and of Much Ado About Nothing.

“Allen Elizabethan Theatre, America’s First Elizabethan Theatre”:

Allen Elizabethan Theatre

Before each show they have a “Green Show” musical performance outside the theaters:

The Green Show

Into the theater:

Theater

A view of the Green Show from the theater balcony:

The Green Show

Inside the theater; yes, it’s open air:

Theater

Another day, another Green Show:

The Green Show

A larger crowd:

The Green Show

Selfie:

Selfie

A little different set dressing in the theater:

Theater

Sunset:

Theater with sunset

Audience:

Audience

Theater

Oregon Cabaret Theatre: Legally Blonde, the Musical

While in Ashland, we attended a performance at Oregon Cabaret Theatre of Legally Blonde, the Musical. We’ve visited Ashland many times over the years, but this was our first time at the cabaret.

Oregon Cabaret Theatre