I absolutely hate driving. Well, I hate the other drivers, not the driving itself. I used to love taking road trips, driving hours for a good meal, but the drivers of Florida have broken me. Their inability to follow the proper rules and etiquette of the road has resulted in near aneurysms almost every time I get behind the wheel.
So when we decided to do a month-long Midwest road trip, we knew there had to be breaks in the driving. Enter the quirky Midwest roadside attractions.
Our first longer leg of driving was from Pittsburgh, PA, to Columbus, OH. We stopped at the Pro Football Hall of Fame in Canton, OH, but needed to include a few other breaks.
We stopped in Sugarcreek, OH, a town that has dubbed itself ‘The Little Switzerland of Ohio.’ They are also known as the gateway to Amish country, and for having the world’s largest cuckoo clock.
We pulled up right as the clock began it’s show, which is does every thirty minutes. Polka music starts playing and a couple dances on one side while a band plays on the other. It goes on for almost two minutes. It was very cute, and a charming addition to a town who claims to be like Switzerland (I’ve been to Switzerland a few times and it does not look like this).
A horse-drawn carriage rode past as we were watching the clock, which added to the charm of the town.
To learn about the Amish and Swiss heritage of the town, the Alpine Hills Museum has you covered. They have three floors of artifacts and life-size replicas about life in Sugarhill.
Not ready to start driving, we walked down the little main street and checked out the shops and other attractions. They are some very. . . interesting things in Sugarcreek.
We stopped in Collectors Decanters and Steins, a museum and store with, you guessed it, decanters and steins. I’m talking hundreds of them. They also have a restored bar from the 1930’s displaying many of their items.
Our last stop in this bizarro town was Secret Garden, a shop full of fairies, hanging branches, Christmas decor, and other whimsical items. It was quite the sight to see.
We left Sugarcreek and continued on our way to Columbus. Our next stop was the Longaberger corporate office to see the world’s largest basket. The whole building is shaped like one of their baskets and it’s huge. Everything was closed up and the parking lot was empty so it was a quick stop for a photo.
Our next stretch of driving was between Columbus and Cincinnati. It’s not very far but there were a lot of quirky things to check out. Our first stop was Hartman Rock Garden. It’s essentially a rock garden art exhibit in the backyard of a house in Springfield, OH. You literally park on the side of the street, drop a few bucks in the donation box, and walk through their yard. The creativity and craftsmanship is extremely impressive. It was one of my favorite stops because it was so unique and intriguing.
We stopped in Dayton, OH, to check out the Wright Brothers National Museum. It boosts the most Wright Brothers artifacts in one location, including a replica of their bicycle shop and a totally preserved 1905 Wright Flyer III. History and aviation aficionados will love this stop.
While in St Louis, we stopped at Ted Drewes, a custard place on historic Route 66. While not exactly quirky, they only have vanilla custard, with tons of options for toppings (except no rainbow sprinkles) and it feels like a trip back to the days before interstates.
We continued on from St Louis to Chicago then Milwaukee by train, where we picked up another rental car and started the drive to Michigan. Our first stop was Mars Cheese Castle in Kenosha, WI. If you love cheese, you need to go here. It is a giant castle-shaped building FULL OF CHEESE! They have multiple retail areas, split into actual cheese, cheese gifts, bakery, candy, and other local grocery delights.
After passing by Chicago, we stopped at Indiana Dunes State Park. Located on the east side of Lake Michigan, it has a great view of the Chicago skyline! It was a hazy and there were construction barges when we were there but it was still cool to see so far across the lake.
There are so many more quirky roadside attractions, but only so much time! Let me know in the comments the ones we need to stop at on our next road trip.