Fun and Interesting Places to Visit That Aren’t a National Park

One of the big destinations when RVing is to go to National Parks. You want to get back to nature, hike, camp, and relax. But when planning a trip, you should always have something new and exciting to do too. It’s part of the appeal of going out on the road, to try something new or see something you can’t at home. When it comes to interesting things to see, the US has no shortage of places to visit. Everything from curiosity museums to roadside attractions, these destinations are sure to give you a story that you’ll love telling to your friends and family.

Attractions to Grab Your Attention

The Classics of the Roadside

There’s nothing more quintessential to a road trip than going to visit the giant ball of twine in Cawker City, Kansas. This mass of twine weighs over 27,000 pounds. And if you make some prior arrangements, you can even add more twine to the ball that gets added to the official length!

Maybe twine isn’t all that interesting to you. You could try visiting the world’s largest ball of paint in Alexandria, Indiana. Don’t think it’s just something to go see, you can make an appointment and add a new layer of paint to the ball and help make it even bigger.

Need something a little different? How about the Corn Palace in Mitchell, South Dakota? This attraction changes every year, featuring new murals all done using varying shades of corn. Not only is there the palace and murals to visit, but the Corn Palace hosts a festival in August celebrating corn and South Dakotan agriculture.

If you’re a bit more of an auto-lover, try visiting Carhenge in Alliance, Nebraska. This is a scale replica of Stonehenge in the United Kingdom, but it’s made entirely out of cars. Check out this quirky piece of pop art and stop for lunch in the town.

Museums Aplenty

If simple roadside attractions aren’t quite your thing and you want something to see that will be a little more interesting and take a little longer, then try one of the hundreds of interesting and unique museums found all across the US. Most people have been to the national museums, but who can say they’ve been to the National Mustard Museum in Middleton, Wisconsin?

Want to try other food museums? How about the SPAM Museum in Austin, Minnesota? Or maybe try out the Idaho Potato Museum in Blackfoot, Idaho. Maybe you like something a little sweeter. You can get a tour at the Ben and Jerry’s factory in Vermont, and be sure to visit their flavor graveyard to see their flavors that have passed on.

Traveling more southwestern? How about visiting the Neon Museum in Las Vegas, Nevada? This museum works to preserve the big and magnificent neon signs from all over Vegas. A fan of video games? Try visiting the National Videogame Museum in Frisco, Texas.

Another classic in road tripping is visiting Roaswell, New Mexico. And if you’re going to stop by, you should check out the UFO Museum. While on the strange and out there museums, try visiting Point Pleasant, West Virginia and check out the Mothman Museum.

Something a Little Different

There’s always ghost tours in many places, especially in New Orleans to go on if a museum isn’t quite your thing. Trying unique food stops is also a great way to explore the country.

When on the road, it’s standard fair to make use of truck stops and rest stops. They’re a great place to stretch your legs, get a snack, refuel, or just take a little break from the road. Some rest areas are nicer than others and are more enticing to visit. But you normally wouldn’t go out of your way to visit a specific truck stop. But that should change if you’ve never been to the world’s largest truck stop, Iowa 80, located on Highway 80 in Walcott, Iowa.

Maybe you’re looking for a creative place to camp. If you’re an animal lover, we have just the place for you to visit, Best Friends Animal Sanctuary! They work towards being no-kill and rescue animals all across the country. You can visit the animals, volunteer, and maybe even find your new best friend.

No matter what you do for your RV trip, planning and going on the trip is always sure to be a new experience, even if you’ve been to the campsite before. But when looking for something new to try, look for the weird and niche little tourist places that will give you a fun, new story to tell.