The Great American Road Trip

America has a rich history, whether viewed as a shining example or a dark history meant to be risen above. There are many reasons to love America, regardless of the beholder’s personal stance or beliefs. There have been many phases throughout American history: original settling, the revolution, industrial revolution, the 20s and the Great Depression; with 13 phases in total identified at present.

By the 1920s, America had begun to embrace the newfound freedom found in owning an automobile; finding the ability to travel longer distances with families in tow an appealing proposition. As the motor craze picked up fervor, state and local governments began to invest in improving road conditions across the country; making travel more feasible and accessible. As these improvements came and the appetite for travel grew, many aspiring entrepreneurs arose to provide interesting attractions along the traveler’s road. Thus was born the American roadside attraction business.

When my wife and I were dating, I had devised an interesting plan for her and I to travel from Southwest Ohio where we reside to the shores of Lake Erie. The reason the trip would be an interesting one involved the stops we planned to make along the way. In doing the research, I discovered that there are many odd and interesting places scattered all throughout my home state; just waiting to be absorbed in all of their bizarre glory.

My original history of the American roadside attraction began when I was a boy. My father is originally from Saskatchewan, Canada, and we were not wealthy enough to make the trip to visit Canadian family by plane. Therefore, many summers we would undertake a long, arduous trek through multiple states; meandering north and slightly west toward our ultimate destination. Trust me when I say that much of the trip involved less than appealing scenery. The further north we went, the flatter and less exciting the environment became. One year, however, my dad had made the decision to stop at certain roadside attractions scattered along the way; if not just slightly off course.

One of the attractions that awed me as a boy and was very much the highlight of that trip was a place called Storybook Land in Aberdeen, South Dakota.

https://www.facebook.com/storybookaberdeen/

To a young boy who had traveled the long, weary route of farmer's fields and dust before, such a discovery was truly magical! Being shown such a wonderous place felt like being taken through a magic portal; as if our van had been whisked away in a twister and dropped into Storybook land with promise of grand adventure.

I believe another stop on that particular vacation was Mount Rushmore. It was likely my first time to the sight but not the only time we stopped in our years traveling. Maybe less engaging to a young boy than Storybook Land, it’s size and majestic scope were nonetheless memorable. The rich history of the characters captured in relief upon the Black Hills carried with it a sense of awe and gravity that even a young boy could identify. While perhaps not a traditional roadside attraction, this may be among the grandest of roadside attractions we have to offer.

About an hour and a half up the road as it were is World Famous (or at least they might have you believe) Wall Drug.

Seeing various signs along the way, with little in the way of description, only add to the mystery of what you might find when you finally arrive. As a boy, especially given the are-we-there-yet mentality on a long trip, I would swear they began the signs a million miles away!

What, exactly, Wall Drug is would be hard to define. Even after doing some research for this writing, I don’t know I could easily categorize it. So instead, I will leave you a link with well-wishes for anyone brave enough to hit the road and include Wall Drug on your stopping list.

https://www.walldrug.com/about-us

Suffice it to say, it’s part souvenir shop, part large statue fun, and all an interesting good time. Probably a must-do for any avid roadside attraction aficionado.

There were other adventures had on this and other trips, but as I grew older and began to focus on other things, I lost touch with these treasured memories. It was as if these were included in the spark of magic every young boy and girl enjoys until the world's responsibilities threatens to choke the wonder out of life.

About 3 years ago, I had been somewhat newly dating my wife. I was always eager to share new experiences with her, and engage in new adventures together. She had completely captured me and perhaps that is partly the ingredient that reignited that magic spark; that sense of wonder in the world and in the new.

As I mentioned at the start, I had determined to establish a planned trip for us that included seeing at least some of the many roadside oddities offered in the state of Ohio. I meticulously researched the options, making a list and revising until I had the best possible trip planned out for us.

We began our trip not at an oddity, but simply with a morning hike at John Bryan State Park, since neither of us had been there. After our hike, we were ready to encounter the first major attraction: Hartman Rock Garden.

https://www.roadsideamerica.com/story/10324

As indicated in the caption, the most interesting part about Hartman Rock Garden is that it appears to be in someone's back yard. During the Great Depression, Mr. Hartman reportedly had lack of employment as did so many at that time. He had mostly completed his work by the time he went back to work at a foundry in 1935 which later contributed to his death. His family preserved his work on his backyard kingdom for over 60 years. The attraction is now managed by Friends of the Hartman Rock Garden who allow visitors to the magical Hartman back yard.

Next, we made our way to something I had no idea was set up in my relative back yard. The quietly famous Chief Leatherlips monument.

The Chief was definitely an interesting find. The monument is to a Wyandot chief who was nicknamed leather lips due to his famous ability to never break his promises. I suppose the metaphor or comparison just have been lost in time, because I confess to not quite understanding why an oath keeper would be said to have leather lips. We can safely say the the monument keeps it's promise of being a neat find in the world of little-known wonders. 







Very near to the monument was perhaps the most bizarre stop we made during our whole trip. Corn henge. You read that right. Stone corn sculptures abound in a field near Columbus, Ohio. For reference, see the main picture at the start of this tale.

The field contains 109 6 foot corn sculptures! The background involves recognition of an individual by the name of Sam Frantz who worked with the Ohio State University to develop different types of hybrid corn on that very field. According to the site Atlas Obscura, the field hosts weddings and is a favorite haunt of local office workers to romp around the snowy corn-filled fields in winter.

https://www.atlasobscura.com/places/cornhenge

The last attraction we were able to see on the trip was right in the heart of Columbus itself. It was a statue of Arnold Schwarzenegger. There is a connection to the city and the famous actor's early bodybuilding days. In 1970 he won the Mr. World contest in the city and became friends with the event's organizer. In the late 80s, the Arnold Classic was born and continues in the city as a major fitness competition. Naturally, you erect an 8 foot bronze statue in such an event. 



https://www.atlasobscura.com/places/arnold-schwarzenegger-statue

There were several other attractions on the list that we never got to see. We had plans to visit the Columbus zoo and indeed we did. The majority of the remainder of our day was spent there, with miles yet to go before reaching our hotel near Put-in-Bay; a small, touristy island in Lake Erie with history of it's own.

There are many more stops waiting to be explored in our state, and definitely in others. Now I am a proud stepfather, and look forward to planning out a trip for our boys reminiscent of the one my own dad originally plotted out. One filled with wonder, adventure, and a shared experience that will not soon be forgotten.