Weird Attractions

Posted by Phil Rodgers in Pigeon Forge

We have to admit that Goats on the Roof is an unusual attraction. There's only one other place in the country that has live goats living on its roof, and that's the original GOTR in Wisconsin. We're pretty proud of that. There's something to be said for being unique.

And our guests absolutely love it. They enjoy watching the goats live their goat lives, and they especially like peddling the Goat Cycle, our special stationary-bike contraption that transports buckets of goat feed from ground level up to the rooftop, where our special guests always enjoy a free meal.

But believe it or not, there are other attractions around the country and around the world that also push “weird” to its limits. We thought we'd introduce you to a few of them to put things into their proper perspective. Maybe after reading about some of these attractions, goats on a roof won't seem so strange. Or maybe you'll be dying to go visit these other places. In either case, we hope you enjoy our tour of unusual fun spots around the world

Island of the Dead Dolls

You'll find this creepy place in the channels of Xochimilco, south of Mexico City, Mexico. It's known for its many dolls, which hang from trees throughout the island. The story goes that island caretaker Don Julian Santana Barrera found a girl who had drowned under mysterious circumstances and was not able to save her life. He soon found a doll floating near the canals, presumably one that had belonged to the girl. Barrera hung the doll from a tree as a way of showing respect to the girl and keep out evil spirits. He continued to hang dolls throughout he island for the next 50 years, until his death. When the island became a tourist attraction in 2001, visitors began bringing more dolls to hang throughout the island. Ready to book that trip to Mexico now?

World's Largest Ball of Paint

Indiana has the distinction of being home to the world's largest ball of paint. It's 14 feet wide and weighs 2.5 tons. A man named Michael Carmichael started making the ball in 1977, when his toddler coated a baseball in pastel blue paint. Michael continued adding paint, about a 1,000 layers, in fact, before he threatened to cut the ball in half. His wife talked him out of it, and the rest is history. Visitors to the museum can actually add paint to the ball themselves and have their photo taken standing next to it.

The SPAM Museum

Love it or hate it, everyone's favorite spiced-ham meat product has its own museum in Minnesota. Pay it a visit to learn all about how SPAM is made and sample a few bites of it on your tour. The facility also has a mock assembly line where guests can pretend to take part in the SPAM-making process. Of course, there's plenty of SPAM and SPAM merch for sale in the gift shop, everything from cookbooks to boxer shorts bearing the product logo.

Hole N The Rock

Take a trip to San Juan County, Utah to find this roadside attraction centered around a home carved from a sandstone cliff. Creator Albert Christensen began making the home in 1940, and his family moved into it in 1952. It was opened to the public for tours after his death in 1957. The home measures 5,000 square feet and contains 14 rooms, each supported by large pillars. Shelves are carved from the walls, and a 65-foot chimney is drilled into the sandstone. There's even a large concrete bathtub built into the rock.

Carhenge

Most people have heard of Stonehenge in England. But are you also familiar with Carhenge? It's a replica of Stonehenge found near Alliance, Nebraska. As the name suggests, it's built using 39 vintage American cars instead of stone. Each vehicle is covered in gray spray paint. The circle of cars measures 96 feet in diameter, and the cars are buried upright in five-foot-deep pits. Created by artist Jim Reinders, it was dedicated in June 1987.

This content posted by Goats on the Roof of the Smoky Mountains. Visit our home page, goatsontheroofofthesmokies.com for more information on the goats and their coaster.

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