The 25 Best Roadside Attractions in Michigan
Ranked by Roadtrippi users — the people who've actually been there. Updated June 2026. Roadtrippi catalogs 472 roadside attractions in Michigan.
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1. Monumental Kitty (Gone)
Detroit, MI
Created in 2010, Jerome Ferretti's brick sculpture of a cat burst out of the ground -- the head resembled a kiln. Gradually destroyed by weather and morons, Kitty was declared RIP by Detroit's art community in May 2019.
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2. The Heidelberg Project
Detroit, MI
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3. Henry Ford Museum of American Innovation
Dearborn, MI
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4. New Era Potato Chip Silo
Portland, MI
"Of all the potato chip container silos around, this is one of the very best." Beloved mid-century brand absorbed by Frito-Lay.
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5. Old Tavern Inn: Michigan's Oldest Business
Niles, MI
A sign in the Old Tavern Inn parking lot pronounces that it's "The Oldest Business in Michigan."
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6. Curwood Castle
Owosso, MI
Photogenic three-story castle, modeled as an idealized Norman chateau when built in 1922. The tower was the writing studio of pulpy outdoor adventure novelist James Oliver Curwood.
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7. Hocking's Emergency Ark - Barn Boat
Port Austin, MI
Artist Scott Hocking took apart an old barn and rebuilt it in 2015 as a sad-looking, unseaworthy farm ark. Its official name is "Celestial Ship of the North," and a plaque is titled "Emergency Ark" -- but everyone calls it Barn Boat.
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8. Robinson Scenic Gardens (Gone)
Mancelona, MI
Formerly Good Shepherd Scenic Gardens. Most of the statues were reported to be broken or gone in July 2024.
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9. Iron Mountain Iron Mine Tour
Vulcan, MI
Lightless tunnels and a giant underground pit, and all you have to do is sit in a rail car. You're dressed in bright yellow rain slickers, so you'll always be easy to find. Open as an attraction since 1958.
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10. Tin Man Traffic Sign
Niles, MI
A trailer park has erected a 10-foot-tall Tin Man at its entrance; one hand is raised in caution, the other holds a 10 mph sign.
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11. Eden Springs Park
Benton Harbor, MI
An old religious community that once had an amusement park; gradually being restored. Now offers train rides.
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12. Artesian Springs - Bring Your Own Cup
Petoskey, MI
Straight out of the ground to slake your thirst.
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13. Yellow Dinosaurs
Bear Lake, MI
Home-built, friendly-looking, and canary yellow. Well, real dinosaurs could have been an easy-to-spot canary yellow -- maybe that's why they're extinct. 30 feet long, eyes lit at night.
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14. Front Lawn Stonehenge
Nunica, MI
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15. Bavarian Chicken Rivalry
Frankenmuth, MI
Stuck like chicken bones in each other's throats, two rival, giant, all-you-can eat Bavarian fried chicken restaurants, on opposite sides of the same street, are run by factions of the same family!
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16. Big Old Shoe
Jackson, MI
Seven feet tall, the Victorian high-top shoe was made of concrete-covered styrofoam by Joshua Diedrich. He guessed it be a size 236.
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17. Snowhenge (Gone)
Grand Rapids, MI
A 1/3rd scale Stonehenge replica made of snow at MacKay Jaycees Family Park. Grand Rapids failed to maintain a permanent Polar Vortex and by Spring 2010 this attraction had melted into history.
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18. Air Zoo
Kalamazoo, MI
A museum of airplanes and astronautics. Includes a Space Shuttle simulator ride and the World's Largest Indoor Mural. A few old jets are parked out front.
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19. America Moose
Saint Ignace, MI
A moose painted like an American flag watches US 2 in the UP, and serves as a patriotic greeter to any visiting Canadians. A bit west: Big Boy and a moose in checkered pants.
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20. Giant Bear Trap - A Tourist Trap (Gone)
Chassell, MI
The snowmobile-chomping bear trap was one of the few excuses to be in this part of Michigan's upper peninsula. Reported gone in June 2024.
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21. Robert Wadlow Shoe and Wayward Lincolnabilia
Plymouth, MI
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22. Woolly Mammoth
Elk Rapids, MI
Home-built woolly mammoth with very long tusks stands outside a small, rural taxidermy museum.
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23. Bomb Disposal Soldier Memorial
Iron Mountain, MI
Wood carving, painted enamel black, of a combat engineer outfitted in hi-tech military gear. In the yard of a suburban house, and it depicts Donnie Jokinen, son of the owner of the house, who was wounded while clearing bombs in Iraq. Sculpted by Charles Hamilton, unveiled on Octo
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24. World's Tallest Uncle Sam
Ottawa Lake, MI
A towering fiberglass Sam, with flaming red lips, stands just north of the Ohio border. One of only two such 38-foot-tall giants; the other is in Connecticut.
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25. World's Former Largest Cherry Pie Pan
Charlevoix, MI
Browse all 472 attractions in Michigan on Roadtrippi.