Photo courtesy of Richie Diesterheft/CC BY 2.0.
There are plenty of roads to drive on in Texas. Luckily, there’s no shortage of roadside attractions when you need a break or want to see something spectacularly strange.
Texas has the largest highway network of any U.S. state, with more than 314,000 miles of public roads. While you can certainly find long stretches of nothing around you except desert or farmland, spend enough time on the road, and you’ll eventually spot something that catches your eye.
Between enormous cutouts of famous actors, a gargantuan pair of cowboy boots, and a record-setting knife, Texas has no shortage of bizarre roadside attractions. Here are ten of the strangest—stop in admiration the next time you pass them!
1. Giant Marfa mural
US Hwy 90, Five Miles West of Marfa Wyatt Ranches – Little Reata Division, Marfa, TX 79843
Photo courtesy of Joey Held.
The Prada Marfa art installation tends to get much of the Marfa buzz. And yes, it’s delightful to see a Prada store on the side of the road in the middle of the West Texas desert. But the Giant Marfa mural is even more immersive. Created by John Cerney, the mural features lifesize replicas of James Dean, Elizabeth Taylor, and Rock Hudson, who all starred in the 1956 western epic Giant. You’ll also spot director George Taylor and hear country western music composed by The Monkees guitarist Michael Nesmith.
2. Paisano Pete
The intersection of East Dickinson Boulevard & North Main Street, Fort Stockton, TX 79735
Not every city has a mascot, but Paisano Pete proudly represents Fort Stockton. The roadrunner is 11 feet tall and 22 feet long; he was purchased from a Wisconsin company in 1980 and named via a write-in contest (with a $50 prize!). You can almost hear him going, “Meep! Meep!” in his mid-stride pose. For over a decade, Paisano Pete held the honor of the world’s largest roadrunner statue. Alas, he lost that title in 1993 to a Las Cruces, NM sculpture. Yet Paisano Pete still delights fans and live roadrunners, who are frequent residents of the greater Fort Stockton area.
3. Ms. Pearl
2626 State Hwy 71, Cedar Creek, TX 78612
Photo courtesy of Larry D. Moore/CC BY 4.0.
Texas and pecans are a classic combination, and Berdoll Pecan Candy and Gift Company serves up a variety of treats involving the state nut. You can grab a slice of pie anytime from the world’s only pecan pie vending machine, though make sure to visit Ms. Pearl before you depart. She’s the enormous squirrel statue and farm mascot, and she loves posing for selfies with eager passersby. Just don’t try to swipe her pecan—she’s got a firm grip on it.
4. Eye
1601 Main St Dallas, TX 75201
Ever feel like you’re being watched? If you’re passing by the Joule Hotel in downtown Dallas, those paranoid thoughts are very well founded. Tony Tasset created the aptly named “Eye” in 2007, a 30-foot piercing blue eyeball with noticeable red veins. The fiberglass sculpture rolled around a bit before settling in Texas over a decade ago. The Joule also has an entire sculpture garden with other interesting works.
5. World’s Largest Cowboy Boots
7400 San Pedro Ave, San Antonio, TX 78216
Photo courtesy of Joey Held.
As someone with large feet, I empathize with finding footwear large enough to contain my paws. These boots would do the trick. Standing at 35 feet, 3 inches tall, 33 feet, 4 inches long, and 9 feet wide, these are, in fact, officially the world’s largest cowboy boots. Sculptor Bob Wade designed a Texas-themed attraction to sit near the White House, and what better item than a pair of boots? The boots eventually reached San Antonio at the North Star Mall parking lot. Transporters could only take back roads, as the boots would have knocked into the overpasses above. Wade wrote a song called “Too High, Too Tall and Too Long” about the adventure, and a documentary of the same name was released in 1999.
6. Sam Houston and Stephen F. Austin statues
7600 TX-75, Huntsville, TX 77340
41885 State Hwy 288, Angleton, TX 77515
Speaking of impressively large things, sculptor David Adickes has built a pair of statues that are collectively over 140 feet tall. One statue is of Sam Houston, looming 67 feet in the air and gazing longingly over the land in front of him in Adickes’s hometown of Huntsville. Take a quick jaunt about two hours south to Angleton, and you’ll find the statue of Stephen F. Austin, which is 76 feet tall (that measurement includes the base Austin is perched upon). They’re both majestic sites to behold and a great way to feel tiny.
7. Cadillac Ranch
13651 I-40 Frontage Rd, Amarillo, TX 79124
Owning a Cadillac is a cool feat. Jerry Seinfeld bought one for his father on Seinfeld as a present. Sure, it ultimately led to the retirement board of Del Boca Vista impeaching Papa Seinfeld as President, but it’s the thought that counts. The art group Ant Farm feels the same way about Cadillacs, and in 1974, it developed the idea of Cadillac Ranch, an installation of 10 Cadillacs sticking up from the ground. The Cadillacs were initially alongside Route 66, the “Main Street of America.” Though the highways have changed, the spirit of Cadillac Ranch remains an homage to a classic automobile.
8. Frontier Texas! flying buffalo herd
625 N 1st St, Abilene, TX 79601
Look, up in the sky! It’s a bird! It’s a plane! It’s…several flying buffalo? Abilene local and buffalo enthusiast H.C. Zachry developed the concept, and the herd of eight debuted in 2013 outside the interactive Frontier Texas! museum. The 2D buffalo light up at night and can rotate 360 degrees, creating a stunning view from afar, especially around sunset. They’re awe-inspiring up close, too: weighing over 1,000 pounds and standing—er, flying—eight feet tall and 12 feet wide. In 2024, the soaring buffalo got another shout-out in the form of the Abilene Flying Bison, a Mid-America League baseball team.
9. World’s Largest Bowie Knife
1555-1699 E Wise St Bowie, Texas
It is always a pleasure when a city embraces its name. Some folks might hear the name “Bowie” and immediately think of David Bowie. However, this town, an hour northwest of Dallas, is named after James Bowie, who died during the Battle of the Alamo. Bowie was a legendary knife fighter, carrying a weapon that was 9.5 inches long. This replica, created by Bob Hadley, is over 20 feet tall, gaining Guinness World Records status in 2016. Imagine trying to keep that in your pocket.
10. Looking Up
3809 W. 35th St., Austin, TX 78703
Photo courtesy of Joey Held.
This one is technically not directly off the roadside, though it’s close enough. Tom Friedman designed Looking Up, a 33-foot sculpture of a metallic humanoid, using Alberto Giacometti’s unusual creations as inspiration. Your guess is as good as mine as to what precisely this specimen is looking up at, though mimicking the pose will give you a good neck stretch. Looking Up welcomes guests to the Laguna Gloria sculpture park, which has a few other gems hidden further along the trail. It’s an impressive behemoth in front of The Contemporary Austin.
This article first appeared on Good Info News Wire and is republished here under a Creative Commons license.
