From a giant blue crab to a cathedral of junk, these weird and sometimes wonderful landmarks will have you stopping the car in Texas.
Texas has many draws: great sports teams, heavily portioned barbecues, and cacti-laden landscapes that make for excellent backdrops, but when it comes to landmarks, things can go either way. Sure, the Alamo is fascinating, but then you have “wonders” like a giant killer bee, a giant blue crab, and, er, a giant pecan (with a state motto, “Everything’s bigger in Texas,” are you really surprised?). It’s safe to say that in the Lone Star State, some things are built with quantity over quality in mind. We round up 11 of the weirdest Texas landmarks you never knew you could see.
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Big Blue Crab
WHERE: Rockport, Texas
You can’t miss Rockport’s Big Blue Crab statue, aka the “World’s Largest Blue Crab” (Texans love a superlative). Originally built in 1957 when a savvy restaurant owner needed something to attract hungry patrons, the clawed critter has become somewhat of a town landmark, so beloved that it has been rebuilt on multiple occasions following hurricane damage. With an impressive four-star rating on TripAdvisor (based on one review), you’ll want to drive all the way to the coast to get a glimpse of it. Or maybe you’ll want to save the gas for something else.
A Giant Pecan
WHERE: Seguin, Texas
Nuts for nuts? Walk, no RUN, to Seguin. There’s a giant 16-by-8-foot pecan by the Texas Agricultural and Heritage Center with the words “World’s Largest Pecan” emblazoned under it. We might add that it’s technically the world’s largest fiberglass pecan, rather than a real pecan, of which nobody in the world actually cares to contest either. Still, it is a great way for allergy sufferers to get involved in local pecan festivities.
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A Giant Killer Bee
WHERE: Hidalgo, Texas
Another random town, another “world’s largest” superlative. This time, it’s Hidalgo, a dot on the Southern border. In 1990, a colony of “Africanized” killer bees arrived via Brazil, provoking statewide panic. However, local marketing wizards decided to turn the attention on its head in an attempt to put Hidalgo “on the map.” The Hidalgo Economic Development Department thus spent $20,000 on a 2,000-pound statue of an Africanized honeybee, and well, the rest is history.
The Eiffel Tower
WHERE: Paris, Texas
Did you know that Texas has a city called Paris? “The Second Largest Paris in the World” has its own Eiffel Tower, standing proud at 65 feet tall. Now, we all know that Eiffel Tower replicas are everywhere (Vegas, Shenzhen, Lahore, and even Disney World), but this one, y’all, has a cowboy hat on it, which makes it extra special. For folks who fancy a road trip, it’s a mere 22-hour drive from NYC, a 21.5-hour drive from L.A., or a 13-hour drive from Chicago. Or, um, you could just fly to Paris, France, in a fraction of the time to see the real thing.
Stonehenge II
WHERE: Ingram, Texas
What does Ingram, Texas, have in common with Sex and the City? They both have slick yet disappointing sequels. Stonehenge II was created from leftover materials from a nearby building project, mostly from stones constructed of plaster applied to a wire mesh frame. The signage at the site states, “Stonehenge II is not a replica; it is about 2/3 the size of the original, and it is not oriented to the sun, as is the original. Rather, it is Hill’s impression, in steel and concrete, of the nearly 5,000-year-old circle of stones on the Salisbury Plain.” It is also, apparently, the most visited site in the Texas Hill Country.
Prada Marfa
WHERE: Valentine, Texas
If you want to see the finest example of more money than sense, take the excruciatingly long journey to dusty West Texas, where the star attraction is Prada Marfa. This freestanding installation is helmed by Scandi artists Elmgreen & Dragset, who spent $120,000 on making a faux Prada shop. Since its 2005 unveiling, the store has been plagued with theft and vandalism, requiring constant security and upkeep for an undisclosed sum. Some visitors love it, some hate it…but you can decide for yourself if the selfie was worth the journey to one of the most remote parts of Texas.
Beer Can House
WHERE: Houston, Texas
The Beer Can House in Houston is a folk art gallery and workshop comprising 50,000 flattened beer cans on its exterior. Retired local John Milkovisch was a bit of a hoarder, keeping all his empty cans after consumption. In 1968, he finally put them to good use, covering his entire home and yard with them to produce a piece far cheaper than Prada Marfa. The Orange Show Center for Visionary Art later acquired the property and restored it after his passing in 1988, and today, it’s open for all to appreciate.
Dalmatian Fire Hydrant
WHERE: Beaumont, Texas
“Mommy, I want to go on vacation in Beaumont, Texas,” said no child ever, so it makes perfect sense that there’s a giant Disney-themed attraction here on its roadside. The spotted hydrant was donated by the Walt Disney Company to the city in 1999 because the marketing department had clearly run out of ideas to promote the VHS re-release of 101 Dalmatians. Since Beaumont has so few wonders to contend with, the 26-year-old home entertainment PR stunt remains one of its top visitor attractions.
Henrietta the Hippo
WHERE: Hutto, Texas
Ready for another marketing slogan? Hutto is the self-proclaimed “Hippo Capital of Texas,” not by the vast number of free-roaming wild hippos it has (spoiler: there are none), but by the fact that there are “a lot” of model hippos that dot town. Locals are obsessed with the mammal thanks to a folklore circus story, and the largest and most important of them all is Henrietta the Hippo, a 14,000-pound concrete statue established in 1982. It’s only a matter of time before UNESCO comes knockin’.
Cathedral of Junk
WHERE: Austin, Texas
In line with the “keep Austin weird” ethos, the Cathedral of Junk offers visitors a rare attraction filled with, you guessed it, rubbish. But this isn’t any ol’ heap of crap. It was first built by Vince Hannemann in 1988, amassing over 60 tons in a three-story monument. Wander around, and you’ll find oddities from doll heads to car wheels and part of it has been overtaken by native plant life. It’s open to visitors by appointment, and hey, it sure stands out from any other cathedral we’ve seen.
Cadillac Ranch
WHERE: Amarillo, Texas
Finally, you’ll come across plenty of ranches in Texas, but nothing quite like Cadillac Ranch. Situated along Route 66, this public art installation features 10 vintage vehicles, all buried nose-down in the ground at an angle said to mimic that of the Great Pyramid of Giza. It was created in 1974 by a San Francisco team called Ant Farm, and visitors are even allowed to add their own graffiti on the cars via spray paint. As a result, the artwork is constantly evolving.