10 Roadside Attractions Near Dallas

From the world’s-largest-something to the nation’s-longest-whatever to the biggest-doo-dad-on-the-continent, roadside oddities have become infamous attractions on road trips across America. 

Here are just a few of those interesting roadside attractions here near Dallas and Fort Worth!

Unique roadside sights near Fort Worth

Muffler Men

300 S. Main St., Grapevine, TX 76050

You’ve seen them before — 20- to 40-feet tall fiberglass figures advertising stores, restaurants, attractions and more. 

Big British Bowler Hat

401 S. College St., Waxahachie, TX 75165

This 20-foot-tall bowler hat is located in the Cedars neighborhood just south of Dallas, where it accompanies a 42-foot tall umbrella just blocks away. The bowler hat was commissioned in 2015 by the British furniture brand Timothy Oulton to be displayed above their store in Dallas. Unfortunately, city ordinances prevented the hat from being displayed, so the hat found its way to a park in the Cedars!

Bronze Hands of the Famous

301 S. Akard St., Dallas, TX 75202

This collection of bronze hands of famous people is located in Dallas, Texas. The collection of life-size bronze castings were created by surgeon Adrian E. Flatt starting in the 1960s as a way to study the physical characteristics of various celebrities. The collection features the hands of people such as Elvis Presley, Marilyn Monroe and John F. Kennedy, as well as Andre the Giant, Walt Disney, Neil Armstrong and Winston Churchill.

Traveling Man

3200 N. Stemmons Freeway, Dallas, TX 75207

Created by artist Luis Jimenez in 1986, this 35-foot-tall fiberglass sculpture of a man walking is part of a series of four statues displayed in a story sequence. The story is that Traveling Man started his life as an old train locomotive buried under an elm tree who, when a bit of gin splashed down onto the soil, transformed into the gentle metal creature he is today. 

Golden Boy

200 N. Ervay St., Dallas, TX 75201

This 32-foot-tall golden statue of a winged, angelic figure is located in the AT&T Discovery District in Downtown Dallas. The “Spirit of Communication”, entirely covered in gold leaf, is wrapped in telephone cables and grasps a handful of lightning rods in his upraised fist — the perfect symbol for the communications corporation AT&T for which it was commissioned in 1916.

Big Neon Red Pegasus

3001 N. Main St., Fort Worth, TX 76164

This 40-foot-tall neon Pegasus sign is located outside the Omni Hotel in Fort Worth, Texas, though it first shone atop the Magnolia Building in Dallas back in 1934 when it was created.

The Pegasus was originally part of a pair of neon horses that represented the Magnolia Oil Company. The creature stood 450 feet in the air and, reportedly, could be seen from up to 75 miles away before it was lowered in 1999.

Robot Gunfight Glockenspiel

1501 Gaylord Trail, Grapevine, TX 76051

This glockenspiel in Grapevine, Texas, features two animatronic figures who have a shootout every hour. The glockenspiel is located in the Gaylord Texan Resort and features music and sound effects. The shootout is a popular tourist attraction in the railroad-centric town and is often featured in wedding videos.

Barney Smith's Toilet Seat Art Museum

5703 Plano Parkway, The Colony, TX 75056

This museum in The Colony, Texas, houses a collection of over 1,400 toilet seats that have been decorated by artist Barney Smith. The museum is located in a former gas station and features toilet seats that have been painted, carved and decorated in a variety of ways. If you go, you’re guaranteed to always get the best seat in the house!

World's Largest Stainless Steel Dragon

100 W. Main St., Grand Prairie, TX 75050

Measuring over 100 feet long and weighing 30 tons, this shimmering dragon is located in Grand Prairie, Texas. It was created by artist James Robbins and is made entirely of stainless steel, which is about all there is to it.

I mean, what more do you expect from the World's Largest Stainless Steel Dragon?

World's 2nd Largest Ball of Barbed Wire

2500 W. Wheatland Road, Grand Prairie, TX 75050

In the heart of Grand Prairie, Texas, is the second-coolest thing in the barbed-wire world: an 8-foot tall and 13-ton ball of old barbed wire. The ball was created by rancher Lyle Lynch who collected around 16 miles of old wire over the years in the hopes of achieving fame and recognition. Unfortunately, after Lynch died in 1997, his good friend J.C. Payne overtook his record and created a ball of barbed wire three feet taller — though Lynch’s ball (which he named “Clonia”, byu the way) is the one that’s displayed at the Ripley’s Believe It or Not! museum in Grand Prairie. 

If you live anywhere near our Dallas apartments, then you’re sure to see at least a few of these on your travels in and around town. Be sure to stop by and take a look!

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Featured photo courtesy Pixabay/keisner