The Best Roadside Attractions (April 2001 | Volume: 52, Issue: 2)

The Best Roadside Attractions

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Authors: John Margolies

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April 2001 | Volume 52, Issue 2

I’ve been photographing roadside America and collecting its stories for nearly 25 years, so it was hard to restrict myself to only 10 favorite attractions. I could easily have focused on Florida alone, citing Cypress Gardens, Silver Springs, Coral Castle, the Weeki Wachee Mermaid Show, and the St. Augustine Alligator Farm. But in the interest of geographical diversity, I offer the following:

1 Trees of Mystery, Klamath, California.

The small drugstore Ted Hustead bought in 1931 has grown into a 76,000-square-foot institution, now run by Ted’s grandsons. In summer, 20,000 visitors a day are drawn by carved statues of historical figures, an animated Cowboy Orchestra, the chapel, and even perhaps by the chance to fill a prescription at the original drugstore, the only pharmacy within 50 miles.