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These Odd Attractions Are Worth Your Time
You’ve probably driven past these places a dozen times, never thinking twice. Maybe your parents pointed them out on road trips when you were a kid, or you vaguely remember hearing about them in school.
These are the spots every Oklahoman should stop at least once, not because they’re world-famous, but because they’re purely Oklahoman.
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The Blue Whale of Catoosa
Everyone around here knows the big blue whale on Route 66. It’s been sitting there since the early ‘70s, built by Hugh S. Davis as an anniversary gift for his wife, Zelta.
Back in the day, kids could swim in the pond, but now you’ll just find turtles sunning themselves on the rocks.
The floor inside creaks under your feet, and if you look closely, you’ll see decades of graffiti scratched into the paint.
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The Arcadia Round Barn
It’s been standing since 1898, not because it’s made of special materials but because round barns handle Oklahoma wind better.
Inside, the curved wooden beams give the place a strange, echoing sound. The upstairs used to be a dance hall, and if you go up there when it’s quiet, you can almost hear the old music.
On hot days, the whole place smells like aged wood and dust baking in the sun.
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The Golden Driller
You don’t grow up in Oklahoma without seeing the Golden Driller at least a dozen times. He’s been the official state monument since 1979, standing outside the fairgrounds like he owns the place.
His boots are taller than most houses. It’s originally built in 1953 for the International Petroleum Exposition.
If you visit during the fair, you can hear the roar of the rides and smell funnel cakes from across the parking lot.
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Totem Pole Park
This 90-foot totem pole has been in Foyil longer than most people have been alive.
At a distance, it looks like wood, but when you get close, you can see where the concrete has cracked from years of Oklahoma heat and ice.
Ed Galloway built it just because he felt like it, along with a fiddle-shaped building for his handmade fiddles. If you run your hand along the surface, it’s rough, like old stucco.
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The Milk Bottle Building
This tiny brick building sits right in the middle of an intersection, on an old streetcar stop along a line that ran diagonally across Classen Boulevard.
If you’ve ever driven down Classen, you’ve passed it without thinking twice. It was built in 1930, and the milk bottle was added in 1948.
The bottle has been repainted so many times that you can see old layers peeling off. The building itself has held a dozen different businesses, but most people just recognize it as “that place with the milk bottle on top.”
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Pops Giant Soda Bottle
If you’ve ever taken Route 66 toward Arcadia, you’ve seen the giant soda bottle glowing at night. It’s 66 feet tall, and more than 7,000 neon lights shift colors every few seconds.
Tap on it and hear hollow sounds, like a big metal drum. The parking lot always smells like a mix of gasoline and spilled soda.
In the summer, if you step out in flip-flops, the asphalt is hot enough to burn your feet.
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Route 66 Mural in Elk City
The Route 66 mural in Elk City isn’t as flashy as Cadillac Ranch, but it’s still worth a stop. The colors have faded, and the paint has chipped in a few spots, but it’s still a good backdrop for a quick photo.
Right next to it, the museum complex has a replica of a 1950s gas station and diner. The gift shop sells every Route 66 souvenir imaginable.
The parking lot is full of tire marks from people pulling in just to snap a picture.
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Sandhills Curiosity Shop
This shop is pure chaos. There’s no way to tell if it’s open unless you show up and see for yourself.
The building is the oldest in Erick, and the outside looks like a pile of junk someone forgot to clean up.
If Harley Russell is there, you’ll hear him playing banjo before you even walk in. Inside, the wooden floor creaks, the walls are covered in Route 66 antiques, and there are no price tags, just stories.
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Lucille’s Historic Gas Station
Lucille Hamons ran this tiny gas station from 1941 to 2000, back when Route 66 was still the main highway.
The old gas pumps out front are rusted, and the sign barely hangs on, but the place still feels like a piece of history. It was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1997.
If you stand there long enough, the wind rattles the windows, and for a second, it’s like stepping back in time.
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