Sure, Texas has postcard-pretty beaches, spring-fed rivers and enough scenic campgrounds to keep REI shoppers spiritually fulfilled until they’re no longer fit to travel. But sometimes a proper road trip calls for something a little — or a lot — stranger than a sunset selfie.
Thankfully, South and Central Texas still cling to one of America’s finest traditions: gloriously weird roadside attractions built with questionable judgment, absolute confidence and an abundance of fiberglass or spare junk parts.
From dubiously “world’s largest” objects to offbeat recreations of landmarks such as Stonehenge, these 25 roadside oddities in and around San Antonio are worth burning a tank of gas to witness firsthand.
Barbadilla, Buffalo Gap
3002 FM 89, Buffalo Gap, roadsideamerica.com.
Perini Ranch Steakhouse in Buffalo Gap, Texas, has a 30-foot armadillo for a mascot, appropriately named Barabadilla.
World’s Largest Cowboy Boots, San Antonio
San Antonio North Star Mall, 7400 San Pedro Ave., San Antonio, roadsideamerica.com.
Native San Antonians might not pay any attention to the giant cowboy boots in front of North Star Mall, but there’s more to them than you’d think. Made by the larger-than-life artist Bob “Daddy-O” Wade, these boots were installed at North Star in 1979 and officially made it into the Guinness Book of World Records as the World’s Largest Cowboy Boots four decades later.
Stonehenge II and Easter Island Heads, Ingram
120 Point Theatre Road S., Ingram, roadsideamerica.com They may not be the real deal, but these replicas of Stonehenge and the Easter Island Moai Statues in Ingram, Texas, are the next best thing to the storied ancient monuments.
World’s Largest Shovel, Creedmoor
3606 FM1327, Creedmoor
This 40-foot tall shovel was made from recycled materials, you dig?
Giant Stag Made of Junk, Converse
4203 Loring Park, Converse, roadsideamerica.com
Built from various rusted metal parts — fenders and typewriters included — this Florentino Narcis creation stands 40 feet tall in the midst of a neighborhood in Converse.
Giant Steer Skull, Bandera
200 Main St., Bandera, roadsideamerica.com
This monolithic steer head is mounted on the rear of the building that houses Western Trail Antiques.
Mansplaining Statue, San Antonio
4301 Broadway, San Antonio
Though unintended by the artist, the statue Classmates on UIW’s campus struck a chord, as it accidentally immortalizes the unique frustration of being mansplained to. The statue can be found near the college’s music building.
World’s Largest Strawberry, Poteet
530 Avenue H, Poteet, roadsideamerica.com
The strawberries in Poteet are anything but petite, including the 7-foot tall statue of a strawberry located in front of the town’s fire station. While Poteet’s iconic annual Strawberry Festival takes place during the spring, the burg pays homage to its trademark crop year round with statues and artwork.
Strawberry Water Tower, Poteet
Junction of Betty Louise Drive and Pecan St., Poteet, roadsideamerica.com
A towering 130-foot strawberry can be seen along Highway 16 as cars approach Poteet, giving everyone a berry sweet welcome to the town.
Frank’s Hog Stand, San Antonio
801 S. Presa St., roadsideamerica.com
A remnant of the classic 1920s chain of drive-in Pig Stand restaurants, Frank’s Hog Stand reopened in 2010 and served all-American fare. The restaurant has since closed, but the pig still stands as a quirky roadside attraction within city limits.
Marathon aka Robo-Cow, Johnson City
Junction of Flat Creek Road and E. US Hwy 290, Johnson City, roadsideamerica.com
This steely steer, crafted by texan artist Bettye Hamblen Turner, looks like a creature straight out of a sci-fi movie. It stoically guards the entrance of the The Preserve at Walnut Springs.
The Cartoon Saloon, Comfort
508 FM Hwy 473, Comfort, roadsideamerica.com
This stand on the side of the highway is an old-west saloon which passersby can go into, but don’t go expecting to order a sasparilla —it serves no other function than photo-op stop.
Easter Island Head, Victoria
291 McCright Drive, Victoria, roadsideamerica.com
The 10-foot tall statue Moai is located near a golf course in Victoria. An inscription at the base of the statue indicates that it may have been made by A.T. Dincans Jr. in 1997.
World’s Largest Peanut, Pearsall
Junction of S. Treviño St. and Comal St., Pearsall, roadsideamerica.com
The World’s Largest Peanut still stands proudly after over 25 years on the side of the road in Pearsall.
Junk Yard Dog, San Antonio
1201 Somerset Road, San Antonio
This canny canine is made by the same artist as the giant cowboy boots which sit outside of North Star Mall. Bob “Daddy-O” Wade, who passed away in late 2019, built the pup out of cars in his junk yard: a 1966 Plymouth Fury, a Volkswagen Beetle and the hood of a Cadillac.
Watermelon Water Tower, Luling
1798 E Pierce St., Luling, roadsideamerica.com
Along Highway 183, another high-flying fruit can be spotted in the sky. This 154-foot tower contains some of the water that helps grow Luling’s 50 pound watermelons.
Lourdes Grotto Replica, La Grange
936 FM 2436, La Grange, roadsideamerica.com
Transport yourself to the cobbled streets of Europe at this Texas version of the grotto at Lourdes, France.
World’s Largest Virgin Mary Mosaic, San Antonio
1301 Guadalupe St., San Antonio, roadsideamerica.com
San Antonio artist Jesse Treviño’s La Veladora is a large mosaic replica of a Catholic prayer candle in tribute to the Lady of Guadalupe.
World’s Largest Pecan, Seguin
390 Cordova Road, Seguin
The Pecan Capital of the world won the title not just for its fields of ofTexan pecan trees but also for the 16-foot long, 8-foot wide statue of a pecan which sits outside of the Texas Agricultural Education and Heritage Center. The center is also home to the Pecan Museum of Texas, which houses Texan folk art and nutcrackers.
Home of the World’s Largest Pecan Historic Marker, Seguin
101 E. Court St., Seguin, roadsideamerica.com
Seguin sits along the Guadalupe River, which was once known as the “River of Nuts.” A 1000 pound pecan statue outside of Seguin’s city hall is dedicated to Spanish explorer Cabeza de Vaca, who survived on a diet of local pecans while being held captive in the area.
World’s Second Largest Mobile Pecan, Seguin
5440 S. Hwy 123 Bypass, roadsideamerica.com
To round out a pecan-themed Seguin tour, check out the 10-foot long fiberglass steel-framed pecan, which is technically mobile since it’s situated on a truck frame. This “Mobile Pecan” is parked outside of the Pape Pecan House, which offers all sorts of nutty snacks.
Smitty: World’s Largest Gingerbread Man, Smithville
Junction of 1st St. and Main St., Smithville, roadsideamerica.com
From the world’s largest gingerbread mold came Smitty, the world’s largest gingerbread man, who towers at 20 feet. The actual cookie, which earned a Guinness World Record, was eaten by the town residents but a replica stands to commemorate the occasion.
Big Slice of Pie, Kyle
202 W. Center St., Kyle, roadsideamerica.com
Sitting atop the Texas Pie Company’s roof, this hearty slice of cherry pie will cause pupils to dilate as soon as the peepers get a sight of its oozing filling. Photo via Instagram / im_archie4
Big Peanut for The Peanut King, Floresville
1420 3rd St., Floresville, roadsideamerica.com
A giant peanut statue dons the Floresville courthouse’s lawn in honor of Joe T. Sheehy aka “The Peanut King.” This oversized legume is believed to be “the oldest of America’s big civic peanuts.”
Nessie, San Antonio
Tom Slick Park, 7400 Texas 151 Access Road
Tom Slick, the founder of Southwest Research Institute and Texas Biomedical Research Institute, was fascinated by cryptids. Slick went on expeditions to investigate both Bigfoot and the Yeti in the ’50s and early ’60s. Artist Elizabeth Carrington took inspiration from Slick’s passion for cryptozoology for her public artwork Nessie, a statue of the Loch Ness Monster in Tom Slick Park.