Enchanted Highway: Follow an American dream

Metal Family - credit Lindsay Godfree

Perhaps you have heard of the Enchanted Highway, or maybe you have seen the signs if you have traveled in the “north country” on Interstate Highway I-94. If you are traveling in search of the biggest and BEST roadside attractions in the World, otherwise known as “Giant Animal Roadside Architecture,” take a summer load assignment that will road trip across  I-94 in North Dakota.

Colossal creatures tower over the plains entertaining the tourists and setting a few World records in the process. These giants of North Dakota serve to create a unique opportunity to get off the beaten path and do something different. If there is time on your load and you can make the detour, it really is worth seeing.

Drive down the road aptly named “The Enchanted Highway,” a 32 mile stretch of highway off Interstate 94 at Exit #72. The huge metal sculptures consist of 7 extremely large; geese, deer, pheasants, grasshoppers, Teddy Roosevelt, even a complete Tin Family with the newest addition being “The Fisherman’s Dream.”

Fishermans Dream - credit Lindsay Godfree

The enchantment takes you into the town of Regent and home of Gary Greff, the artist responsible for these awesome creations. There is a gift shop and a place to turn your truck around to get back on route. The day we stopped in Gary himself was behind the register in the gift shop.

Greff says the idea behind the sculptures was to put people in the town of Regent to work together to creature something that would draw people there and save their failing economy. The small towns of America have to get very creative to keep their towns alive. Gary has plans of adding four more giant sculptures to the highway in the upcoming years. Another amazing part about the art is that it is all created with donations of both time and money, so take time to see this inspirational idea.

If you just don’t have time to take the Enchanted Highway route, from highway I-94 you can see the Giant Geese in Flight (I-94 exit 72) marking the entrance to the Enchanted Highway. It stands 110 feet tall is 154 feet in length, weighing 78.8 tons, all made from scrap metal. The largest of the geese is 19 feet in length with a 30 foot wing span. This sculpture is in the Guinness World Book of Records as THE “World’s Largest Scrap Metal Sculpture”.

Buffalo - credit Lindsay Godfree

The World’s Largest Holstein Cow (I-94 exit 127) is 38 feet high, weighing 12,000 lbs., and made of fiberglass. Perched high on top a hill over looking the city of New Salem, North Dakota, his monstrous cow was built in 1974 as a tribute to the area’s dairy farmers.

Truckers can also get close to The World’s Largest Buffalo (exit 258) which dons a hill included in a Wild West town. (We found a place to park the truck before the entrance with a turn around) Also located there through the town, is the Buffalo Museum and the home of a herd of live buffalo including the legendary white buffalo.

Other giant creatures are reported to live on this highway but so far I can’t report if they are accessible to big rigs of those who live there life on the road.

If you liked that post, then try these...

View the original article here