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Iowa Oddities

Unusual destinations, curious landmarks, and worthwhile detours across Iowa.

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10 documented oddities Highest curiosity first

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Haunted Locations

Villisca Axe Murder House

Villisca, Iowa

An ordinary white farmhouse preserves the setting of an unsolved 1912 mass murder and welcomes tours and overnight guests.

Haunted Locations

Historic Squirrel Cage Jail

Council Bluffs, Iowa

Prison cells once rotated inside this Victorian jail like a human-sized carousel controlled by a hand crank.

Giant Objects

World’s Largest Popcorn Ball

Sac City, Iowa

More than 9,000 pounds of popcorn, syrup, and civic determination sit behind glass in a roadside pavilion.

Curious Landmarks

Future Birthplace of Captain James T. Kirk

Riverside, Iowa

A small Iowa town claims to be the birthplace of a fictional starship captain who will not be born for centuries.

Historic Oddities

Grotto of the Redemption

West Bend, Iowa

Built from millions of gemstones, fossils, and minerals gathered from around the world, the Grotto of the Redemption is one of the largest man-made grottos on…

Curious Landmarks

Fenelon Place Elevator

Dubuque, Iowa

Two tiny counterbalanced cars climb a 296-foot Iowa bluff on a railway built to make one banker's lunch break easier.

Giant Objects

Albert the Bull

Audubon, Iowa

A 45-ton concrete Hereford with a 15-foot horn span watches over an Iowa park and tells visitors his story.

Roadside Attractions

Iowa 80, World’s Largest Truckstop

Walcott, Iowa

This highway stop grew into a 24-hour trucker metropolis with restaurants, showers, a dentist, a barber, and its own museum.

Curious Landmarks

Snake Alley

Burlington, Iowa

Seven tight brick curves twist up a steep Iowa bluff on a street designed to give horses a fighting chance.

Curious Landmarks

American Gothic House

Eldon, Iowa

The tiny white farmhouse behind one of America's most famous paintings now supplies visitors with pitchforks and costumes.