Oregon’s Weirdest Tourist Attractions, According to Reddit
Jurassic Park's got nothing (well, maybe something) on Southern Oregon's Prehistoric Gardens.
“Keep Portland Weird” bumper stickers announce the metro area’s quirks with pride—but an Oregon road trip reveals a tendency toward the bizarre that permeates the state. So when a tourist came to Reddit recently in search of some strange stops for their travels, locals happily delivered.
From a roadside attraction that defies the laws of physics to a literal hole in the ground, here are some of their top recommendations.
Prehistoric Gardens
Pacific Coast Highway travelers hit Oregon’s version of Jurassic Park—which predates the movie by decades—about an hour from the California border. A short trail through the verdant rainforest makes it a great place for a quick stretch, while 23 uncanny-valley dinosaurs sculpted in the 1950s lend it that classic roadside kitsch. $10–14 per person
In Bend, sweet nostalgia awaits.
The Last Blockbuster
Speaking of prehistoric: leave the iPads in the backseat and show the kids how people watched videos back in your day. Bend’s famous holdout looks just how you remember it and makes for a not-too-touristy souvenir stop.
It's a hole! In the ground! Which is cooler than you might think.
Hole-in-the-Ground
The understated name of this maar near Crater Lake makes it ideal for tormenting fellow travelers—then surprises them with a few walking trails and a pretty impressive mile-wide crater. Visit Crack-in-the-Ground for another unique hiking option about an hour away.
Oregon Vortex
This Jackson County I-5 pit stop offers “a glimpse of a strange world where the improbable is the commonplace and everyday physical facts are reversed”—or, at least, a fun photo op with some unexplained phenomena. $16–22 per person
Sometimes called a cobra lily (look at that shape!), the carnivorous Darlingtonia californica has multiple translucent false exits to help it trap insects, which get confused and eventually drop to the bottom of the stalk.
Darlingtonia State Natural Site
More interested in trapping flies than tourists, Oregon’s only state park location focused on a single plant species features a simple wooden boardwalk leading through a bog of the rare carnivorous pitcher plant Darlingtonia californica. Visit in spring to see it flowering.
The Original Pronto Pup
Of all the famous birthplaces that could make your road trip lineup, few compete with the humble corn dog, supposedly created in Rockaway with the goal of making an on-demand hot dog bun unaffected by Oregon rain. The original beachside location features an enormous rooftop Pronto Pup and a few vegetarian picks.
Opened in 1971, Enchanted Forest is a fortress of yesteryear fun.
Enchanted Forest
Like Disneyland if it rained more and never went corporate. Newsweek readers just voted this storybook-inspired park near Salem the best family-owned amusement park in the United States. Buy tickets ahead of time for a discount. $24–27 per person
