9. Gatorland

Location: Orlando, Florida

Here's another roadside Floridian classic. Gatorland is a well-known daydrip away from the curated and "magical" Orlando you know into the real, true Central Florida that once was. A full zoological park dedicated to Florida's oldest residents (no, not retirees), Gatorland is well-known for its meshing of "Old Florida" charm and modern fun. Yes, like the G. W. Zoo featured in Tiger King, this park dedicates itself to the display of a species. But Gatorland is as informational and educative as it is entertaining, with nature trails, aviaries, and attractions.

Like Weeki Wachee, we dedicated an entire in-depth feature to the history of this Floridian original – Roadside Wonders: Gatorland.

10. Colonial Williamsburg

Location: Williamsburg, Virginia

Colonial Williamsburg in Virginia is a historic district brought to life as a living-history museum. The 301-acre region within Williamsburg is part historic project, part tourist attraction, drawing visitors from Virginia's Historic Triangle (Jamestown, Yorktown, and Williamsburg) and from nearby Washington, D.C. The entire 300-acre district maintains the appearance, trades, and occupations of the 1700s as a living testament to the patriots and livelihoods that created the United States. Colonial Williamsburg (and its shops and restaurants) are open to the public, but tickets are necessary to enter the living history businesses and homesteads staffed by historic interpreters. 

Within Colonial Williamsburg, shepherding, masonry, candlemaking, shoe-making, habberdashery, blacksmithing, and more are retained not just in living history "actors," but in tradespeople who sincerely study and rise through apprenticeships in an enduring attempt to keep these ways of life going. Guests can tour manors, homesteads, coffee shops, and more all while interacting with interpreters who share stories about the real people who inhabited this real town. While the "accuracy" and "authenticity" of Colonial Williamsburg has been disputed, the immersive attraction is nonetheless the "real world" world-building equivalent of Batuu or Pandora; a living world that must be seen.

And yes, it was also Colonial Williamsburg that inspired MIchael Eisner and a group of Disney executives to pursue their own living history attraction in the region – the never-built Possibilityland: Disney's America that was frought with controversy and contempt.

11. Otherworld

Location: Columbus, Ohio

Only an hour from the Ohio State Reformatory stands Otherworld – another new-age art installation / immersive exhibition in the style of Meow Wolf. Opened in 2018, this experience is built around a mythos all its own. Located in a once-bustling, now-vacant shopping plaza on the far East side of Columbus, there's a post-apocolyptic air to Otherworld. After all, its neighbors as far as the eye can see are the remains of now-vacant big-box stores, their logos visible only by way of the sun-bleached paint behind them. It's the perfect setting for "Otherworld Industries," a dystopian, quasi-governmental agency exploring dreams.

Of course, guests – as test subjects – are invited into incredible hands-on worlds that range from jubilant to spooky (but still appropriate for all ages). While many of the attraction's sights are physical sets, there are also vast expanses of world created through projection – and interactive ones at that! – where guests can shatter crystals, send fish scurrying, and surround themselves in 360-degree galaxies. There's a deeper narrative to uncover, as well, by gathering pieces of an otherworldly code to power up a massive light tower in the center of the dream world.

It's funny – classic attractions like Mystery Spot, Weeki Wachee Wpeings, and The Thing relied on word-of-mouth and the draw of the unknown for their viral appeal, daring guests to come inside to find out what they contained. Now as yet another example of the next generation of roadside wonders, Otherworld is all about being Instagram-friendly! It's immersive, interactive, and shareable, working off of the (astute) assumption that even if you see it online, you haven't really seen it until you've seen it with your own eyes.

12. Evermore Park

Location: Pleasant Grove, Utah

Ever since the opening of the Wizarding World of Harry Potter in 2010, the direction of themed entertainment design has pivoted from single attractions to immersive lands that allow guests to occupy a physical world and partake in the snacks and souvenirs it provides. That formula was taken to the next level thanks to the original mythologies of Disney and Universal's newest generation of lands, like Batuu, where guests' roles border on LARPing – live action role playing.

And there – at that unique crossover between Batuu, Westworld, and World of Warcraft – stands Evermore. This experimental new generation of "experience park" in Utah invites guests into a "magical village filled with adventures, stories, and games." It's a living fantasy hamlet of explorable cottages, apothecaries, gardens, mausoleums, chapels, mills, and taverns encouraging guests to come as they are – be it fairy, elf, knight, or dragon-hunter.

Throughout, guests can participate in axe-throwing and archery, witness musical celebrations by in-universe characters, and interact and explore in a living theater experience. You can join guilds, uncover Evermore's history, dine on "authentic" village fare... anything you can imagine! Plus, rotating seasonal events open new "portals" into the village, transforming into Lore at Halloween (where an ancient darkness escapes), Aurora (a Dickens-inspired winter festival), and Mythos (a springtime fantasy experience).

Whether you choose to "LARP" yourself is up to you, but Evermore is an infinitely-deepening living theme park for guests of all ages to experience to their own comfort level and depth.

Roadside Wonders

Naturally, we've barely scratched the surface of generations and generations of roadside attractions that are scattered throughout the United States. Museums, mystery spots, installations, immersive experiences, and more are spread throughout this country. Both classic and contemporary, the 12 roadside wonders we've hinted at here are just the start of a cross-country collection of sights you've got to see to believe.

So let us know – which "roadside wonders" did we miss? What tourist attractions, must-see sights, and attention-grabbing experiences shaped your interest in themed entertainment design growing up? Let us know in the comments below!