10 Detour-Worthy Roadside Attractions in Iowa

The best part of any road trip is the journey, and in Iowa, you’ll find plenty of attractions worthy of making a detour (or two).

Whether you’re looking for a giant roadside photo op or an unusual museum to explore, the Hawkeye State is full of wacky ways to spend an afternoon. Plus, many of these attractions are free or have a low cost of admission, making them the perfect budget-friendly stop!

Keep reading to discover 10 detour-worthy roadside attractions in Iowa, and get a jumpstart on planning your next Midwest road trip.

On your next drive through northwest Iowa, be sure to keep your eyes peeled for a huge Hereford: Albert the World’s Largest Bull. Dedicated in 1964, Albert the Bull is a lasting tribute to Audubon, Iowa’s cattle industry. Standing at 30 feet tall and 33 feet long with a 15-foot horn span, it’s easy to see how Albert claimed the title of “world’s largest.” This big bovine weighs roughly 45 tons, and requires about 65 gallons of paint each time he needs a fresh coat.

Albert the Bull’s notoriety has reached far beyond Iowa. Audubon’s big bull has been an answer on Jeopardy, appeared in the movie Beethoven’s 3rd, got name dropped by the TV show The West Wing, and made a cameo in one of the Twilight films.

Step into the backdrop of one of artist Grant Wood’s most iconic paintings with a visit to the American Gothic House. Wood originally saw the home while visiting a friend in Eldon, Iowa, but it didn’t become the setting for his piece “American Gothic” until he returned to his studio in Cedar Rapids. Today, the home and surrounding complex welcome visitors interested in learning more about the history of one of American art’s most recognizable pieces.

The American Gothic House Center is open to visitors year-round, and offers a unique look into Wood’s work and connections to Eldon. The interior of the American Gothic House is only open on select dates throughout the year.

Known as the “miracle in stone,” West Bend, Iowa’s Grotto of the Redemption is an impressive marvel you won’t want to miss. Construction on the grotto began in 1912 and continued for almost 100 years before it was finally deemed complete. In that time, the priests of St. Peter and Paul Catholic Church crafted a stunning display across nine grottos, each displaying a scene in the life of Jesus Christ.

The Grotto of the Redemption is listed on the National Register of Historic Places and attracts more than 100,000 visitors to its small town every year. It’s estimated that more than $4.3 million of stones and precious gems were used to construct what is considered to be the world’s largest manmade grotto.

The Grotto of the Redemption is open year-round, and is free to visit.

Since the 1970s, Iowa artist Patrick Acton has been transforming more than 10 million matchsticks into 80 unique pieces of incredibly detailed art. While his pieces can be found in museums around the world and at countless Ripley’s Believe It or Not! locations, you can visit a large collection of his work at Matchstick Marvels in Gladbrook, Iowa. Over the years, Acton has created everything from the U.S. Capitol building to the Hogwarts castle from the Harry Potter series out of thousands of wooden matchsticks.

Matchstick Marvels is open daily from April through November, and charges a small admission fee to visitors over age five.

Built in 1885, the Squirrel Cage Jail in Council Bluffs, Iowa is one of the last remaining rotary-style jails (and the only three-story version ever created) in the country. This unique jail was in continuous use until 1969 when it was decommissioned in favor of more modern facilities. Today, the historic jail is the official museum of the Iowa State Sheriffs’ and Deputies’ Association, which tells the stories of local law enforcement alongside the building’s history.

The Squirrel Cage Jail museum is open year-round, and charges a small admission fee for visitors over age six.

If you enjoy an impressive collection, you’ll want to pull over for a stop at the Traer Salt & Pepper Shaker Gallery in Traer, Iowa. This unique museum displays the collection of longtime resident Ruth Rasmussen who amassed more than 15,000 sets of salt and pepper shakers. The gallery is considered the largest display of shakers in the Midwest, and features whimsical themed displays of shakers of all shapes and sizes.

The gallery is open from April through November, and charges a small admission fee to visitors over age five.

Surely, you’ve heard of a fork in the road, but what about a tree? Just north of Interstate 80 in western Iowa, you’ll find an unusual sight: the Tree in the Middle of the Road. Local lore around this giant tree has swirled for decades, but it’s commonly believed that the tree grew from a cottonwood switch that had been used to mark the county line. As the story goes, the twig took root and the roads were never routed around it. You’ll find this famous tree at the junction of two Level B roads (rural routes that are unpaved and minimally maintained), so travel with caution.

Roadside art always makes for a fun photo op, and in Avoca, Iowa, you’ll find an unusual Volkswagen Beetle Spider towering above the cornfields. Siblings Travis and Angela Campbell built this unusual sculpture as a gift for their father, Darwin, whose welding shop is located on the land behind the spider in the late 1980s. Since then, this repurposed Volkswagen Beetle has stood roughly 10 feet tall on the edge of their property. In recent years, the family has installed other metal art including a dragon and dinosaur, which can be found next to the spider.

Iowa is known for its cornfields, but in northwest Iowa, much of that corn is actually grown as popcorn. Since the mid-1990s, the town of Sac City, Iowa has been paying tribute to this piece of local agriculture in an unusual way: by creating the World’s Largest Popcorn Ball. While its earlier versions have been defeated over the years, the town’s fourth attempt at the world record has stuck. The current World’s Largest Popcorn Ball was created in June of 2016, weighs 9,370 pounds and measures 12 feet in diameter.

The big ball is located on the Sac City Museum complex, but is free to visit and accessible 24 hours a day.

It’s no surprise that the town of Strawberry Point, Iowa would be home to the World’s Largest Strawberry. To pay tribute to the small town’s namesake, Harold Lange of East Dubuque, Illinois designed and built this 15-foot-tall strawberry sculpture while he was working for the ad agency Frank Hardie in Dubuque, Iowa in the 1960s. Since its creation, the World’s Largest Strawberry has been a quirky symbol of community for the town, and you’ll find lots of strawberry-themed souvenirs around town. Today, you can find it on display in front of the Strawberry Point City Hall.