3 Weird Roadside Attractions in Texas

I’ve lived in Texas my whole life and haven’t made it to ANY of these 3 weird roadside attractions. I think I need to step up my road tripping GAME!  If you love getting off of the beaten path to see interesting things, check out this list of ideas.

3 Weird Roadside Attractions in Texas

Cathedral of Junk (Austin)

In the middle of an ordinary Austin suburb, Vince Hannemann continues to build a world for himself in his own backyard. Since 1988, he’s been working with a staggering assortment of scrap metal, car parts, discarded appliances and just about any other type of “junk” you think of.

Many of the items he uses for his creation are donations from friends and visitors alike. Each piece must pass an inspection process before becoming a part of the Cathedral. It’s totally up to Vince. If he thinks a piece fits in with the rest, he adds it to the collection. Visit this attraction by appointment only.

Barney Smith’s Toilet Seat Museum (San Antonio)

Barney Smith (a retired plumber) is a life-long artist. For more than 50 years, his art has taken on a somewhat specific form. He’s produced more than 1,300 pieces of personalized folk art – all on toilet seats!

Barney spent his early life working as a plumber for the family business. One day, he acquired several toilet seats, destined to be thrown away. He used them to create unique pieces, combining other objects he found and hand drawn images.

Today, Barney has so many toilet seat art pieces he transformed his garage into a museum. He offers tours in between working on his latest creation.

The Orange Show (Houston)

Seeming out-of-place in its quiet Houston neighborhood, The Orange Show is an eclectic sculpture garden turned folk-art event center. It was originally built by Jefferson Davis McKissack, a Houston postal worker who decided to build an artistic tribute to his favorite fruit, the orange.

His vision was realized in 1979, when he opened his venture and offered tours to the public. Unfortunately, he passed away several months after that and The Orange Show was set to be demolished. As luck would have it, it was saved by a group of supporters who purchased the land.

Today, folk art lectures and events are held at the property’s tractor-seat theater. Blues concerts and poetry readings take place regularly as well.

This is just a small sample of weird roadside attractions in Texas. The question is… which one do you want to visit first?