Roadside Attractions

Some places attract visitors because of their history, scenery, or recreational opportunities. Others spark curiosity with their unusual appearance, unexpected location, or intriguing backstory. Across western and central New York, you’ll find unusual buildings, oversized sculptures, folk-art traditions, engineering oddities, and unexpected landmarks. Together, they highlight the creativity, character, and quirks that distinguish one community from another.

Have fun finding these fun roadside attractions—shoe trees, a skeleton army, a metal dragon, a shark girl—within two hours of Rochester.

City of Rochester

Argentum: Double-Positive outside the Memorial Art Gallery appears as two stainless-steel cylinders by day, but after dark, light shining through thousands of perforations reveals words and phrases celebrating Rochester’s history, industries, neighborhoods, and people.

A 15-foot-tall yellow pencil outside Writers & Books reflects the organization’s mission to celebrate reading and writing. The sculpture is a popular photo stop in Rochester’s Neighborhood of the Arts.

Monroe County

The Mushroom House on Park Road in Pittsford is a private residence designed by architect James H. Johnson, who applied the principles of organic architecture. Although the structures were inspired by Queen Anne’s lace, their rounded forms evoked giant mushrooms, and the nickname stuck. The house is best viewed from Park Road near Powder Mills Park, especially in winter and early spring, when the leaves are off the trees.

Wat Pa Lao Buddhadham on Martin Road in West Henrietta showcases traditional Lao architecture, ornate details, and golden roofs amid the surrounding farmland. Although the temple can be appreciated from the road, visitors are welcome to quietly walk the grounds while respecting this active place of worship.

Greater Rochester

The Canandaigua City Pier boathouses include more than 80 colorful structures built along three finger piers extending into Canandaigua Lake. Visitors are welcome to walk the wooden boardwalks between the privately owned boathouses. Although they resemble tiny cottages, overnight stays are not permitted.

Five Arch Bridge in Ashantee is an abandoned limestone railroad bridge built in 1857 for the Genesee Valley Railroad. Spanning Conesus Creek, it draws the attention of travelers on New York State Route 39. A small roadside park offers a place to stop and take a closer look.

Giant metal poppies at the Livingston County Veterans Monument rise several feet above a painted American flag field. Each flower was individually designed and welded by a veteran or a veteran’s family member and sways in the wind.

The JELL-O/Mail Pouch barn on Asbury Road displays two boldly colored murals on opposite sides. One welcomes visitors to the birthplace of JELL-O, and the other preserves a historic Mail Pouch Tobacco barn advertisement.

LeRoy’s Statue of Liberty overlooking Oatka Creek stands just eight feet tall—the same height as the original Statue of Liberty’s index finger. The Boy Scouts of America presented the replica in 1950 as part of a nationwide campaign.

A giant metal dragon sculpture and a tiny school bus greet travelers from opposite sides of Transit Road near Keller Road. These whimsical roadside sculptures are an unexpected sight in rural Genesee County.

The Culvert Road tunnel carries traffic beneath the Erie Canal near Medina. It remains the only road to pass beneath the canal and has gained national attention through Ripley’s Believe It or Not.

Shoe trees stand at the intersection of Lakeshore and Foss Roads in Lyndonville, where visitors have tossed shoes into the branches for decades. Local legend holds that getting a shoe to stay in the tree brings good luck.

The American Eagle at Montezuma National Wildlife Refuge is a familiar sight to millions of travelers driving the New York State Thruway through the Montezuma wetlands. Created by sculptor James Seaman, who also designed Serenity Dove/Phoenix in Penfield, the massive stainless-steel sculpture can be viewed up close along the refuge’s Wildlife Drive.

Surrounding Counties

The green-on-top traffic signal at the intersection of Tompkins Street and Milton Avenue in Syracuse’s Tipperary Hill neighborhood displays green above red rather than the traditional order. The unusual arrangement commemorates the neighborhood’s Irish-American heritage after residents successfully campaigned to reverse the signal, objecting to the traditional placement of the British color above the Irish color.

The Second Coming House of Prophet Isaiah is adorned with thousands of colorful sculptures, messages, and artistic details created by artist Prophet Isaiah Robertson. Following his death in 2020, the home was preserved through a partnership between the Kohler Foundation and the Niagara Falls National Heritage Area. Guided tours are periodically offered.

Shark Girl, installed in 2013 as part of a public art initiative, depicts a seated girl with the head of a shark on the Immigrant Steps along Buffalo’s waterfront.

The Wilkeson Pointe Park Whirligigs are a collection of large kinetic sculptures that spin in the wind along Buffalo’s Outer Harbor.

Griffis Sculpture Park in East Otto features large sculptures on both sides of Rohr Hill Road, forming an outdoor gallery visible from the road. Additional sculptures are located throughout the park’s larger trail network.

Scary Lucy and Lovely Lucy are two statues of Lucille Ball standing near each other in Lucille Ball Memorial Park in Celoron, near Jamestown. After the original 2009 sculpture was widely criticized, a new statue was commissioned in 2016. Rather than removing the original, the village chose to keep both on display.

Seasonal Roadside Attractions

Not all things worth seeing are permanent! Holidays and seasons bring out the creative side in all of us. Check out these displays when & while you can.

Because December is the darkest month, we welcome these spectacular Christmas lights around Rochester to brighten the night. These homeowners and communities go all out to celebrate the season, so let’s get out there and celebrate with them!

Haunted Housel on CR 4, in Hopwell, just east of Canandaigua, has evolved into a full-scale Halloween park: roam a “Skeleton Army” walkway filled with hundreds of life-size figures posed in Viking ships, dinosaur herds, and other hand-built scenes; venture into a gothic backyard cemetery; then brave a haunted woods–corn-maze combo that adds roaming actors and dramatic lighting after dark. Owner Karl Housel crafts many of the sets, and pop-up stands sell pumpkins and seasonal snacks. The fall attraction is open daily from late September through Halloween; an admission fee is required (children five and under are free), and visitors should use the on-site parking lot.

View the Haunted Housel on CR 4 Facebook Page

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Off-the-Beaten-Path Books

Where are your favorite roadside attractions?

I’d love to hear from you—please reach out and share your thoughts and experiences.