Check Out These Unusual Things To See And Do In Michigan

Michigan has some great attractions for all ages but it’s got more than that! It’s got some fun, zany, questionable, and definitely unusual attractions that are definitely worth visiting. They’ll have you talking for months!

The first unusual attraction is the World’s Largest Tire compliments of Uniroyal. Sure the Statue of Liberty is an important American icon but perhaps this ones just as fitting. It’s located near the Detroit Metro Airport and you can’t miss it! It weight 12 tons and stand 80 feet tall built to withstand hurricane winds and it even once operated as a Ferris wheel in the 1964 New York World Fair. Can you believe it?

In 1966 it was moved to Allen Park and urban legend even says it once broke loose and took a ride down the I-94 although there’s no proof of such an occurrence. In 1998 Uniroyal punctured the tire with a 250 pound nail measuring 11 feet long to advertise their Tiger Paw Nailgard tire. Eventually the nail was removed. One for the American auto industry! What a hoot!

Next it’s off to the Shrine of the Snowshoe Priest is the perfect name for this giant holy man holding snowshoes that measure 28 feet tall. You’ll find him in upper Peninsula just off Hwy 41 but there are no pre-warnings of his upcoming arrival. You’ll have to watch carefully because he sits back a ways and you could miss him. Just watch for the teepees on the south side of the highway. Follow the road that will take you back over the tracks into the woods and past the logs.

You won’t find a chapel here, nor a cross just a Priest with his snow shoes. No stairs to climb, no kneeling. A must see!

The Dinosaur Gardens Prehistoric Zoo is unique an eerie! It mixes cavemen, dinosaurs, and Christianity. Why it’s referred to as a zoo is not clear. Construction started back in the 1930s building a very distorted and unusual view of the dinosaur era. There are scenes with cavemen locking in combat with monster snakes, there are 26 hand sculpted reptiles and prehistoric birds, there is a bigheaded Apatosaurus and weirdest of all is the statue of Jesus inside the dinosaur guts. Ew!

Just in case you’re interested there’s a gift shop where you can pick up souvenirs to prove to your friends you really saw such a strange and unusual zoo.

Next it’s off to the Jackson Cascades found in Jackson Michigan a small town in the Midwest. Jackson claims to be the birth place of the Republican party and it’s also home to the big state penitentiary, and it’s the final resting place for “Mr. Chicken.” But wait that’s not all. It’s also home to the Jackson Cascades.

The Cascades are a creation of Captain William Sparks who was Mayor for three consecutive terms. In the 1920s he formed the Jackson Zouaves American Legion Drill Team and while they were on tour he spotted a fountain in Barcelona that gave him the idea for the Cascades.

The Cascades find home on 500 acres of bog that has been turned into a park with the Cascades as the center piece. It’s a monument of beauty that was completed in 1931 and it’s been a source of enjoyment to millions over the years.

It stands 64 feet tall, 60 feet wide, and 500 feet long with 6 fountains and 16 waterfalls. There are 230 colored lights in sync with the music that are controlled by a computer program. It’s absolutely amazing! And while you’re there be sure to check out the tiny museum display telling the history of the Cascades.

Now be sure to visit the World Champion Cow Of The Insane located in Traverse City. The Northern Michigan Asylum opened it’s doors back in 1885 and over the years it sprawled out housing orchards, vegetable gardens, vineyards, livestock, and crops. Among the livestock was a herd of cows. One of these cows was Colantha Walker a champion milk cow who eventually died in 1932.

There was even a banquet held in her honor by the staff and patients of the hospital. Then they buried her in a grassy knoll with her very own tombstone by the dairy barn.

The asylum closed back in 1989 but the cow’s grave still stands which has now become quite the tourist attraction. But now the hospital has been turned into fabulous restaurants and unique boutiques. You’ve just got to visit to see it for yourself!

Michigan is a wonderful state to visit with all kinds of attractions for young and old but these zany and wacky attractions are a must see!


Deon Melchior is the Editor and Publisher of Article Click. For more FREE articles for your ezine and websites visit ArticleClick.com. Article Click is a free content article directory. This means that as a publisher you may reprint the articles that are included in our site, as long as the article is unedited and the author box is included with it's live hyperlinks.