Virginia may be known for historic battlefields, mountain views, and charming towns, but there is a much stranger side waiting beyond the usual tourist stops.
We’re talking bizarre collections with unbelievable backstories, mysterious rock formations, and creations so ridiculous you’ll immediately reach for your camera.
You’ll find these oddities tucked beside highways, displayed inside museums, scattered through forests, and even sitting in the water just offshore.
If you like road trips with a seriously weird twist, these eight Virginia attractions will have you laughing, taking pictures, and wondering, “How does this even exist?”
1. Foamhenge, Centreville
Foamhenge is a full-size replica of Stonehenge made from giant Styrofoam blocks, making it one seriously strange photo stop at Cox Farms in Centreville.
Artist Mark Cline created the quirky attraction in 2004, shaping and painting foam pieces to resemble the massive stones of England’s famous prehistoric monument.
After spending more than a decade in Natural Bridge, the sculpture moved to its current home in 2017, where its towering gray “columns” rise from a grassy field.
You can walk around the circle, strike a fun pose, or plan your visit during the Fall Festival, when admission includes hayrides, slides, swings, and more.
2. American Celebration on Parade, Quicksburg
Next up, American Celebration on Parade takes weird Virginia attractions indoors, filling a 44,000-square-foot building in Quicksburg with props and colorful creations.
This unusual attraction is next to Shenandoah Caverns and displays historic floats once used in Presidential Inaugural Parades, Thanksgiving Day Parades, and more.
You can also wander past a massive American flag, oversized animals like elephants and eagles, and moving figures usually seen rolling through crowded streets.
Open from Memorial Day through Labor Day and on select weekends, you can pair your visit with a Shenandoah Caverns tour and enjoy both attractions in one trip.
3. Dinosaur Kingdom II, Natural Bridge
From towering parade floats, the weirdness continues at Dinosaur Kingdom II near Natural Bridge, where a wild alternate-history story takes center stage.
Created by artist Mark Cline, this wooded attraction imagines Union soldiers trying to use living dinosaurs as weapons against the Confederacy during the Civil War.
Follow the wooded trail past fiberglass T. rexes, giant snakes, battling dinosaurs, wrecked wagons, soldiers, and other bizarre displays hiding among the trees.
Keep your camera ready and prepare to get wet because you’ll even come across a water fight with Bigfoot, making this a memorable stop for the whole family.
4. Virginia’s Largest Pencil, Wytheville
After dodging dinosaurs, head to downtown Wytheville to see Virginia’s Largest Pencil hanging high above the entrance to Wytheville Office Supply.
It stretches 30 feet long, complete with a pink eraser, metal-colored band, sharpened wooden tip, and black point that make it look ready for a gigantic notebook.
The oversized landmark has advertised the Main Street store for decades, turning an everyday writing tool into one of the state’s easiest photo stops.
You only need a few minutes here, so snap a photo from the sidewalk before exploring more of downtown or continuing your road trip.
5. The Great Channels of Virginia
That giant pencil is goofy, but The Great Channels of Virginia take weird in a natural direction with a maze of narrow passageways between huge sandstone blocks.
You’ll reach them by hiking the 6.6-mile round-trip Brumley Mountain Trail, which climbs 1,332 feet through Channels State Forest to the summit of Clinch Mountain.
At the top, squeeze between towering rock walls through twisting corridors, some narrow enough to touch both sides at once and perfect for a fun photo.
Fun fact: Weathering, erosion, and repeated freezing and thawing slowly shaped this 400-million-year-old sandstone into the unusual formations you see today.
6. President Heads, Williamsburg
From ancient sandstone, things get even stranger near Williamsburg, where 42 giant concrete busts of U.S. presidents stand together on private property in Croaker.
Each weathered head rises 15 to 20 feet tall and weighs thousands of pounds, with cracked faces, chipped noses, and even holes, making them look especially bizarre.
The statues originally stood at Presidents Park in Williamsburg, but after it closed in 2010, Howard Hankins saved them from demolition and moved them to his property.
Only ticketed tours, special events, and photography workshops let you see the presidential lineup up close, so check their events calendar for available dates.
7. Isle of Wight County Museum, Smithfield
After staring up at giant presidents, head to downtown Smithfield for the Isle of Wight County Museum, a small local museum filled with seriously strange exhibits.
Its most famous oddity is the world’s oldest ham, a Smithfield ham cured in 1902 that somehow survived decades without becoming someone’s dinner.
Local businessman P.D. Gwaltney Jr. kept it to show off his company’s smoking and preservation methods, eventually adding a brass collar and calling it his “pet ham.”
You’ll also see the world’s oldest peanut, step inside a turn-of-the-century country store, and explore exhibits on local history, the Civil War, and more.
8. The Concrete Fleet at Kiptopeke State Park
For one last weird Virginia sight, head to Kiptopeke State Park, where nine enormous ships sit partly submerged just offshore in Chesapeake Bay.
These World War II-era vessels were built from concrete when steel was scarce, then positioned here in 1948 to form a breakwater protecting the former ferry terminal.
Today, you can spot them from the park’s fishing pier and shoreline, with birds often covering their cracked decks while fish gather around the underwater structures.
Bring binoculars or a zoom lens for the best view because climbing aboard is prohibited, but their ghostly silhouettes still make an unforgettable final stop.
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