By Sophia Rutti
Virginia has many beautiful locations for weekend trips, but sometimes you don’t want to see the typical routes. You can always see natural beauty or historical significance in Virginia, but sometimes you just want to see the world’s oldest edible ham. Or, if you’re not interested in century-old cured meats, maybe you want to see a full-scale replica of Stonehenge made out of foam. Whatever your offbeat roadside attraction itch, Virginia has a location to scratch it.
Check out this route of some of the best and strangest stops on a round-trip drive from Fairfax.
Start: Fairfax, VA
3 hours, 25 minutes
World’s Oldest Edible Ham at the Isle of Wight County Museum
103 Main St., Smithfield
You may not be brave enough to test it, but the Isle of Wight Museum claims that this 113-year-old cured ham is edible. Pembroke D. Gwaltney Jr. cured the ham in 1902 and somehow, he misplaced it. Decades later he found his unspoiled ham and touted it as proof of his abilities. Also in the museum and worth checking out is the world’s oldest peanut picked and dated 1890. No one claims, however, that the peanut is edible.
3 hours, 16 minutes
American Armoured Foundation Tank Museum
3321 N. Main St., Danville
Open in 1981 by owner William Gasser, this museum has no shortage of industrial weaponry. It is an enormous space and surrounded by 90 acres of land. The museum boasts an M1917 tank from World War I, a German Mark IV Panzer from World War II and an Iraqi T-72A. Keep an eye out for Gasser himself—he can be seen riding an adult-sized tricycle.
1 hour, 57 minutes
Foamhenge
Natural Bridge, VA
Foamhenge is the pièce de résistance when it comes to Virginia roadside attractions. It is exactly what it sounds like—an exact, full-size replica of Stonehenge made out of foam—but unlike Stonehenge, you don’t need a plane ticket or a passport to see it. The artist who created this monument, Mark Cline, is a fiberglass sculptor and roadside visionary who went to great pains to make sure that the replica is accurate.
1 hour, 22 minutes
American Celebration on Parade
261 Caverns Road, Quicksburg
This is a large warehouse full of old parade floats. It is the culmination of Earl Hargrove Jr.’s life’s work. He spent his days running a company that staged trade shows, conventions and notably, every presidential inaugural parade since 1949. This is the museum where parade floats go to retire. Some notable floats are a giant genie, a 21-foot-long roller blade and a 35-foot-long car.
44 minutes
Dinosaur Land
3848 Stonewall Jackson Highway, White Post
Dinosaur Land truly speaks for itself. It was created over 40 years ago by Joseph Geraci, who was inspired by the fiberglass dinosaurs at a putt-putt golf course in Florida. At this Dinosaur Land you can stroll through a field of different dinosaurs and an evolving style of sculpture. Pose with one of the toothy monsters for an unforgettable travel photo.
1 hour, 3 minutes back to Fairfax
Here’s your route:
