Badlands Ranch Store is a must stop when headed to Badlands National Park. For just $1 a bag for peanuts, you can get up close to feed a friendly colony of chubby prairie dogs. Wild prairie dogs are much slimmer and fast moving. At the store site, you’re able to walk around freely and see the prairie dog sites, one open and one fenced.
Category: Attractions
The Borax Visitor Center
This attraction is dedicated to borax, a white mineral powder used in various cleaning products. The visitor center is a perfect rest stop if you’re headed to Las Vegas or Death Valley from Bakersfield.
Dragon Mountain
The name of this park intrigued me so I decided to go for a visit. There are no dragon statues but it is a neat Vietnamese Buddhist worship place on top of a hill. It has free parking, free shuttle service, and free vegetarian lunch on Sundays.
Goldwell Open Air Museum
Goldwell Open Air Museum is an intriguing place to stop at on a trip to Death Valley National Park. It’s an outdoor sculpture museum near the ghost town of Rhyolite featuring the works of Albert Szukalski.
Barking Sea Lions at Pier 39
If you’re looking for something free to do on your visit to San Francisco, the Sea Lion viewing platform is a great choice. These chubby creatures are loud, sleepy, and very playful.
Kerry Park Viewpoint
Kerry Park has the best view of Seattle for free. You see Space Needle, Mt Rainier, and tall buildings in one spot. I highly recommend coming here during sunset if you don’t mind sharing the view.
East Jesus
East Jesus is a non profit organization that makes art installations in Niland, Calfornia. If you’re headed to Salvation Mountain, this is only one mile away to see more unique art projects made from things people donate or throw away.
The Art of Recycling at Elmer’s Bottle Tree Ranch
Elmer’s Bottle Tree Ranch is a recycled masterpiece. The owner, Elmer Long, lives on this property and has created over 200 bottle trees for people to visit free, donations accepted.
Danniel, The Largest Cow in California
I was planning a trip to Eureka and I came across an article about a Guiness world record bovine. Danniel, a Holstein steer, is 6 foot 4 inches high, eats around 115lb of food a day, and weighs roughly 2300 pounds. He used to belong to a zoo but became too much of a burden to feed and clean up after
Hungry Donkeys and Live Gunfights in Oatman, AZ
Oatman is one of my favorite stops on Route 66 mainly because of the wild donkeys (also called burros) that you can pet and feed. The shops in the area sell donkey food for just a buck. Although they are wild, the donkeys are quite friendly provided you have something to give them.