Five of the Quirkiest Towns in America

Our travel may be temporarily interrupted, but we can still dream and plan. We’re here to bring you travel inspiration for the trips you’ll take when life returns to normal. – TravelSquire Editors

If “Off-the-Beaten-Track” is the clarion call of the more adventurous traveler, then “quirky” must be the flashier symphonic version.  If a town is defined as zany, unconventional, peculiar, eccentric or just plain strange, then it’s quirky enough to make you take a second look. Folks, here are five of ‘em!

Roswell, New Mexico

 Whether you believe the residents – who swear that a UFO crashed landed here in 1947 – or the military’s claim that it was nothing more than the downing of a conventional weather balloon, Roswell’s conspiracy theories run deep.

This mix of fable and intrigue has transformed the southeastern New Mexico locale 169 miles from Albuquerque into one of America’s most well-known quirky towns.

Learn the history and backstory at the Roswell UFO Museum and Research Center (with an “out-of-this-world” gift shop), enjoy al fresco recreation at Bottomless Lakes State Park or the J. Kenneth Smith Bird Sanctuary and Nature Center, explore the General Douglas L. McBride Military Museum, and check out any of the almost two dozen annual events and festivals – most notably among them – you guessed it – the Amazing Roswell UFO Festival.

Providence, Rhode Island

Politics aside, the word “quirky” might not come to mind when describing a state capital’s personality.  Yet the distinctive self-guided walking tours here offer their own unique perspective on what makes the 178,000-plus residents tick, including historical sites like the John Brown House Museum (its namesake was quite the political agitator; and the family also founded Brown University). Artistic types converge in lively enjoyment of the city’s creative scene at Gallery Night Providence, and gastronomic adventures tempt the palate all along the Federal Hill Food & History Tours.

Add to the mix the visionary contemporary artist Barnaby Evans, creator of the WaterFire movement, and you’ll see there’s plenty to engage those seeking the wonderfully unconventional.

 Whittier, Alaska

“Love thy neighbor” could be the best way to describe Whittier, Alaska.  In this tiny enclave of just over 200 which is nestled on the picturesque Passage Canal some 60 miles southeast of Anchorage, most residents live in one, 14-story former army barrack (the Begich Towers). This makes it easy to find “the locals,” but this unusual town has a great deal more to offer.

Glacier and wildlife day cruises extol the region’s spectacular scenic beauty, and the Prince William Sound Museum reveals a wealth of the state’s extensive military heritage from the Spanish occupation in the late 1700s, on down to WWII and the Cold War.

Local fare is pulled right from the waters outside Varly’s Swiftwater Seafood Café, “Home of the Left-Handed Halibut,” and local color is yours for the asking at the Orca Adventure Lodge, a boutique accommodation offering guided fishing trips by boat or plane, remote fishing cabins, and hiking, kayaking, and glacier tours, too.

Hell, Michigan

“Come and visit us. And the next time someone tells you “Go to Hell,” you can tell them you’ve already been there, and had a HELL of a good time!” In Hell, Michigan, that is!  Almost everything in town, only a 23-mile hop, skip and a jump from Ann Arbor, is in on the hellacious (pardon the pun) fun.

Although not originating “south of the border,” Hell began as a frontier settlement by the creek of the same name with only a general store and a grist mill.  Founder George Reeves at times paid for his grain with homemade whiskey, drawing the adoration of the local men and the scorn of their wives who cried foul with, “He’s gone to Hell again.” Ergo the name.

Today, Screams Souvenirs from Hell & Helloween, the Hell Hole Bar, and hellacious bus tours are the local industries. You can even tie the knot in Hell’s Chapel of Love (“After all, they say a marriage that starts in Hell has no place to go but up!”) or sample a Gravedigger Sundae at “The Creamatory of Screams.”

Monowi, Nebraska

And last but not least is Monowi (pronounced Moan-Oh-Why), Nebraska. Here you’ll find a library, a tavern, and a small-town government – all run by one person – the town’s only resident octogenarian Elsie Eiler.

Why visit this northern Nebraska dot along the Outlaw Trail Scenic Byway just shy of the South Dakota border and about 2-hours from Sioux Falls? Come on! Anywhere where one person makes all the rules, and nobody bucks the system deserves a second look! A steady stream of international visitors bears this out.

Where Monowi lacks any tangible tourist attractions kept alive from its heyday as a bustling railroad town in the 1930s (today it encompasses only a handful of streets and even fewer street lights), it makes up for it with the character and resilience of its one-man band who also wears the hats of treasurer and mayor – after voting herself in, that is!

Although her husband Rudy passed away almost 15 years ago, most regulars have known the couple since they ran the only tavern together.

And that, my friends, is the meaning of travel – discovering the quirky towns and people among us all!