7 clever Alabama roadside attractions that help tell their towns’ histories
If you’re the type of wanderer who loves quirky roadside attractions like I do, it doesn’t really matter if they have a purpose. World’s Largest Cedar Bucket? Stonehenge replicas? I’m there – simply because someone took the time to make them. But sometimes roadside oddities do have a purpose… they tell a bit about a town’s history. Alabama has several clever oddities that honor their town’s past. I chose seven you can see on your next road trip.
Ronald McDonald “McWeevil” in Enterprise, Ala., honors the city’s history with the agricultural pest that forced farmers to diversify their crops.Courtesy of Enterprise Chamber of Commerce
The McWeevil
652 Boll Weevil Circle, Enterprise, Ala.
What would happen if Ronald McDonald and a boll weevil had a baby? A bunch of scientists would show up with white coats and microscopes, that’s what. But if it were an imaginary pairing, we know what it would look like: The McWeevil statue in Enterprise, Ala. The boll weevil is sort of a mascot for the town to honor the agricultural pest’s role in the city’s history – it forced farmers to diversify from only growing cotton crops which led to prosperity. The town erected a Boll Weevil Monument downtown in 1919.
The newer statue is definitely a candidate for Alabama’s strangest roadside attraction because, while it looks a lot like the traditional Ronald McDonald, it has four arms – including one holding a “Happy Meal” – and a weirdly long nose.
The former Ritz Theatre’s marquee is preserved as a unique welcome center in Brewton.Michelle Matthews
The No-Theater Theater
South Boulevard, downtown Brewton, Ala.
If you’re visiting Brewton and get the idea to stop at the Ritz Theater for a movie, you’ll be disappointed. It doesn’t show movies anymore. But the marquee was so important to the town that when it closed after 51 years in 1987, it was preserved as a local landmark. Materials from the marquee and tower were saved and reconstructed on the original site.
That doesn’t mean you shouldn’t stop when you see the marquee, though. Today, the unusual piece of architectural history operates as a community information kiosk, where announcements or tidbits of local history are displayed. It also makes a great photo opp!
From more than two decades, spider monkeys lived in Opelika’s Municipal Park. When they moved to the Montgomery Zoo in 1980, the City of Opelika placed wooden statues in their old habitat. (Courtesy of Matthew Battles)
Fake Monkeys in a Cage
Park Road, Opelika, Ala.
In 1952, an animal attraction was added to Opelika Municipal Park – a habitat filled with eight spider monkeys. Residents began calling it “Monkey Park.” In the early 1980s, the much-beloved monkeys were donated to the Montgomery Zoo. Because the monkeys had entertained generations of residents, the city had wooden statues of the primates displayed inside the cage. The replica monkeys remain an attraction.
First Baptist Church in Huntsville. (Photo by Wil Elrick)
Eggbeater Jesus
600 Governors Drive SW, Huntsville, Ala.
Anyone who has lived in Huntsville for any amount of time is familiar with “Cosmic Jesus,” a massive mosaic on the front of First Baptist Church. It is lovingly referred to by locals as “Eggbeater Jesus” because Christ’s swirling robes resemble a whisk. The artwork is made of 14 million pieces of hand-painted Italian tile.
The funky “age of Aquarius”-type mosaic, installed from 1966-’73, represents an era when Huntsville was on the cutting edge of space exploration. The mosaic is a beloved local landmark in Huntsville, home of Space Camp and the U.S. Space and Rocket Center.
Equal Justice Initiative unveiled statue of Rosa Parks on Feb. 14, 2024, which can be seen in Montgomery’s Legacy Plaza.Savannah Tryens-Fernandes
Rosa Parks on an Invisible Bus Seat
336 North Court Street, Montgomery, Ala.
We all know the story. Alabama native Rosa Parks refused to give up her bus seat to a White man in 1955 and was arrested. Though she was not the first Black person to be arrested for such an act, her case inspired the Montgomery Bus Boycott, which lasted for more than a year and eventually forced the end of segregation ordinances.
This statue, unveiled in February 2024, was rendered by artist Basil Washington. It shows Parks sitting on an invisible seat. It’s located in Legacy Plaza outside the Legacy Museum.
This catfish made of hubcaps celebrates the movie “Big Fish” that was filmed in downtown Wetumpka.Kelly Kazek
Car-Parts Big Fish
234 Hill Street, Wetumpka, Ala.
If you walk around downtown Wetumpka, you’ll come across a 7-foot-long catfish sculpture made from Ford hubcaps. It celebrates the fact that Wetumpka was a filming site of the 2003 movie “Big Fish.” The quirky sculpture was erected downtown in November 2021. Wetumpka is also home to the “Big Fish” house, a distinctive white, hilltop manor used in the film.
The sculpture is by Colorado artist Brett Jakel (pronounced Yay-kel).
The Singing River Statue that was erected in Muscle Shoals, Ala., in 2015. (Courtesy of Singing River Sculptures Facebook page | AL.com File)
Silver Rock-’n-Roller
1918 Avalon Avenue, Muscle Shoals, Ala.
Muscle Shoals, Ala., is famous for its recording history – so much so that there’s a 2013 documentary about it called “Muscle Shoals.” To honor this rich musical heritage, a group got together to erect statues of musicians in various genres. So far, two have been erected, made of shiny aluminum. You can see a 20-foot rock-and-roller near the library in Muscle Shoals. It was created by Tuscumbia sculptor Audwin McGee using aluminum donated by Wise Alloys in Muscle Shoals. An 18-foot statue is located in Sheffield.