There's no place for boredom on your summer road trip with these artful attractions dotting Vermont's landscape.
From a sky-reaching filing cabinet to a healing spring, here are some eye-catching roadside charms found in Vermont.
A structure stacked 38 drawers tall in Burlington claims to be the world's tallest filing cabinet, though it is unclear whether that title is true, according to Atlas Obscura, an online guide to different world wonders.
Bren Alvarez named the sculpture “File Under So. Co., Waiting for…” commenting on bureaucratic delays, which remain today, in building the Champlain parkway — formerly known as the “Southern Connector” — a roadway intended to connect Interstate 89 to downtown Burlington.
Drivers can find the towering cabinet on 220 Flynn Ave. in Burlington.
'Praise to the cabinet!': People gather to worship the world's tallest filing cabinet
A gorilla made from reinforced concrete in Leicester holds up a real Volkswagen Beetle while its other hand reaches down, forming a seat for visitors. The art piece, "Queen Connie" is in front of Pioneer Auto Sales at 2829 U.S. 7 in Leicester. Sculptor T.J. Neil originally created it in 1987 to bring more business to the dealership, according to obscurevermont.com.
Big Spring in Smugglers Notch, formerly known as Mammoth Spring, was rumored to have curative properties. The Notch on Vermont 108, named for the smugglers who used it during the war of 1812, is also home to a cave formed by rocks leaning in on each other. Both have become popular tourist and historic destinations.
A seven-foot tall sculpture greets passerbys with profanity on Vermont 128 between Westford and Fairfax. The middle finger sculpture is hoisted on a 16-foot pole and lights up at night.
Resident Ted Pelkey had it constructed in protest of Westford zoning laws after the town's Development Review Board denied him a permit for an 8,000 square-foot garage on his 11-acre property.
Bernie Sanders' face can be spotted painted on a resident's barn on East Hill Road in Williston. His fists read "feel the barn." The owners rent the space to visitors on Airbnb and showcase the barn and its livestock on Instagram.
Another barn featuring Sanders' face in Kirby was featured on New England Cable News in 2015 when Sanders was running for U.S. president. Meryl Lebowitz, the barn owner, commissioned a California artist to spray-paint the mural.
Originally titled Reverence, drivers can see two different versions of these whale tails off Vermont roadways. The first, constructed off Interstate 89 in Randolph in 1989, was moved to South Burlington off the same interstate in 1999. Twenty years later, a second version was created in Randolph.
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A resident in White’s Beach in South Hero began constructing birdhouses in an attempt to attract tree swallows to the marshland and help curb the mosquito population. Now, colorful birdhouses dot the trees.
Dinosaur sculptures keep the birds company, but serve no other practical purpose beyond whimsy.
The Waterbury Reservoir side of Vermont 100 is home to a 9-foot eagle with a nearly 25-foot-long wingspan, outstretched as though it is landing on the graveled roadside. Artist Martin McGowan used old chrome bumpers to complete the piece in 2020, according to roadsideamerica.com.
This park at 4547 Vermont 74 in Shoreham features different depictions of horses in different sculpting mediums in addition to many abstract pieces. If you're looking for an excuse to pull off the road for a minute, the park has many photo opportunities and art to explore.
More:Five places to see sculpture in the wild in Vermont
"The Wizard of Oz" is on display with rooftop sculptures in downtown Burlington. Drivers and pedestrians alike can try to spot all six atop both One Main and the Lake and College building adjacent to it.
Steve Larrabee created the first two metal sculptures in 1970, according to Atlas Obscura, "to expand upon the Wizard of Oz theme of a now defunct local waterbed store called Emerald City." Decades later, more were installed due to their popularity.
Summer Sorg is a reporter for the Burlington Free Press. Contact her at ssorg@freepressmedia.com.