Weird America
If you’re road trippin’ through the States, there’s always the possibility of discovering something weird and wonderful along the route! As much as I love natural landscapes and wild life, it’s kinda fun to embrace America’s weirder side. Foamhenge is a perfect example of weird America.
Foamhenge
On a road trip with Trek America (affiliate link) through Virginia, we took a break at Foamhenge, a full-size replica of Stonehenge! Of course Foamhenge isn’t made of stone, instead as you’ve probably guessed, it’s made of Styrofoam (expanded polystyrene).
Mark Cline of Enchanted Castle Studios created the display which appeared on April 1st 2004 in Natural Bridge, Rockbridge County, Virginia. The structure took six weeks to create and four road trips by tractor from Winchester, Virginia to bring the approximately 420 pound blocks of foam to the site. According to Cline, it then took “4-5 Mexicans and one crazy white man to construct.” Cline states the purpose of Foamhenge is “to educate and entertain”.
I’ve a feeling we’re not in Kansas anymore…
Our visit did get weirder – anything is possible on the road! 😜 We bumped into a group of scavenger hunters there, who were all dressed as though they were en route to see the great and powerful Wizard of Oz, driving cars worthy of a place in the Wacky Races. It was a very confusing time…some might say surreal. But it was also a lot of fun! I ❤️ the Wizard of Oz and after having seen the Ruby Slippers at the Smithsonian National Museum of American History (website) in DC, it was quite something to be surrounded by so many sparkly red replicas – it was something ELSE, to be surrounded by so many men dressed as Dorothy for the scavenger hunt though. 😄
Not the wizard you’re looking for…
We did discover a wizard at Foamhenge who didn’t appear very welcoming and clearly wasn’t the great and powerful Oz; it was Merlin, another much more powerful mythical wizard.
Foamhenge is certainly a spectacle worth seeing if you’re in the area. It’s a great place to stop on the road, to take in some air and stretch your legs. Plus it’s free to access and open year-round although, I imagine it’s much nicer to visit when both the weather and the ground, are dry. Weirdness aside, it’s a fun piece of art that pays homage to Stonehenge (website). You never know who else you might bump into when you visit either!
Key facts: Foamhenge
- Location: off Route 11, Natural Bridge, Virginia, USA
- Opening times: always open
- Cost: free
- Find out more: Foamhenge website
- Other things to do in Natural Bridge (Trip Advisor website)
This was previously published by me on Roadtrippinusa.com on 26/01/14.
Disclaimer: I was not asked to write this post and have received no compensation for it, but it does include an affiliate link, which means (at no cost to you), I may receive some compensation in the future. To learn how I work with brands, please read my Ethics Page.
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