Cadillac Ranch | Amarillo
Created by Stanley Marsh 3 (an American artist, businessman, philanthropist, and prankster from Amarillo) and The Ant Farm group, Cadillac Ranch is a quirky yet charming public art installation and sculpture in Amarillo paying homage to the American automobile culture. Inspired by the aesthetics and symbolism of Route 66 the installation consists of a row of ten Cadillacs buried nose-first in the ground, since 1974.
Largest Cowboy Boots | San Antonio
The World’s Largest Cowboy Boots turned forty-five this year. Verified by the Guinness Book of World Records, this 10,000-pound sculpture stands thirty-five feet and 3 inches tall and is thirty feet long! In 1979, Bob 'Daddy O' Wade was commissioned by the Washington Project for the Arts in D.C. to create a Texas-themed sculpture to be featured near the White House. The Rouse Company, who owned North Star Mall at the time, won the bid at $20,000. The boots arrived in San Antonio in 1980 and have remained here ever since.
Traveling Man | Dallas
Located on the east side of downtown Dallas, the Traveling Man is a three-site installation featuring this guitar-shaped-headed character with his bird friends. Named the best public artwork by several national publications and has appeared on many national TV programs and was included in the Americans for the Arts 'Year in Review' program in 2010 for best public art in North America.
Giant Dalmatian Fire Hydrant | Beaumont
Originally the World's Largest Fire Hydrant, this twenty-four-foot, 4,500 pound Dalmatian-spotted fire hydrant at the Fire Museum of Texas was donated to the City of Beaumont by Walt Disney in 1999 for the re-release of the animated movie 101 Dalmatians. Stretch your legs and walk through Fire Museum of Texas while you're there.
Watermelon Water Tower | Luling
The town water tower, of Luling stands 154 feet tall with a green-and-white-striped tank at the top. Visit in summertime for Luling’s Annual Watermelon Thump, always the last full weekend of June since 1954. With an exhibitors market, watermelon, carnival rides, seed spitting contest, and more.
The Bee Mart | Terrell
The World's First Bumble Bee themed gas station and convenience store. It's a gas station with a full-service pump, a restroom, and a replica of the Bumblebee Transformer—plus “the best burgers in town” inside the Chevron station–with friendliest staff around.
Stonehenge II | Ingram
Stonehenge II in Ingram was created as an art project by Al Shepperd and Doug Hill. It took nine months to build and is 90 percent the height and 60 percent the width of the original. Giving free range to his fanciful notion, Shepperd added two thirteen-foot Easter Island head replicas for good measure.
World’s Largest Spur | Lampasas
The world’s largest spur, in Lampasas stands at about thirty-five feet tall and weighs about 10,000 pounds! Wayland Dobbs was commissioned by Leah Carruthers and it was erected in 2016–it even had a police escort from Cherokee Texas. It took several years, but it was approved through the The Guinness Book of World Records and is verified that the spur is the largest in the world.
Eiffel Tower | Paris (Paris, Texas, of course)
Erected in 1993, this scale model is about one-tenth the height of the French original but needed its own Texan signature - a bright red cowboy Stetson-style hat. The local iron workers' union welded this sixty-foot masterpiece and the added cowboy hat (which adds another 5 feet). It also includes twenty-seven LED lights that are light up in seasonal colors.
World’s Largest Shovel | Creedmor
The world’s largest shovel, located in Creedmor was constructed out of recycled material – a utility pole and a dumpster. It stands forty-one feet high and weighs 5,000 pounds. It was created by Texas Disposal Systems, a family-run company with a mission to take Austin’s trash and turn it into treasure. The company claims it's a testament to its commitment to the environment.
Petrified Wood Gas Station | Decatur
In 1927, E.F. Boydston built a gas station in Decatur and eight years later covered its exterior with chunks of petrified wood and didn’t stop. He even covered the walls of his cafe and motor court next door as well. Closed up since the 80s, it passed into the hands of one of E.F. 's grandchildren who spent a decade restoring the entire complex to its 1945 glory. Stop by and snap a picture in front of the historical marker.
Malin's Fountain by Thomas Dambo | Austin
The Pease Park Conservancy is the only place in Texas to have a troll sculpture from the Danish artist in its Thomas Dambo’s Malin Fountain. More than 80% of Malin the Troll is made of recycled, repurposed or found materials, including wood from an old research test tank. Malin’s core is made from about 1,800 linear feet of Eastern Red Cedar from the local Wampler sawmill in Bastrop County. The tank was constructed from Douglas fir in 1976-1979 and was deconstructed in 2021. About 7,500 linear feet of the wood is now being used for the exterior cladding of the troll.
World’s Largest Cedar Rocker | Lipan
While it is no longer the World’s Largest Rocking Chair, according to the Guinness Book of World Records, it’s now dubbed the Worlds Largest Cedar Rocking Chair. The twenty-six-foot tall cedar chair outside the Texas Hill Country Furniture in Lipan is a fun stop and a sight to see.
The Dino Park | Bastrop
A unique outdoor museum setting with realistic life-size dinosaur exhibits that show skin and color variations to give a better understanding of how they looked. The static statues range in size from the two-foot long Compsognathus to the 123-foot-long Diplodocus. As you walk through a tree-lined nature trail, the dinosaurs are situated among plants, trees and rocks, making it easy to imagine real dinosaurs in a natural environment. Fun and educational, other activities include a fossil-dig, playground, picnic area, and a Dinosaur Store stocked with an array of gift choices.
Giant Soup Can | Eastland
This giant soup can in Eastland is painted on a 210-gallon oil field tank and was originally part of the 2002 Outdoor Art Museum (OAM). Its inception was by Cathi Ball, a former Eastland High School art teacher. The guiding mission of OAM is to make art history accessible to the rural community. Because of this, each famous artwork reproduction includes information about the artist's background or the style of art.
Mini Statue of Liberty | Halletsville
Located in Halletsville the statue is pretty much an hour and fifty minutes from Houston, Austin, and San Antonio! This statue is apparently a marketing piece created by a financial services company in the strip mall behind the statue. Fun for a photo op!
Special thanks to Yocheved of Texas Wanderers for being the inspiration behind this article. She is Texan by choice if not by birth and has been living in Texas with her family for over a decade, loving every minute of it. She spends her free time exploring Texas and sharing the best of Texas nature, historic towns, and unique lodging accommodations. texaswanderers.com