Statue of Liberty in Susquehanna River

The Statue of Liberty is mostly synonymous with New York. A figure standing for freedom, independence, and virtue. But all throughout the World there are numerous replicas, including one hiding away in the middle of the Susquehanna river.

In the Dauphin Narrows just north of Harrisburg, Pennsylvania rests a 25 foot replica of Lady Liberty. But how it ended up here is more fascinating than the statue.

In 1986 the Statue of Liberty was celebrating it's 100th birthday. Lots of celebrations were held and commemorative coins were even minted for the occasion. A gentleman in Pennsylvania decided to come up with another way to honor lady liberty. In a friend's garage in Harrisburg, Gene Stilp spent numerous hours constructing a replica of the infamous statue using old venetian blinds and plywood. On July 1, 1986 Stilp and about a dozen close friends towed the 450 pound statue to the Susquehanna river. The group then occupied two rowboats and two canoes and hauled the replica a 1/2 mile downstream to an abandoned railroad pier poking out of the river. The crew, using ropes, than hoisted the massive likeness onto the old pier. After flipping on the construction light installed in the replica, the men quickly and quietly retreated from the river to enjoy some beers and pizza.

When morning came the gentlemen were in amazement at what was occurring. Traffic began backing up on highway 322 as passing motorists became fascinated and amazed. Morning commuters were pulling over to take pictures and contact radio stations. Initially it was all thought to be a hoax, but word soon traveled about the mysterious statue. The men were elated with the response the statue received. They weren't merely trying to prank everyone, just showing their love for their country.

Originally the statue was only intended to stay until Labor day of that year. But surprisingly stayed in place for 6 years until permanently damaged by a wind storm in 1992. The next several years Mr. Stilp raised money to build a new and improved statue. In 1997 a helicopter lowered the renovated statue into place. The new statue is constructed of wood, fiberglass, and metal. It weighs roughly 8000 pounds. And while Mr. Stilp and his friends initially raised their statue in the middle of night with no red tape. The brand new statue required several permits. It seems this prank to commemorate our country, will now be remembered for decades to come.

The Cup

While traveling to the Ringing Rocks park and roller rink you're likely to pass a wondrous roadside oddity. A cup shaped building with a straw protruding out of the top.

These unique stores were originally built in the early 1940's for Levengood Dairies. The local dairy had the buildings constructed to help sell their dairy products. Originally there were four "cups" throughout the area. Boyertown, Pennsburg, and Reading were home to the other three.
Though they don't seem to hold the same vintage charm as the one in Pottstown. Though that's all quite likely to change, as this location is now currently for sale. Maybe we could make it our home office!

Magnet Hills & Gravity Hills

Gravity: We can all comprehend it; even the youngest child rolling a ball understands it. But what if I told you there were places on Earth where these laws of gravity no longer existed. What if you could watch a ball roll uphill, or even see liquid slowly move in the opposite direction! What if I said you could put your car in neutral and accelerate back up a hill without the help of the engine? Would you call me crazy? A few who know me very well may, but not for these reasons. Truth is these places exist all over the world!

Commonly they are referred to as gravity hills, magnet hills, or mystery spots. A few are even popular tourist destinations, but most are found in rural locations and are really only known by the locals. With these mysterious spots are also lots of legends, usually referring to paranormal or supernatural powers at work. Many tales involve friendly spirits actually guiding your car away from a danger that awaits. Others believe these places have a strange magnetic field, which attributes to the attraction of more spirits, but also has a strange magnetic pull on your vehicle. The most common and most sensible theory on gravity hills is that they're simply an optical illusion. The land layout and the surrounding landscapes actually fool your eye into believing that gravity is actually being defied and objects are rolling uphill.

I'm guessing Isaac Newton isn't going to be rolling in his grave anytime soon. But you can be assured that Outta the Way will keep looking for these mysterious places and will still enjoy them with utter amazement. Will also keep our theory to ourselves that it's really Newton's spirit just playing a cruel joke on all of us!

Gravity Hill Video Click Here!

Roadside GIANTS: Bedford Coffee Pot

While most towns seem to shy away from the odd, the county of Bedford in Pennsylvania seems to embrace it. Driving along the Lincoln highway through the many small towns you'll encounter it first hand. From roadside giants to gravity defying roads, you'll find it in this rural, peaceful area.

In 1927, David Koontz built a two story roadside lunch stand unlike any other. Hoping to attract weary roadside drivers in need of a perk, he designed an 18 feet high and 24 feet in diameter giant coffee pot. Just ten short years later the place would be delegated to a dive bar. With the arrival of the Pennsylvania turnpike in the 1940's, so came the demise of the coffee pot. By 2003 the coffee pot had become so run down the county of Bedford bought it for $1.oo. After lots of TLC, the coffee pot was back in shape and relocated across the street where it now serves as a visitor's center.

Abandoned Storyland

Traveling west on route 30 past the town of Bedford, Pennsylvania, you'll hear the pied piper calling you. Standing over 18 feet tall and inviting you into a country craft store. But what we found behind this store was more interesting to us. A giant Humpty Dumpty, a large blue whale, an ice cream house. What was going on here?

In the 1950's and 60's before all the giant amusement parks of today, families would gather at storybook parks. Here children could live out all of their favorite fairy tales. Storyland was one such place, and unfortunately met the same fate as most all of the other storybook parks; gone and forgotten.

You can still get a good look at what Storyland was like with a bit creepier feel. There are about a dozen of these characters in the woods behind the quaint country store. Though trampling your way through may earn you a trespassing fine. It's best to pay a visit to the crafty store and get a look on your way out.

Why I go Outta the Way!

Coming up on our first year I thought I'd share how I started going "Outta the Way." Maybe it was instilled in my head as a child. Some of my earliest memories involve riding around in the back of my dad's pick-up truck (hey, it was the early 80's) with my two older sisters, scouring the back roads of Toad road. I didn't know the stories and the legend about the place, but it was always creepy and certainly strange.

By my teenage years when I was able to hit the open road on my own I would always find myself drawn to the weird and odd places. The more sinister the better. My friends and I would search the rural back roads looking for anything out of the ordinary.

By my 20's I was raising a family and didn't have much time to search the underbellies of society. But as my daughter got older and the bills got higher I found myself drawn back into this odd fascination. Only this time there was no holding back. Seems as my fascination grew so did a lot of other folks. By my late 20's I had discovered quite a bit of information on haunted, historical, abandoned, and odd spots allover. So my girlfriend, my daughter, and myself went out in search. We discovered how much fun as a family we could have without spending much money, if any. Plus my daughter was learning about history (just don't tell her that) even if some was a little odd or macabre.

As I begun to share my stories of travel with others they seemed very interested and intrigued by my adventures. They wanted to know how they could find these places. Quite a few of the spots we visit are often quite rural and difficult to find. My girlfriend instilled into my head the idea of a travel zine. A chance for others who are as disturbed as I am to visit such odd locales. What would I offer? Truth be told a few of the places we visit can be discovered with a bit of research. So what I've done is combined 4-5 locations within a general area for a day full of adventure and mystery. I supply photographs so you know exactly what you're looking for. And most importantly, accurate driving directions to these often difficult to locate oddities. I visit all of these places before anything else.

Here at Outta the Way we focus on showing you the places that are not your normal tourist traps. Some may be of historical note, some a little weird or odd, a few macabre, but all are unique. Most importantly their inexpensive and will keep a smile on your face and your brain on the edge. We feel if you go into these adventures with an open mind you'll find as much enjoyment in these trips as we have.

So get outta the way, we're going Outta the Way!

Happy New Year!

Another year has quickly come to an end, which means it's time to drop unused items and celebrate the New Year. Here in the keystone state (Pennsylvania), we seem to take the quirkiness to another level. Sure, in Tallapoosa, Georgia they drop an opossum, or East Port, Maine, a sardine. But here we get a smorgasbord full of foods and oddities.

In Dillsburg, they drop a pickle; Ickesburg, a french fry; Lebanon a 100 pound stick of bologna - and these seem like the normal ones. In Frogtown, they lower a frog; Mechanicsburg, a wrench; and in Newport, a plywood hardhat.

No matter how you celebrate, have a Happy New Year! Stay out of our way, cause we're going Outta the Way!

Pagoda of Reading, Pennsylvania

The Pagoda in Reading, PA is obviously not the normal architectural design you'd expect to find in the area. Inspired by a Philippines postcard and built in 1908, it was to be used as a hotel. The hotel was denied a liquor license and never succeeded. The Pagoda was then sold to a prominent businessman in the area. One year later it was sold to the City of Reading for $1.

Before telephones and television, the Pagoda acted as a message service. The lights on the Pagoda acted as Morse code for the townspeople below, offering news and sports updates with the flashing of the lights. The Pagoda stands 72 feet high and sits 886 feet above the City of Reading.