Lifelike Dinosaurs, Bacon-Shaped Rocks, and More: Here Are 5 of the Most Bizarre Destinations in Virginia

Conventional sight-seeing is overrated anyway.

Virginia has a lot of normal things to offer: early U.S. history, peanuts, and many former president’s birthplaces. But the Old Dominion State has a lot of wacky and fun things to see as well. 

Rock formations that look like bacon? Check!

Styrofoam made to look just like Stonehenge? Yep, we have that too. 

Take a look at some of the activities and attractions that make our state unique.

Go back in time at Dinosaur Land in White Post.

This fun and family-friendly attraction offers more than 50 colorful and lifelike dinosaurs to admire. Attendees can go back to the Mesozoic era and walk amongst our prehistoric friends. 

The dinosaurs are not animated, but they are the right size and approximately the right shape too—although they probably wouldn’t be accurate enough for the Smithsonian. 

The park was created in 1963 with five dinosaur statues crafted by James Q. Sidwell. The first dinosaurs were created with wooden frames and covered with wire mesh and fiberglass. Today some of the newer statues are made with different materials. 

There are also some non-dinosaur figures in the park as well, like a 70-foot octopus, a shark, and a King Kong statue that makes for a great photo opportunity. (Visitors can stand in the gorilla’s hand for photos.) 

Tickets are $6 for ages 2 to 10, and $8 for 11 and up. Questions? Call Dinosaur Land at 540-869-2222 or visit here.

Learn more about rock formations—and, uh, bacon—at Shenandoah Caverns. 

Yes, that’s right: giant bacon. Get back to nature and visit the Shenandoah Caverns in Quicksburg. 

The caverns feature hundreds of beautiful and unique rock formations, including some first popularized by National Geographic Magazine back in 1964. The formations, when illuminated, look an awful lot like bacon! 

Make sure to also check out the Diamond Cave. Although the sparkly cave is not actually crusted with diamonds—we wish!– it’s so sparkly and beautiful that it has become a destination for wedding photos. 

Tour guides at the caverns provide folks with info on the science behind the rock formations and the fun stories behind the names of these attractions. For instance, the Tall Man’s Headache—also known as the Short Man’s Revenge—is a tunnel that leads to Rainbow Lake. As you can guess, it has a pretty low ceiling. 

The outside of the caverns is pretty weird as well: You’ll find a treehouse with five-foot squirrels (they’re statues, not some horrible genetic experiment) and floats from past Rose Parades. 

Tickets range from $15 to $31; kids 5 and under are free. Find out more about visiting the caverns by clicking here. 

Pose by the life-sized Foamhenge structures in Centreville.

No, we didn’t misspell Stonehenge—we double checked. 

For the ultimate photo background, check out this lifelike replica of England’s Stonehenge right here in Virginia—it’s made entirely out of styrofoam!

Foamhenge is perhaps one of Virginia’s favorite weird attractions. What’s especially interesting is its origin story: It was first built as an April Fool’s joke back in 2004. The attraction was originally placed in Natural Bridge but has since moved to Cox Farms.

Visitors can check out Foamhenge and enjoy some less-weird activities on the farm for their annual Fall Festival. The festival includes hay rides, giant slides, a corn maze, and classic festival foods like caramel apples and apple cider donuts. 

Eat like the Founding Fathers in Williamsburg.

Times have certainly changed for the better when it comes to spices, food storage, and overall taste—foodies rejoice! But here’s one neat way to learn more about settlers in Virginia and our Founding Fathers: Try eating what they ate at Chowning’s Tavern in Colonial Williamsburg. By today’s standards, some of the meals are a little wacky.

This ale house and museum offers an 18th century menu with meal options like Brunswick Stew which, according to their menu, includes beef, fowl, corn, and lima beans. Or go for something sweet like American Heritage Chocolate Cobbler—a baked custard with chocolate. 

Some of the recipes on the menu are pulled directly from Martha Washington’s cookbook and some even include the recipe’s origin. Historical and yummy!

Get spooked at this haunted spot in Richmond.

This wouldn’t be a complete list of the weird and wacky things to do in Virginia without a mention of at least one supernatural attraction. The commonwealth has a lot of history, including some of the earliest settlements in the U.S. We recommend touring the Hollywood Cemetery in Richmond.

The Hollywood Cemetery was designed in 1847 with a special goal of maintaining the trees and plant life to create a peaceful and rural feeling cemetery. Local legend states that a vampire lives on the grounds and spirits walk their final resting places. Some of the more notable graves include Presidents James Monroe and John Tyler. 

The cemetery offers several tour options, such as on foot, by electric car, and even by segway. Tours are held regularly from April to November. Click here to learn more.