An entire generation grew up with the beat novels of Jack Kerouac; inspiring a love of travel and the ‘dusty Americana’ of the roadsides - whether they’re seen by driving, hitchhiking, or even plain old walking. USA travellers are spoilt for choice these days if they plan to follow in Kerouac’s footsteps and carve out a path to see the unique attractions of the American roadsides for themselves. Here are some you may never have heard of, but which are well worth the journey.

Vulcan, God of the Forge

On the summit of Red Mountain, overlooking Birmingham Alabama, there stands a 56-foot tall statue of Vulcan, blacksmith of the Roman Gods. Originally created for the 1904 World’s Fair, he personified Birmingham’s pride in its iron industry, weighed nearly 51 tonnes, and remains the largest cast-iron statue in the world. Those walking USA roads in Alabama will probably be able to spot this pagan landmark from a long way off.

The House of the Temple

Neo-classically majestic and menacing, the House of the Temple in Washington D.C. looks as if it’s stepped straight from the pages of a thriller novel (and indeed makes appearances in several recent Dan Brown thrillers). Modelled after the Mausoleum of Maussollos, one of the seven wonders of the ancient world, its guardian sphinx statues (named ‘Wisdom’ and ‘Power’) each weigh 17 tonnes. The House of the Temple is the museum, library, and clubhouse of the Supreme Council of the Scottish Rite of Freemasonry. If you’re interested in walking, USA history, and the chance to learn more about a historically semi-secretive organisation, there’s no better place to be.

World War 2 Monument

If you’re walking USA soil with an eye on its military history, it might be worth stopping in Savannah, Georgia, to see their Chatham County World War 2 Monument. Officially titled ‘A World Apart’, it features two halves of a 20-foot-high globe split straight down the middle, to symbolise a world divided by war. The globe is steel, and features bronze oceans, and copper continents.

Unofficial Lego Museum

Here’s one museum to visit to satisfy the child in all of us: originally a school built in 1930, it has since been adapted to become the home of three-and-a-half floors worth of Lego statues. It houses everything from pictures of Harry Potter and the Mona Lisa, to the undeniably awe-inspiring life-sized replica of an eighteen-wheeler truck that was featured in the Guinness Book of World Records. Icons such as Darth Vader and Spider-Man can also be found painstakingly reconstructed from millions of Lego bricks within the museum.