Today’s post comes from Tiersa Buckley, a destination writer for cheapvacations.net and cheaphotels.net. Tiersa enjoys writing about unusual and off-the-beaten-path places. She appreciates unique places that inspire an artistic edge. Travel doesn’t have to be expensive, it just has to be interesting and memorable.
And, after announcing my Road Trip 2011 plans, this is just the sort of quirky roadside attraction that I want to hear about!
If the Shoe Fits, Visit It!
York is a small town in Pennsylvania with not a lot of choices for entertaining your prospective date, but that doesn’t mean York doesn’t have unique and interesting elements to make any date memorable.
If your date likes shoes like most women, then you’re in luck. Try this little roadside excursion on for size, and take a fun and off the beaten path trip to the shoe house.
It was built in 1948 as an advertising ploy by an eccentric shoe salesman named Mahlon Haines, who started his business on literally a shoestring budget. It was considered the ultimate sales gimmick that was to be seen by passing motorists.
The Shoehouse was originally used as a guest house and offered up to elderly couples as a luxury weekend retreat paid for by Haines himself. After 1950, the house was used for honeymooners who had a Haines Shoe Store in their town. The house has been completely restored into its original glory.
Even though a little outlandish, this five level structure now functions as a museum and includes three bedrooms, two baths, a kitchen and a living room. It was modeled after a work shoe and is constructed of a wooden frame, wire lath and cement.
You might be thinking “Why would I want to take my date to tour the inside of a shoe?” Well, for starters this one is not hot and sweaty, and what better place to get your groove on when no one is looking?
As they say in dating, shoe love is true love!
Tours are given weekly on Fridays, Saturdays and Sundays. It’s a neat place to visit, with loads of architectural wizardry and all the magic that the inside of a shoe can hold.
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What’s the wackiest or coolest roadside attraction you’ve ever visited on your travels?
My coworker and I were talking about that nursery rhyme, about the woman who lives in a shoe. She had so many children she didn’t know what to do. We both agreed as kids living in a shoe seemed cool, but when you get older you realize, you don’t wanna live a stinky boot. Though this shoe does look a lot nicer, and less smelly.
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Hahaha. Yes, this one looks like it could be okay to live in, if a little odd.
That is great. Would love to do a tour of the inside. Will you be visiting? Would get some fantastic pictures.
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I’d love to visit someday, but no, I don’t have any plans to tour the Shoe House anytime soon. The road trip I’m taking this summer is headed in the opposite direction! But it is pretty cool though.
I love it. I wish it was a little hotel that you could stay in.
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Me too! Well, I guess it used to be a guest house of sorts. It would be neat if they started taking reservations again, though.
here is a silly question, the shoe house doesnt have neighbours
The shoe tree!! *giggles* Google ‘Nevada shoe tree’… on a road so empty and flat, Jack and I welcomed any kind of distraction. The ‘shoe tree’ definitely provided one.
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Haha, awesome! Things like that really do make great distractions – and great stories!
I live in Alberta and we have quite a few large road side attractions. One of my favorites is the world’s largest psyanka (Easter egg) found in Vegerville. But one of the strangest road side attractions I’ve seen is in Macklin, Saskatchewan. For years we’d road trip to visit my grandparents passing by this giant white object in Macklin. I never knew what it was until a few years ago; the world’s largest bunnock (bone), which is a game that settlers used to play on the ice… although real bones are no longer used.
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Both of those sound… odd. Especially the bone! How is that game played? And is the bone on the side of the road a real one? If so, what kind of animal is it from that makes it the largest one in the world??
Seeing that shoe reminded me of a hotel in North Devon that is within a sculpture park. At the entrance to the hotel is a huge – I mean huge red shoe – Broomhill Art Hotel
Very cool! That particular shoe is much more stylish than the show house, though!
Yes, your so right. I think they need to make it a sexy stiletto! lol!!
Very neat! This is surely an interesting place to visit. And that’s a five-level structure? I wonder why the windows seem to count just three levels. It must have a really unique architectural design inside. When I drop by PN, I will check it.
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It’s just one of those quirky roadside attractions that you really can’t skip if you’re in the area!
This reminds me of storyland!
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