13 Amazing Roadside Oddities and Famous Sites in Upstate New York

These galleries are always popular with our readers.  Everyone likes a little roadside oddity, a piece of unusual historical fact, a curious snippet of trivia, and, well, something that is just odd in a way.

In this gallery we point out 13 different places along the backroads and byways of Upstate New York that will make even the most hardened road warrior stop and look around.  I have been to all of them.  And it happened to me.

Famous graves, famous buildings, famous monuments, incredible churches, historic firsts, an awesome religious shrine, a concrete 2-ton eagle, and one of the oldest movie theatres in the state (and still in the same family hands!).  They are all on this list.

As for my own favorite you can't beat the Catskill fire tower in Stamford, NY.  Where once there were dozens of these mountain "smoke watchers," this is the last fire tower that you can actually drive up the mountain to see.  And, after a recent renovation, the tall fire tower is now open for you to climb to an even higher perch.  On a warm sunny summer day, the view can be unforgettable.  So, while yes, you can hike up to several fire towers, take a drive up this Delaware County mountain and enjoy the view from the top.  The very top.

All of these roadside features (some in the middle of nowhere, others in town) are worthy of a stop on your next road trip around our beautiful and fascinating Upstate New York!