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This Florida roadside attraction ranks No. 2 in America. Ever heard of a skunk ape?

Portrait of Samantha Neely Samantha Neely
USA TODAY NETWORK - Florida

Our highways are littered with countless cultural and quirky landmarks that capture the attention of travelers. But which ones deserve the stop on a long road trip?

USA TODAY’s “10 Best” just released its list of the 10 best roadside attractions in the country, with one of Florida's freakiest museums earning a top spot.

What is Florida's top roadside attraction?

A statue of a skunk ape stands near the entrance to Everglades Adventure Tours, home of the Skunk Ape Research Headquarters, along US-41 in Ochopee. The business offers guided tours of the swamp, an animal sanctuary and folklore surrounding the elusive skunk ape.

Best 10 determined that Florida's Official Skunk Ape Headquarters was the second best roadside attraction in the entire country.

"Sometimes called the Sasquatch of the Southeast, the skunk ape is rumored to live in the Everglades near Ochopee. At Shealy's Official Skunk Ape Headquarters, interested visitors can see a plaster cast of a skunkape footprint and Dave Shealy's photographic evidence of the creature," the ranking says.

Where is Skunk Ape Research Headquarters in Florida?

Ochopee is an unincorporated community in Southwest Florida's Collier County, tucked between multiple large nature and wildlife preserves.

Dan Shealy's Skunk Ape Headquarters is located at the Trail Lakes Campground on Highway 41. Their website further details they are "fifteen miles south of Interstate 75 (old Alligator Alley), then four miles east of Highway 29."

What is Florida's 'Skunk Ape' cryptid?

Dave Shealy at the Skunk Ape Headquarter

The Pacific Northwest tells the tale of Bigfoot. The Himalayan Mountains are home to the Yeti. And Florida's swamps see the skunk ape.

The skunk ape is said to be an ape-like creature that inhabits forests and swamps in the southeastern United States. The legend of the skunk ape claims to go back hundreds of years, all the way back to the indigenous cultures.

Sunshine State monsters:3 Florida cryptids to be on the lookout for

According to alleged experts, an average male skunk ape reportedly stands 8 feet tall and weighs roughly 450 lbs, while females are on the smaller end. They stand up on both legs like a human, except they are completely covered in long, reddish or black hair.

Are there skunk apes in Florida? What sighting have been reported of the skunk ape?

The earliest published report of a skunk ape was from Suwannee County back in 1942. A man claimed the creature the creatures hitched a ride on the running board of his car for nearly a half mile before jumping off and racing into the woods, according to All Cryptid Wiki.

Since then, there have been multiple sightings from the 1940s to as recent as the 2000s.

One of the more famous sightings was in December of 2000 when a family heard a noise on their porch and came out to see a huge beast outside their home. They snapped a photo of the creature and assumed it was an escaped monkey from the zoo. However, both cryptozoologists and internet users believe they encountered the skunk ape.

What does the skunk ape smell like? Apparently there is an answer

There's a lot we don't know about the world around us but we have somehow tracked down the answer to what the Florida cryptid's odor is. Which might be why it has the word "skunk" in its name.

According to an archived Tampa Bay Times piece, the creature has a revolting smell — described as a "mixture of wet dog, skunk and rotting eggs."

What is the top roadside attraction in the entire country?

Lucy the Elephant in Margate.

So what overtook the Skunk Ape Headquarters for best roadside attraction? Best 10 determined the top attraction in the country was found in New Jersey. Meet Lucy the Elephant!

"Listed on the National Park Registry of Historical Landmarks, Lucy the Elephant stands six stories high in Josephine Harron Park. Visitors can stop by and have their photos taken with Lucy, and, for those who wish to go inside the elephant, guided tours are available," the ranking said.

Best 10's top roadside attractions for 2024

  1. Lucy the Elephant (Margate City, New Jersey)
  2. Shealy's Official Skunk Ape Headquarters (Ochopee, Florida)
  3. World's Largest Ball of Twine (Cawker City, Kansas)
  4. Carhenge (Alliance, Nebraska)
  5. Dalmatian Fire Hydrant (Beaumont, Texas)
  6. Paul A. Johnson Pencil Sharpener Museum (Logan, Ohio)
  7. Paul Bunyan and Babe the Blue Ox (Bemidji, Minnesota)
  8. Wheat Jesus (Colby, Kansas)
  9. Wall Drug Store Inc (Wall, South Dakota)
  10. Bonnie and Clyde Ambush Museum (Gibsland, Louisiana)