Don’t count on it. Las Vegas, and the state it sits in, are filled with so much weirdness that some of it must leak out. Think about it. Where else will you find a place that names its highways after Extraterrestrials, where mobsters are city fathers, and where Elvis—or a reasonable facsimile of him—hangs out on every street corner. 

Nevada’s nicknames are wholesome enough. It’s called the Sagebrush State and the Silver State—although that’s weird, since gold is the state’s money mineral. (Nevada is the world’s second-largest producer.) Las Vegas is a different story. It’s Sin City, which may be why it is also the country’s number-one vacation destination. But believe it or not, many tourists head here for something besides the girls and the gambling. 

In fact, there is so much going on that it took a duo of authors—Joe Oesterle and Tim Cridland—to corral it all. Bravely, these intrepid seekers of the weird explored the Coffin House in Pahrump—and made it out alive; searched for the river of black gold; watched rocks move all by themselves at Little Bonnie Claire Playa,; and tracked down some very odd legends, like the one about the eerie dead body under the hotel mattress.    

Turn the pages now and join them in a game at the Pinball Hall of Fame. Check out the 8,000 fish at the Mermaid Bar, or relive the cold war at the Atomic Test Museum or by visiting a urinal with pieces from the actual Berlin wall. Find out how the term “eighty-sixed” got its name or snap pictures at Rhyolite, Nevada’s most photographed ghost town. Stay in Marilyn Monroe’s cabin at the Cal Neva Resort, and you might just catch a vision of her swimming in the pool. Explore St. Thomas, the submerged town that has risen from the waters of Lake Mead, or go a round with the card-playing skeletons in Tonopah.

A brand-new entry in the best-selling Weird U.S. series, Weird Las Vegas and Nevada is packed with the things regular guidebooks won’t tell you. So take a break from the slot machines and explore where the real action is. It’s a journey you’ll never forget—you can bet on that!

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That’s just beginning of the weird—and fun—side of the state, the side you won’t hear about in most guidebooks. Arizona, home to boom and bust gold towns, instant billionaires and crazy prospectors, outlaws and killer cactus, is full of some of the oddest places and people in the country. To round them up, we roped in Wesley Treat, a veteran traveler on roads to the Weird. In Arizona, as he will tell you, he found some of the friendliest, most peculiar and far out people he has ever encountered. And he means that as a compliment.

Not everything about the Carolinas is strange. Pepsi-Cola was invented here, and it’s where Krispy Kremes first hit it big. Babe Ruth batted his first professional home run in Fayetteville, and the first English baby born in America debuted on Roanoke Island. Unfortunately, she came to a sad end, as did her whole “Lost Colony.” Just one of the many Carolina mysteries you can try your hand at solving.

To round up the strangeness of these states, Roger Manley, a native son of the South and a man with a keen eye for the offbeat, jumped into his Weirdmobile and scoured the two Carolinas. Follow him now on your own ride into the unknown. Listen for the eerie sounds that come from the bottomless pits of Magnolia. Search for hidden emeralds in Hiddenite, North Carolina. Roll out the welcome wagon for some extraterrestrials at the UFO Welcome Center in Bowman, but watch out for parts of a hidden H-bomb lurking somewhere beneath the surface in Wayne County. Sneak up on Monkey Island, where the humans are in cages and the monkeys run free! Catch the chain-saw art in Bynum, but don’t get caught by the devil on his Tramping Grounds in either Carolina! Ride a horse and chow down some vittles at a bona fide Old West town in Iredell County. Or take in Oyotunji, an authentic African village, except that it’s in Sheldon, South Carolina. And don’t forget to stop by and say hello to Darrel the Donut, U.N.C.–Greensboro’s library mascot.

The latest entry in the best-selling Weird U.S. series, Weird Carolinas is packed with all the things other guidebooks don’t tell you. So begin your own weird journey now. We promise it’s a journey you’ll never forget.

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Weird Virginia, like all the books in the Weird series, is filled with stories about unusual people and amazing sights. Abandoned places, cursed roads, friendly and not-so-friendly ghosts, bizarre personal properties, and eye-catching roadside oddities are all here, all for you, and all very weird.

As you travel  through the pages of Weird Virginia beware:

The Octagon house, all six (yes, six) haunted sides of it.
Phantom Lovers of the Great Dismal Swamp
Midgetville along Northern VA’s Old Dominion Trail
The “Norfolk” Experiment
Legend of the Wampus Cat
Prince William County’s Mothman
The House Made Out of Bottles
Black Aggie
Victims haunting Elbow Road just east of Chesapeake
And much, much more!

This anthology of weirdness offers a taste of the wonder and mystery that lurks around every twist and turn as you travel the roads of Virginia. Fortunately, the Weird VA team’s fascination with the bizarre empowered them to spread out across Virginia to continue their search for all things weird. Some of the tales you’ll read are disturbing, others are hilarious, but all are very, very weird.

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And who better to bring otherworldly nightmares to you than Weird NJ’s own Joanne Austin, who has compiled the eeriest, strangest, most hair-raising, and true (as far as we mortals can tell) stories of ghosts that haunt our neighborhoods, battlefields, restaurants, roads, hotels, schools, and.….homes. All the dead are beautifully illustrated and brought back to life by long time Weird NJ artist Ryan Doan (RyanDoan.com).

Whether it’s the specters that traverse Zombie Road, the Nob Hill Ghost, the spirits of weary soldiers at Antietam, or the antics of little Sarah who invisibly moves objects in an Ohio inn, you are about to encounter specters who will startle you, sometimes make you smile, and, more often than not, scare the living daylights out of you.

Weird hauntings are everywhere. And, good people that we are, we even include their addresses.

Sleeping with the lights on tonight? Don’t forget to check under the bed.

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Loyal fans – or any New Jerseyan who’s conscious – know that the Marks have a real affection for the strange, and even spent some time documenting the odd and the offbeat all around the country. Their bestselling Weird U.S. is testament to that. But, never fear, be it ever so humble, or weird, there’s still no place like the Garden State.

So back home they are, carrying around their cameras and notepads as they venture down roads that no one in their right mind would traverse (something they invariably discover midway through the trip) – risking life, limb, and sanity to bring you, their faithful readers, more amazing tales from our fair state.

This go round, they have even gone underground in order to tell you What Lies Beneath, and they’ve entered New Jersey’s deepest, darkest forests to bring you – what else – Weirdos in the Woods. But some of the choicest bits of bizarreness take place in plain sight – be it the Birdman of the Pulaski Skyway, the Montclair Motorman, or a well-known fun-loving citizen they like to call Miss Liberty. They found time to pay a visit to the Devil’s Kitchen and the Devil’s Pathway, and stopped by the pumpkin house. Always respectful of history, they researched the now defunct but always beloved Action – aka Traction – Park. Exhausted, they spent a day relaxing in serene Sea Breeze.

Even heftier than volume one (does that mean New Jersey has gotten even weirder?), Weird N.J. Volume 2 is packed with goodies, baddies, and everything in between. So fasten your seatbelt, adjust the rearview mirror (maybe you’ll catch a glimpse of Swampman), and get set for a great ride with the Marks – they’re back, and better than ever.

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Yes, we’re musical and political, but we’re also very, very weird. We have more strange sites, strange history, and, happily, strange folks than we deserve. And who better to recount all of these odd people and places for you than Eric Dregni, a man with a lifelong passion for the weird.

With notepad and camera in hand, Eric scouted the highways and byways, lakes, streams and rivers, of Minnesota in search of the odd and the offbeat. He tracked down impossible-to-believe tales, only to discover odd grains of truth that will astonish – and sometimes creep out – even the most knowledgeable Minnesotan.

So come along with Eric and climb the Witch’s Tower, toss your hat in the air with Mary, sit right down in a two-story outhouse, and spend a night in Pharaoh’s Chamber or the Space Odyssey room at an exotic hotel. Or you might prefer staying in the Drunk Tank at the Jailhouse Historic Inn. Visit – and take a taste – at the Spam Museum, then go gape at the country’s largest collection of underwear. After all that, relax at the Bowling Hall of Fame. It’s all here, it’s all weird, it’s all ours.

Indeed, we Hail! Minnesota and give thanks daily for its bountiful oddities. Read on. We guarantee you’ll appreciate our state that much more.

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And there’s no one better to record the strangeness of Maryland, with its cursed roads, oddball museums, curious people, and darn peculiar sites than bestselling author Matt Lake. Matt, being a transplanted Englishman, is himself a bit of a curiosity, so he fit right in. While his investigative journalism wore out a couple of computers as well as his car, Matt was dogged in his research of every strange nook and cranny our state has to offer, and he’s recorded it here for you, fellow Marylander.

So pretend Matt still has a car and ride along with him as he visits the Giant Cider Barrel, then sip from the Giant Martini Glass, go see the Love Road Rocket, travel carefully down Satan Wood Drive, attend services at the Boring United Methodist Church - but pray that the Goat Man doesn’t sit next to you. Go see Hell House, make nice at the Presidential Pet Museum, say hi to the Pig Woman of Cecil County, be courageous and walk along the Devil’s Backbone, and while you’re at it, sail over to Devil’s Island. TIP: If you see Bunnyman on your journey, move on, fast.

A brand-new entry in the Weird U.S. series, Weird Maryland proves without a doubt that Maryland is filled with a lot more interesting stuff than your history teacher ever told you about. Join Matt on his grand venture. It’s a trip, we promise.


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Because, let’s face it, Michigan has a great big quantity of…weirdness. That’s how we were able to entice best-selling author Linda Godfrey to swim over from Wisconsin, grab a notebook and track down all kinds of seriousness weirdness for you, Motown flowing through her headphones the whole time.

Just turn the pages and see what she found. Read about the Guru of Toilet Paper, the Devil’s Soup Bowl, a bottle house and a bottle tower, our own Bigfoot, a pickle barrel house, the world’s fastest cow, a fire breather and an eyeball smoker, the Outhouse Classic, UFOs of every size and shape, crop circles, and brown goo. Just don’t, no matter how tired you are, even think about sitting in the Witch’s Chair.

It’s a great state. Especially since we have lots of lake monsters and all our residents live no more than six miles from an inland lake – at least that’s what our state’s official Web site says. But Linda will take you way beyond what the governor’s office will tell you – to say nothing of what your history teacher left out of the lesson plans. We think you’ll agree that Weird Michigan, a brand-new entry in the best-selling Weird U.S. series, is a trip no self-respecting Michigander (or Michiganian, if you prefer – and that’s pretty odd, don’t you think?) would ever want to miss.

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A better word than moderation? That would be "weirdness." And who better to chronicle the enormous amount of weirdness in Georgia than Jim Miles, a man whose fascination with the bizarre—and with Georgia—is anything but moderate. So with the three P's for sustenance—pecans, peanuts and peaches, of course—and camera and notepad in hand, Jim set out on an extensive tour in search of the odd and the offbeat. He tracked down impossible-to-believe tales, only to discover odd grains of truth that give the stories just enough credibility to make one feel . . .slightly uneasy.

So turn the pages and check out Atlanta's own White House; look for the mutant turtle of Berkeley Lake; stroll by the Tomb of the Unknown Shopper; gaze at Georgia's very own Statue of Liberty; Remember Elvis: warts, toenail, and all; hunt down, if you're feeling energetic, the Beast of Pond Road; watch your car roll UP Booger Hill; terrify yourself at abandoned Hawkinsville Hospital; have a chat with the Moon-eyed people; hear the cries for help in Ebenezer's Swamp, and take care not to fall into the Devil's Hopper near Quitman.

It's all here. It's all ours. It's all so immoderate.

A brand-new entry in the best-selling Weird U.S. series, Weird Georgia is filled with the good stuff your history teacher never taught you. So join Jim on his great adventure through our fabulous oddball state. We promise you—it's a trip.

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With oranges for sustenance and notepads and cameras in hand, our authors set out to travel the highways (clogged, of course), byways, and back roads in search of the odd and the offbeat. Whether it's a Man Dog, an airplane graveyard, or a city of Lizard People, ours authors have researched and chronicled the stories and present them here for you, fellow admirers of the weird.

So turn the pages and visit Bubble Gum Alley, bounce the world's largest rubber band ball, meet the muffler family, share the love at Salvation Mountain, sit in the chair tree, or throw a shoe up the shoe tree, visit Houdini Cohen at the pet cemetery, whisper n'yuk n'yuk at Curly's grave, stay in the haunted guest room at Hotel Del Coronado, and be batty enough to travel across the Batty Bridge.

A brand-new entry in the best-selling Weird U.S. series, Weird California is packed with all that great stuff your history teacher wouldn't teach you. So join our authors on their great adventure. As sure as Eureka is our motto, we promise you won't regret it.

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But there’s something else, something we’ve got so much more of. We’ve got a great big quantity of . . . weirdness. Yes, our level of bizarreness is so high that we enticed an out of stater to become a New Yorker and chronicle it all. With notepad in hand and apples in pocket for nourishment, author Chris Gethard scouted the state’s highways and byways in search of the odd and the offbeat. He tracked down impossible-to-believe tales, only to discover odd grains of truth that give the stories just enough credibility to make one feel ...slightly uneasy.

So turn the pages and visit Long Island’s Big Duck, travel down Moan and Groan Road in, of all places, a town called Hope, and sample the Jell-O Museum in Le Roy. Drive by the abandoned insane asylums that blanket the state–big surprise. By all means avoid the witches of Head Road, but do coast up Spook Rock Road, say hi to Jumper and Grumpy at America’s largest pet cemetery, and knock on Eunice Welsh’s crypt (she might knock back.) Be lured in the water, if you’re really dumb, by the Lady of Lake Ronkonkoma, and next time you’re in Staten Island, beware of Bigfoot – he’s found his way out there.

Yes, it’s a grand state and it’s clear why we all sing I Love New York with such fervor. A brand-new entry in the best-selling Weird U.S. series, Weird New York is filled with all the good stuff your history teacher never taught you. So get on the road with Chris for a great adventure. We guarantee it’ll make you love New York that much more.

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Our weird quotient is so high that we needed three authors to put this book together. With cameras and notepads in hand, James Willis, Andrew Henderson, and Loren Coleman traveled the highways, byways, hills and dales of our fair state, seeking out the odd and the offbeat. And they found it. Whether it’s ghosts at Ohio State, a slew of screaming bridges, Frogman, a witches’ grave, or a flying cigar, our fearless authors have researched the stories with care, and present them here for you, fellow admirers of the weird.

So turn the pages and visit with the Melonheads, have a fun day at Satan’s Hollow, Hell House, and the Devil’s Pit, but watch out for the Demon Tree. Bike with Oxford’s phantom bicyclist, chat with the Lady in White, check out Oberlin’s giant 3-way plug and the really big rocking chair in Austinberg. Tiptoe through Dublin’s concrete corncobs, take a brief detour down the world’s shortest street, and look for Bigfoot in Minerva. And as night descends, gaze longingly at a whole bunch of abandoned drive-in theatres.

Yes, it’s all here. Weirdness in the heartland. A brand-new entry in the best-selling Weird U.S. series, Weird Ohio is chockfull of everything your history teacher never taught you. Some of the people you’ll meet and the places you’ll go are disturbing, others are hilarious, but all are very, very weird. We guarantee you’ll enjoy the journey.

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For years, Joe has traveled our six states with camera and notepad in hand, mosquito netting or snowshoes firmly in place, in search of the bizarre and the offbeat. And he found them everywhere. He has tracked down some unbelievable tales that have just enough truth in them to create the same uneasiness a chance meeting with Lizzie Borden’s ghost would.

So grab a bowl of clam chowder and start browsing. Visit Hell’s Half Acre, read the walls and the furniture in Rockport’s newspaper house, dally in Dino Land, learn about Leatherman, chat with the Frog People, get creeped out by the Men in Black, cross Emily’s Bridge (if you dare), get rained on by rocks, climb the Bloody Tower, spend time at America’s Stonehenge, tramp through Gungywamp, visit the grave of the vampire, size up Littlefoot, and look out for the Bennington Monster. It’s all wild. It’s all weird. It’s all New England.

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