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The
Union Jack and the Stars & Stripes
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Lives could be lived and
fortunes spent in pursuit of the sights and attractions of Europe. Each country
in the European Union offers so much in the way of unique history and attractions
that it is unrealistic for visitors to believe that they can drink in all the
wonder and mystery available. For many, experiencing all the flavors of Europe
in the same trip is unthinkable, from the costs involved to the travel time.
But what if these timeless attractions could be had for less money and in less
time, surrounded by familiar amenities and close to home? If your eyebrows just
raised with skepticism, read on and discover the Europe that is hidden throughout
the United States of America.
First, it should be noted
that this is by no means an exhaustive list of the European themed attractions
in the U.S. In fact, there are whole travel guides dedicated to the traveler
in search of European tributes and the eccentric roadside attraction. What follows
is merely a peek into the fascination and nostalgia that many Americans have
for Europe and the famous sights it holds.
The Eiffel Towers
There is an Eiffel Tower
in Las Vegas, situated where else but in front of the Paris
Las Vegas Hotel and Casino. This spire is a modest half-scale replica
of the original and greets guests as they enter the hotel from the Vegas strip.
One replica may be enough for most towns, but as Las Vegas is known for its
extravagance, it boasts another Eiffel Tower in Paradise, just
a short drive south from the strip. The Paradise tower measures an impressive
540 feet (165 m), making it the highest Eiffel replica in the U.S. Ohio
and Virginia both boast
their own Eiffels, as does the Disneyland
resort in California
and Disneyworld
in Florida. Additionally,
there's a Meccano model of the Eiffel Tower that measures 33-feet high(11m)
high at the Technology Museum of Georgia in Atlanta
and an Eiffel Tower in Paris,
Texas, that is
topped with a cowboy hat, giving it a true Texan style.
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Eiffel Tower in Las
Vegas
Photo Courtesy Ryan Williamson
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Las Vegas
Dismissed as inauthentic with
a touch-of-tacky by many Europeans who visit, the city of Las
Vegas nonetheless features a number of attractions that at one time were
only available across the Atlantic. Visitors to this red light oasis in the middle
of the Nevada desert
can see several replicas of European landmarks, many almost as impressive as the
originals. Aside from the Eiffel Tower, Las Vegas also offers visitors the chance
to experience attractions as diverse as the Egyptian pyramids and the Great Wall
of China, albeit on a much smaller scale. The pyramids have been reconfigured
as hotel suites at the Luxor
hotel, an expansive accommodation that boasts over 2200 rooms and a 30-story elevator
that works on a 39 degree incline as it takes guests up to their rooms. There
is also a replica of the Sphinx and a model of the Great Wall of China at the
Luxor, making it a virtual world unto itself.
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Cadillac
Ranch in Texas
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Stonehenge
What's a visit to Europe
without the requisite photo of that monolithic circle that's near and dear to
everyone's hearts, Stonehenge. Forget driving through the English countryside
and head for New Hampshire,
Nebraska or Texas, each
home to Stonehenge tributes. The first is true to the original in name only.
Visitors to Salem, New
Hampshire, can visit the site of what is dubbed America's
Stonehenge, so named because of archaeological evidence that suggests
that this may be one of the oldest human-made constructions in the United States,
dating back some 4000 years. The area now features a visitor center, nature
trails and more for visitors to enjoy.
Carhenge
is one of the more famous Stonehenge impostors, located near Alliance,
Nebraska. This arrangement features a faithful reproduction in terms of placement
to the original Stonehenge, though the rocks have been replaced by aging automobiles
that have been sunk into the ground and painted a stony grey.
The Texas
Cadillac Ranch expands on the Stonehenge mythology in that it displays
cars sunk into the ground, however the placement does not emulate its English
counterpart and the cars have been left with their original paint. Additionally,
care has been taken to ensure that the cadillacs rest at the same angle as the
pyramids of Egypt. Nonetheless, it is an impressive artistic undertaking that
draws hundreds of visitors a year to Amarillo.
Texas is also home to Stonehenge
II, a half-scale replica of the Salisbury
original that can be found near Kerrville
in Texas Hill
Country. Although this monument is on private land, visitors are encouraged
to get out of their cars and explore what turns out not to be stone but steel
frames and plaster painted to resemble the real Stonehenge.
Blarney Stone
Keeping with the U.K. attractions,
even the Blarney Stone has U.S. cousins. Shamrock,
Texas, is home to a piece of the original Blarney Castle of Ireland, giving
it a certain legitimacy for those looking for good luck through kissing. The
castle stone has been set in a cylindrical concrete monument in Elmore
Park and is the centerpiece for the annual crowning of Ms. Shamrock
on St.
Patrick's Day.
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| The
Statue Of Liberty |
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London Bridge
The famed London
Bridge gets the American treatment in Lake
Havasu, Arizona.
Featuring the English
Village under the bridge with British-style shops and restaurants, Lake
Havasu's bridge was actually dismantled in England and shipped to Arizona to
be rebuilt piece by piece in the late 1960s. Bought by a gentleman by the name
of Bob McCulloch for nearly $2.5 million, the bridge reconstruction was accompanied
by city planning that saw a channel dredged from Lake Havasu so that the bridge
would have somewhere to span. Roads were subsequently laid out around the bridge
area in a circular fashion, resulting in the lack of straight roads in the city.
It should also be noted that the local radio station is KBBC, introduced on-air
as BBC Radio, representing another nod to the British atmosphere.
Statue of Liberty
Although it's not a foreign
landmark, the Statue
of Liberty was originally donated to the U.S. by France,
giving it a tenuous link to Europe. The gift from France is of course located
in Manhattan and is
a symbol of freedom both to Americans and to immigrants seeking the elusive
American Dream. The power of this symbol was too much for just one city, so
the Boy Scouts of Georgia
donated a scale model of the statue to the State in 1951. Today, visitors can
view this copy at the northwest corner of Georgia's state capitol grounds. Yet
another Southern replica of the Statue of Liberty is located in Birmingham,
Alabama. This
statue is famous for having a real flame on her torch, powered by Alabama natural
gas. Finally, the town of Loveland,
Colorado, also
boasts a Statue of Liberty, albeit on a smaller scale. This six-foot statue
is located on a road-dividing median near Lake
Loveland and was also dedicated by the Boy Scouts in 1952, then rededicated
in 1985.
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A
gondolier at work
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Gondola Rides
Not in the air but on the
water, the gondolas of Venice
are known the world over as epitomes of romance and relaxation. Lucky for visitors
to Heartland
of America Park in Omaha,
Nebraska, the romance can be found closer to home. Gondolas
of Heartland America features gondola helmsmen dressed in traditional
Venetian garb, complete with poles for navigation and a blind eye for amorous
couples.
American Towns in the
European Tradition
There are many towns in
the United States that commemorate the countries from which their founders came.
In particular, Bavaria is popular among middle American towns such as Frankenmuth,
Michigan, and
Leavenworth,
Washington.
Both claim a distinct Bavarian atmosphere in the town, ranging from German wood-carved
storefronts to restaurants boasting wursts and beer in steins. October is a
good time to visit either town and witness the ubiquitous high stepping lederhosen
and oompa music that means Oktoberfest,
an annual event that continues to define both towns.
Other European-themed towns
in the United States include Stanton in Iowa,
home of the largest Swedish coffee pot in the U.S. This monument to caffeine
consumption can be seen for miles around. The Swedish are also strongly represented
in Kingsburg,
California.
This town features windmills and another massive Swedish coffee pot that can
be seen from Highway 99. For Netherlander tributes and a look at Dutch heritage,
the town of Pella
in Iowa beckons with a host of pannekoken, or Dutch pancakes, and a profusion
of tulips. Clogs and a canal running through town completes this Hollandaise
atmosphere in the middle of Iowa.
