Hole 'N' The Rock

Hole 'N' The Rock is one of those Utah roadside attractions that sounds improbable until you're standing in front of it, and then you can't believe you almost drove past. A 5,000-square-foot home hand-carved into a massive sandstone boulder by Albert Christensen over 12 years — complete with living rooms, kitchen, bedrooms, and even a fireplace — it defies easy categorization and kids absolutely love it.

The guided house tour takes you through the rock-carved rooms with their hand-chiseled walls, oddly normal furniture, and the surreal sense of being inside a mountain. For children, the architecture of the place — the fact that someone took a rock and turned it into a home — is genuinely mind-bending. It prompts questions and conversations that a conventional museum never would.

Outside the carved house, the property maintains a collection of exotic animals that consistently steals the show for younger visitors: camels, zebras, fainting goats, pot-bellied pigs, and other creatures that you don't expect to find in the Utah desert. Kids who are unfazed by the architecture lose their minds when they see a camel.

A gift shop and on-site diner make it easy to spend more time here than you planned. The diner's basic American food provides a convenient meal stop on the highway between Moab and Monticello.

Located 12 miles south of downtown Moab on Highway 191, Hole 'N' The Rock is a natural stop when driving to or from Canyonlands National Park. It's quirky, inexpensive, and genuinely delivers — which is more than can be said for most roadside attractions.