If you’re driving towards Regent, North Dakota, and you see a giant metal grasshopper munching on metallic stalks of wheat—you’re not hallucinating. Regent, North Dakota is home to the Enchanted Highway, which features several large sculptures that showcase North Dakota’s rugged history and culture. Former school principal Gary Greff began constructing the sculptures which would ultimately line the Enchanted Highway in 1989 so that his beloved hometown of Regent wouldn’t become a ghost town.
Photo by Sarah Brumble/atlasobscura.com
The Enchanted Highway features oversized metal likenesses of prancing deer, jolly farmers, and leaping fish. Gary Greff has devoted decades to building and maintaining the Enchanted Highway’s sculptures. Gary’s dream of turning rural Regent into a bustling tourist destination is slowly becoming a reality. The Enchanted Highway features a gift shop, several picnic tables that give visitors the chance to dine beneath Gary’s sculptures, and a stylized motel called the Enchanted Castle.
“Deer crossing” sculpture
The Enchanted Castle is an old high school which Gary Greff converted into a motel fit for kings and queens. Gary opted to leave the former high school’s gymnasium untouched in order to preserve a piece of Regent’s past. The Enchanted Castle features a drawbridge, several hot tubs, and a Medieval-themed tavern and steakhouse. Visitors can even book a romantic honeymoon suite that features a king size bed and a royal robe and slippers. The Enchanted Castle has been hailed as the finest castle hotel west of the Excalibur in Las Vegas.
“Geese in flight” sculpture
Visitors from across the country have journeyed to North Dakota to see Gary Greff’s Enchanted Highway with their own eyes. As long as Regent, North Dakota features lively sculptures that will break up a relatively dull drive, Gary Greff’s hometown is not in danger of fading into obscurity. Gary Greff’s Enchanted Highway proves that human imagination and ingenuity rival any magical enchantment.