Did you know that there is a scale copy of Stonehenge made out of cars in Alliance Nebraska? “Carhenge” was made by artist, Jim Reinders, and completed in 1987, as a memorial to his father. I can’t remember how I discovered its existence, but once Carhenge was on my radar, I knew I had to visit if I were ever in Nebraska. Lucky for us, our #HendersonsWildWest road trip took us nearby and we took a detour just to visit this unique attraction. Carhenge is categorically one of the most delightful, fun, and bizarrely beautiful things I have seen on my travels.
History of Carhenge
After seeing Stonehenge in England, Jim Reinders was inspired, and wanted to reproduce it. When his father passed away in 1982, talk of a memorial made out of cars in the shape of Stonehenge took hold; and the family worked for 5 years to bring it to fruition. Carhenge is a whimsical idea, yet the motives for its creation are rooted in reverence and memorialisation. It is, therefore, both quirky and moving all at once.
Carhenge photos
I think one of the reasons I enjoyed Carhenge so much was that it is incredibly beautiful to photograph. Much like Stonehenge, the repeating patterns, archways, and singular crooked and standalone edifices are fascinating. I wish we could’ve seen it at sunrise or sunset – I’m sure it is quite majestic at golden hour.
Reminder: All the photographs in this post are copyright of Hannah Henderson 2019; and cannot be used, shared or copied without my permission.
Planning your visit to Carhenge
Getting to Alliance, Nebraska
Alliance isn’t too far from the Wyoming, South Dakota and Colorado borders (in the context of big North American road trips). The closest regional airports are in Rapid City, South Dakota; and Cheyenne, Wyoming. And the nearest international airport is Denver, Colorado – which is 3.5 hours’ drive away. We visited Carhenge as part of a bigger road trip to Custer State Park, Mount Rushmore, and Deadwood. Alliance is an easy place to detour to if you are visiting any of the above attractions.
Where to Stay in Alliance
The city of Alliance has more to offer than just Carhenge. The Carnegie Arts Center, and Dobby’s Frontier Town are also worth seeing. If you are staying overnight, why not consider these accommodations in Alliance: The Holiday Inn Express is a clean convenient option. A good hotel for families, with breakfast included, is the Alliance Hotel & Suites.
Visiting Carhenge in Alliance Nebraska
One of my dreams is to travel across the USA and see all the fun and quirky roadside attractions along the way. Carhenge is one of those places, and I really encourage you to visit this fantastically off-the-wall attraction. Aside from the fun aspect, I kind of fell in love with this monument – I was in awe of Jim Reinders’ vision. It made the visit stick in my mind, and as a result, made the photographs mean more to me – so I just had to share them! If you’re anything like me, and enjoy whacky roadside stops to photograph, Carhenge is the place for you.
Some places just inspire us – Carhenge and the big skies of Nebraska sure did. If you want to find travel inspiration, join me over on Twitter for chats and advice.
All photos & content © Hannah Henderson and may not be used without permission (sharing this blog post is fine, though!). Images shot with a Canon DSLR T3i Rebel + Canon EF-S 18-135mm f/3.5-5.6 IS STM and an iPhoneX.
It was so funny to see this post right when I posted about our visit to Stonehenge. Carhenge is definitely a fun thing to see. And a great memorial. I am now sorry we did not see this when we went to Wyoming. Definitely a wacky stop on your road trip.
Hannah
Thanks for the complimentary words and great photos.
Hi Jim! It is an honour to have you visit my blog post on your amazing creation. We loved our visit and cannot recommend it highly enough – such a pleasure to photograph!
This is amazing!! I love everything about this idea, and what a wonderful tribute that Jim Reinders created. If I’m ever anywhere close to Nebraska, I’m definitely suggesting a detour to Carhenge.
How come I’ve never heard of this before?! this is amazing – not only the sculptures themselves, but the inspiration. i love the slightly crazy people in this world who make things like these happening!
Too right! It is the whimsical amongst us that make these things happen!
I really like the message behind this silly monument. the love to put something like this together for a passed loved one is a fitting tribute. And the fins on the old classic cars really takes it all to another level. I love the photos! I will have to make this part of my next road trip across the USA! Thanks for sharing!
Very cool and had no idea this existed in the U.S. This is amazing and your photos are incredible.
Out of curiosity, do you know why it took so long (5 years) to bring the project to fruition? Was it the making of the art or administrative challenges? Thanks for highlighting this carhenge, definiitively something I’d love to see for myself.
I think it was just the sheer logistics that took that long – that many cars and such a huge scale – I’m sure it wasn’t easy 🙂
I’ve seen only a few pictures of this before and an enthralled as you were by the photographic possibilities at sunset or dawn. I need to see this for myself and plan a ‘big American’ Road trip.
So funny, as the last post I read before this was one about Stonehenge in England! I do like your photos, and it really is a pretty good copy of the stone formations that inspired it. I haven’t spent much time in Nebraska, but if I were to go, it’s good to know there are other fun things to do like Dobby’s Frontier Town.
How curious! I was just reading a post about Stonehenge and now I found yours. 🙂
Carhenge is so cool! And the similarities with Stonehenge are really there. Truly worth the trip.
So cool! I wish we had more roadside attractions closer to home. the US has some bizarre ones but usually worth stopping for at least.
I’d love to see more of the odd ones – such fun roadside stops!
I was just reading an article about Stonehenge and here’s one about car henge! lol! This place looks like more up my alley though. so weird, yet intriguing. The nerd in me can’t resist and i’d be all over the carhenge shooting up tons of photos to show to my friends! great find 🙂
What an amazing and unusual place! Makes me wonder what other monuments would look like if they were made out of cars!
I kinda want someone to do more of these, right? Perhaps a leaning tower of cars? LOL