Stonehenge is an English icon, but you can’t really visit it very comfortably. You have to keep a distance these days, even the new visitor centre that opened in 2013 is about 2km from the actual monument. It wasn’t like that when the Stonehenge Free Festival ran from 1974 to 1984 – people would dance amongst the stones while bands such as Hawkwind, Dexy’s Midnight Runners and Ozric Tentacles played for free. But no more.
Nowadays people are only allowed to gather near the stones during the summer solstice on June 21st and the winter one on December 21st. The rest of the year, you’re better off going a bit further north to Avebury where equally ancient stones are mysteriously strewn about – you can actually walk around them and see their surfaces up close.
If you’re not in merry old England, then there are some interesting Stonehenge replicas around the world that you might be able to visit instead – let’s have a look at these 9 fake Stonehenge sites (almost) as cool as the original:
Carhenge, Nebraska
The US state of Nebraska is mostly a big empty space, with little noteworthy other than the miles of agriculture, the long open roads and its insistent probing of your existential reasons for living. Trying to lug huge stones around such a place would be a pain, but cars they can definitely do, and so, just north of the town of Alliance, Carhenge was born. Carhenge successfully provokes a commentary on the state’s car-reliant economy while at the same time invoking an atavistic sense of returning to the Earth. Or something.
Foamhenge, Virginia
Looking at Foamhenge, we’re guessing that Virginians love rocks but really hate heavy lifting. When some bright spark came up with the idea to recreate Stonehenge using ultra light materials, they were onto a winner. Foamhenge is near Natural Bridge, an area of Virginia which also used to be home to Dinosaur Kingdom, a series of statues depicting dinosaurs fighting in the American Civil War. Things have obviously changed a lot around these parts since Thomas Jefferson lived here in the late 1700s.
Stonehenge II, Texas
The sequel to Stonehenge it may claim to be, but the Texas Hill Country space that’s home to this reincarnation is also home to recreations of Easter Island moai, creating a bizarre clashing of ancient cultures. Imagine if people from Rapa Nui really had met druids from Wiltshire. They totally would’ve got on – loads in common with the whole stone thing.
Achill-henge, Ireland
The tastiest sounding county in Ireland, County Mayo, is home to a slightly confusing to pronounce Stonehenge replica called Achill-henge. It’s a reference to the island it’s sitting on, Achill Island, but it’s concrete breezeblock appearance doesn’t seem a chilled one to us. This modernist interpretation of druid culture has fans and critics in equal measure, and is always being threatened with demolition. We hope it sticks around as long as the original.
Mystical Horizons, North Dakota
Probably the most modernist interpretation of Stonehenge, Mystical Horizons feels more like a series of misshapen matchboxes than imposing atmospheric magic rocks. It does have a cool name though in keeping with the original’s esoteric intentions. You can visit Mystical Horizons near Carbury in the US state of North Dakota.
Maryhill Stonehenge, Washington
Maryhill Stonehenge is the most space-age looking recreation but is the only entry on our list that is a serious memorial – it commemorates those who died during WWI. Situated on a hill overlooking a river in the US state of Washington, this precisely laid-out formation suitably has a more epic feel than many of the other replicas in our list.
Stonehenge Aotearoa, New Zealand
Stonehenge Aotearoa brings druid vibes as far as possible from the original, specifically to Carterton near Wellington. Carefully designed by an astronomy society, the Kiwi Stonehenge has been built to be as educational as possible. We’re guessing they put the Maori name of New Zealand in its name to remind visitors which country they’re looking at a Stonehenge replica in.
Sacrilege, on tour
Jeremy Deller’s clever art installation / silly bouncy castle first appeared in Glasgow Green in 2012, and has been touring the world ever since. If only the real Stonehenge could do that, and if only the real Stonehenge could be surrounded by bouncy surfaces that invite jumping, and if only the real Stonehenge could be easily put away at the end of an evening. The original’s better, obviously, but still, if only.
Phonehenge, South Carolina
Obviously, we had to include this Stonehenge made out of British phone boxes on our list. Phonehenge was nestled in a theme park by Myrtle Beach in South Carolina, but Freestyle Music Park, also known as Hard Rock Park, sadly closed down in 2009. The park was only open for about a year but it included one rollercoaster based around Led Zeppelin, and another that blasted Gary Numan’s “Cars” at people as they raced past a replica of Battersea Power Station. The fact this place closed is evidently one of the greatest tragedies to have ever befallen humankind.
Featured image by Kevin Bowman
