Summary The US has more airports than any other country, including unique ones with odd locations and histories. Savannah Airport has gravestones on the runway due to ancestors left undisturbed during WWII. Denver Airport features a cursed horse statue called Blucifer and has a history of conspiracy theories.
According to the United States Department of Transportation (USDOT), as of 2022, there were 19,969 airports in the country. This is more than any other country in the world, with second-placed Brazil only having about 4,000. Of the 19,969 airports in the US, several have unique locations, are positioned in odd ways, have unique terminals, require special training to fly into, and some have a crazy history.
Oftentimes, these unique things are forgotten about, and airports become something “normal,” and just somewhere we pass through to get to our destination. 5 Savannah/Hilton Head International Airport Gravestones The first airport on our list is the Savannah Hilton Head International Airport, located in South Carolina. Let’s start from the beginning.
In the middle of World War II (WWII) as the US government needed to expand the military, it searched for additional places to place airports and military bases. The site where the Hilton Head Airport is located today was considered by the government because there was already a functional airfield called Chatham Field. However, the land was not enough for the military, which ended up negotiating with the City of Savannah for 1,100 acres.
The military first acquired Chatham Field but then worked on securing additional land surrounding it so that the airport could house a command base and heavy bombardment combat crew training station for the second bomb wing of the Army Air Corps. Some of the land surrounding the field was owned by a family, the Dotsons. The unique thing about this land was that it had a cemetery with more than 100 graves, or so it is believed.
Because of the family significance, the government negotiated with some of the living Dotson family members at the time, and all the ancestors, except four, were relocated to another cemetery. Today, there are a few gravemarkers on the airport property, two of which are on one of the runways. “The graves of Richard and Catherine Dotson, along with two beloved relatives, Daniel Hueston and John Dotson, remain undisturbed in and next to the airport’s most active runway.
These grave sites are the only ones in the world embedded in an active 9,350-foot runway serving thousands of general and commercial aviation operations yearly.” 4 Denver International Airport A horse with glowing red eyes It is impossible to talk about “weird” without talking about Denver International Airport, which is commonly referred to as DIA, even though the correct airport code is DEN. DIA is Doha International Airport in Qatar.
Denver is the largest airport in the US by land mass, has the longest runway in the country, and has several conspiracy theories surrounding it. To highlight one thing, the airport has a statue of a massive horse with glowing red eyes. The horse is a 32-foot cast fiberglass sculpture by Luis Jiménez and is called Mustang , but people have nicknamed it Blucifer because of its blue color.
People believe the statue is cursed because it killed its creator, well, kind of. In 2006, Jiménez was working on the statue when a piece broke off and struck an artery in his leg and ultimately took his life. His children finished the statue after his passing.
3 Orlando International Airport Aquarium inspired by Finding Nemo This next one is not weird, but it is certainly unique. Orlando International Airport has an aquarium. The aquarium is not that big, but that does not make it not unique.
According to a 2018 post on the airport’s X (formerly Twitter) account, the aquarium holds 3,000 gallons of water and at the time, had between 40-50 fish at the time the post was shared. The team at MCO shared a few facts about the aquarium with us: The aquarium is 3000 gallons It was the largest seamless aquarium we could buy at the time. It was installed in the food court in 2003.
Disney had a movie coming out at the time called Finding Nemo and they asked if they could place their movie characters in our new aquarium. We agreed, and so if you look closely at times, you can still see the characters from Finding Nemo in the tank. Vancouver International Airport (YVR) in Canada has a much larger aquarium, with more than 20,000 marine plants and animals.
In addition to the main aquarium, there is one only with jellyfish. The route provides a more convenient option for those visiting the original Magic Kingdom. 2 Palm Springs International Airport Outdoor area with dining and playground Famous for sunshine year-round and scorching hot temperatures during the summer, Palm Springs draws millions of people every year.
According to the airport, 3.2 million people flew through in 2023, setting a record for the busiest year ever. One of the “wonderful” things about PSP is the open-air courtyard with shopping and dining options.
Well, it is wonderful, when it is not blazing-hot outside. Even if it is hot, the gate areas have air conditioning, offering an escape from the heat. Outside, the airport offers a kid’s playground, as well as pet areas, the latter being more common in US airports today.
The area with the playground has art, water features, and patio seating. There is also a pet area landside, across from the main terminal. Porter Airlines Adds Embraer E195-E2 To Palm Springs And San Diego 1 Detroit Metropolitan Wayne County Airport Indoor train Continuing with “wonderful” things, Detroit Metropolitan Wayne County Airport is one of Delta Air Lines’ hubs and is famous for its indoor ExpressTram.
Located in the McNamara Terminal, Concourse A, the ExpressTram connects passengers to three stations, one at the north of the terminal, another at the south, and the central terminal stop. The tram is a perfect option to save time, as the entire A concourse is one mile long. Those needing to connect to other concourses can also do so by riding the ExpressTram and then walking.
.
