Roadside oddities
US-199 through the Illinois Valley is a working highway, but it has a few stops that make people pull over and reach for a camera. Here are the ones we could confirm are still there and open to visitors. Each one is a short detour at most, so you can string several together on the drive between Grants Pass and the coast.
Great Cats World Park
Great Cats World Park sits on the Redwood Highway just south of town at 27919 Redwood Highway. It is a nonprofit, licensed animal sanctuary that gives lifetime care to exotic cats, with a special focus on the small and medium species that most zoos don't keep. The park says it has more than 50 cats, plus other animals, and that it receives no government funding.
You see the animals on a guided tour that runs about 90 minutes. The park encourages reservations and sells tickets on its tours page. When we checked in November 2026, prices were $22 for ages 13 to 64, $20 for 65 and over, $18 for ages 3 to 12, and free for children under 3.
- Season: for the winter, the park is closed on weekdays and open Saturday and Sunday from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. until spring (park website, checked November 2026).
- Weather: the park posts closures for heat, storms, and holidays on its Facebook page, so check there on a bad-weather day.
- Phone: (541) 592-2957.
- At the fences: don't feed or tease the animals, stay out of the closed areas, and walk, don't run.
Wear good walking shoes and bring a camera. Hours change with the season, so confirm on greatcatspark.org before you drive out.
The giant fly at O'Brien
Down the highway in O'Brien, a giant fly perches on the roof of the restrooms at the O'Brien Country Store, and an old red caboose sits across the parking lot. Visitors were still writing about the fly in late 2025. The store and the rest of the stop are covered on the O'Brien page.
The angel at Coffee Heaven
In town, a large wooden angel stands on the roof of Coffee Heaven, a coffee stand on the Redwood Highway. It's an easy landmark to spot from the road, and you can get a coffee while you look. Hours and details are on Eat and drink.
It's a Burl
Just north in Kerby, It's a Burl is a family-run gallery and showroom for burl wood, with an outdoor yard full of raw burls and finished pieces. Reviewers often single out the treehouse-style buildings on the lot. Read more on the Kerby page.
Illinois Valley Golf Course
The valley's golf course is on the Redwood Highway at 25320 Redwood Highway, where Laurel Road meets the highway. The club calls itself the Illinois Valley Country Club, and you'll also see it listed as Illinois Valley Golf Club.
It is a 9-hole course, par 36, open to the public. Two sets of tees let you play the front and back nine as an 18-hole round. The course opened in 1977. The City of Cave Junction bought the property in 2021 and signed a contract with the country club, run by a volunteer board, to operate the course and its restaurant.
- Practice: a grass driving range and a putting green.
- Food: Gimmies Grill is in the clubhouse.
- Finding the pro shop: it's on the far side of the building from the parking lot, behind the restaurant. Head toward the driving range and turn left.
- Phone: (541) 592-3151.
Golfers were posting about rounds here in June 2025, and the club was posting league results and tournaments in June 2026. The club's old website no longer loads, so call ahead for tee times, fees, and hours.
What we left out
An antique telephone collection near Cave Junction used to welcome visitors by appointment. We couldn't find a 2025 or 2026 source showing it's still open, so it isn't listed here. If you know it is, send us a correction.