Valerie Bromann
Saturday morning I woke up at the not so bright and extremely early hour of 4am and hopped in my car shortly after. Flopsy was in his Flopsy cave. A Coke was in the cup holder. A video camera was in my lap. My Garmin was raring to go. I wasn’t so raring but more …
Whew, am I exhausted! Saturday I drove from Chicago to Metropolis, IL and (almost) back. Stay tuned this week for a recap of my road trip and more! For now, here’s a pic I took just before hitting the gas pedal. Flopsy in his cave, a can of Coke in the cup holder, and my …
Midway through the first day of our Labor Day road trip, my travel companion and I were getting pretty darn hungry. We wanted to stop at somewhere more “local.” No Burger Kings or McDonald’s for us. So, as we had the World’s Largest Bicyclist and FAST: The Fiberglass Statue Factory to see in Sparta, Wisconsin, …
F.A.S.T. (Fiberglass Animals, Shapes & Trademarks) is the premier manufacturer of fiberglass statues in America. It’s probably the most well known Sparta tourist attraction as you can stop by the grounds to check out the field of roadside attractions in various states of creation. But before hitting up F.A.S.T. you can see a magnificent sample …
Have you ever been driving on a road trip and come across a giant cow or a giant elephant or a giant mouse and wondered, “who even made that?” It’s a valid question. These weird fiberglass roadside attractions speckle the landscape of America in odd sizes and odd locations, beckoning tourists to take a moment …
Catch Silly America on TV! WILL-TV, the public television station in Champaign, IL contacted me about using some photos that I posted last February when I spent the month featuring Abraham Lincoln roadside attractions! The episode of Prairie Fire that they aired on Thursday, March 26, 2009 profiled photographer David Wiegers, who is traveling the …
A tribute to Lewis and Clark in Illinois next to the Popeye Statue in Segar Memorial Park in Chester, Illinois. Site: Lewis and Clark in Illinois Location: Segar Memorial Park, Chester, IL Cost: Free to see Hours: Always Visible Date: July 15, 2007
In 1977 a memorial to the beloved cartoon character Popeye the Sailor Man was erected in Chester, Illinois, birthplace of the comic’s creator Elzie C. Segar. The “Home of Popeye” still proudly displays this six-foot, 900 lb. bronze Popeye statue in Segar Memorial Park, overlooking the Mississippi River. And they’ve since added quite a few …
There’s a Wimpy photo stand-in in Chester, Illinois: the Home of Popeye the Sailor Man. Photo stand-ins (also called face in the hole boards, photo cutout boards, or comic foregrounds) are those big life-sized paintings (or photographs), usually of a person or animal, with a hole cut out of the face for a person (like you or me) …
Chester, Illinois celebrates all things Popeye. It’s Elzie Crisler Segar, the classic cartoon creator’s, home town so it only makes sense that the entire city serves as a shrine to his outstanding work and legacy. In fact, many of the characters were actually based on residents. In Gazebo Park, next to Spinach Can Collectibles (a …
Enjoy fun games and challenges to pass the time on your next road trip and have a keepsake to look back on for years to come with this entertaining must-have for your next vacation.
The road trip you’ve been dreaming of starts here! Journal about your stops and get to know your fellow passengers with activities and exercises designed to pass the time and bring you closer together. Instead of “Are we there yet?” you’ll find yourself asking, “We’re there already?”. Complete with prompts you can turn to while driving between locations, this journal will one day be a memento of your life-changing trip.
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Silly America is a roadside attractions blog designed to help travelers find unique stops for their next road trip. The website is a tribute to the great American road trip, devoted to all that is odd in America: roadside attractions, tourist traps, peculiar destinations, bizarre events, road food, fun festivals, and more! It’s a travel website and trip planner for those seeking an offbeat road trip.
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