Giant Cross in La Follette, Tennessee

I was on my way home from a week-long road trip that took me through Indiana, Ohio, Pennsylvania (home of the Mars flying saucer), Virginia, and North Carolina. The return trip had me rushing home on I-75 through Tennessee. I was tired, exhausted, maybe speeding a little more that I should. That lackadaisical end of the road feeling was taking over me. That feeling where you’ve seen so much, done so much, that you have nothing left in you. And so all you want is to get home. All you want is your old, familiar pillow.

The Giant Cross in La Follette, Tennessee (a similar site to the world’s largest cross in Effingham, Illinois – there are many giant crosses across America) is a giant metal biblical attraction visible from I-75 that shields Christian travelers from a nearby porn shop.

The Road Trip Journal & Activity Book - Everything You Need to Have and Record an Epic Road Trip! By Valerie Bromann

The Road Trip Journal & Activity Book

Everything You Need to Have and Record an Epic Road Trip!

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.

This roadside attraction was on my road trip itinerary. So, when I saw the large white cross, up ahead, beckoning from the side of the road, I contemplated pulling over, veering off the exit to see it up close and personal. But, sometimes, seeing something from the road, from the distance, is all you really need.

So, I didn’t stop at the giant cross on I-75 in Tennessee. But I did slow my car’s speed, grab for my camera, and take a photo without looking. One blurry photo. I would have taken more. I would have held down the shutter as I drove past, snapping a burst of photos that would show the attraction from many distances, from slightly different angles, from varying frames of usefulness.

But, as it turns out, my memory card was out of memory. It apparently had had enough, just like me.

And so, I kept on driving home, with only the memory and one blurry picture.

Giant Cross in La Follette, Tennessee.
Giant Cross in La Follette, Tennessee.

Giant Cross

Location: Giant Cross, 383 Luther Seibers Ln, Pioneer, TN (La Follette, TN) 37847 (visible from I-75)
Date: September 5, 2010

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Valerie Bromann

Founder & ROad Trip Expert

Valerie Bromann is a a website manager, content creator, and writer from Chicago, Illinois (currently living in Dallas, Texas). As an avid road tripper who has visited hundreds of roadside attractions, Val always pull over for a world’s largest thing. Founder of Silly America and author of The Road Trip Journal & Activity Book, she visits, photographs, and writes about all the weird tourist destinations she visits and offers road trip planning advice and inspiration based on her own travels so you can hit the road for yourself.

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Last modified: July 4, 2020
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The Road Trip Journal & Activity Book - Everything You Need to Have and Record an Epic Road Trip! By Valerie Bromann

The Road Trip Journal & Activity Book

Everything You Need to Have and Record an Epic Road Trip!

BY Valerie Bromann

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.