Dell Rhea’s Chicken Basket is an iconic Route 66 restaurant in Illinois. In Willowbrook, just off the famous route, and present day Interstate 55 (I-55) , this chicken joint has been serving up chicken since the 1930s. In the late 1930s/early 1940s Ervin ‘Irv’ Kolarik started selling chicken sandwiches at a gas station on the Mother Road. One day he...
It’s time to STEER you towards this next roadside attraction: the Big Steer in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. No bull, this giant steer is painted black and white and wears a bright red chef’s hat and bib. The fiberglass big cow was built by Sculptured Advertising in Sparta, Wisconsin (now known as FAST Corporation) and originally stood on top of The Rafters...
The Baker Man statue in Shirley, Indiana is a friendly, plump man dressed in orange striped pants and a white chef’s hat. He stands with a raised hand, waving at locals and road trippers who come to sneak a peek. His round figure has earned this Indiana roadside attraction the nickname, “Puffy the Baker,” but he was originally called “Mister...
The De Immigrant Windmill in Fulton, Illinois, is an authentic Dutch Windmill that was manufactured and prefabricated in the Netherlands before being shipped and assembled in the American midwest. It is said to be one of only two Dutch windmills in the United States. De Immigrant Windmill in Fulton, Illinois- Dutch Windmill in the United States. An American Roadside...
Let’s give a hand to this Missouri roadside attraction: the giant praying hands in Webb City (the city of flags). These large hands in prayer stand at 32 feet tall (on top of a 40-foot-tall man-made hill) and weigh a whopping 110 tons! (It’s important to note that while these prayer hands are impressively tall, they aren’t the world’s largest...
The Greetings From Austin mural in Austin, Texas, is like a giant postcard welcoming you to the city. While colorful street art abounds in the vibrant Texan city, this picture postcard is one of the most iconic murals in Austin. The iconic mural was painted in 1998 by Todd Sanders along with his friend Rory Skagen. Sanders owns Roadhouse Relics, the neon sign studio...
Today’s roadside attraction is LIT! LITerally. It’s the World’s Largest Candle in Centerville, Indiana. This giant, bigger than life candle statue is attached to a popular roadside candle store. This giant candle is attached to the exterior of Warm Glow Candle Outlet in Centerville, Indiana next to I-70 at exit 145. The candle store spans 22,000 square...
I don’t know about you, but when I heard that there was a world’s largest porch swing roadside attraction in Nebraska, I was kind of imagining an Edith-Ann like wonderment growing tall into the sky. Something to the likes of this: I guess I was, therefore, a little bit disappointed when instead of that tall majestic beast I got this: This is the world’s largest porch...
Want to see something corny? This next roadside attraction is all ears. Ears of corn, that is. Welcome to the Field of Giant Corn Cobs in Dublin Ohio! In a large field off of the highway in Dublin, there stand 109 human-sized ears of corn each standing at 6 feet 3 inches (1.9 m) tall and each weighing in at a whopping 1500 pounds (680 kg.). Known to some as the Field...
This Bunyan Muffler Man in Roanoke, Virginia stands outside Williamson Road Service Center. When I saw this roadside attraction on a Virginia road trip in 2010 he was sporting a thick black beard and wearing a red shirt, tan pants, and black boots. In his right hand he held out a tire and in his left, a sign with the business’s address. Despite being a little...
