This giant fiberglass Muffler Man and Bessie the Cow stands outside of Lambs Farm in Libertyville, Illinois. Lambs Farm is a non-profit organization that provides vocational and residential services for adults with developmental disabilities. The property features a petting zoo, pet shop, thrift shop, country store, cafe and bakery… and this roadside attraction. The first…
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The Guardian Auto Rebuilders muffler man in Evergreen Park, Illinois stood atop the auto body shop for many years. Also known as the “super shiny muffler man,” the Bunyan-style giant sported a sleek coat of Du Pont Chroma base glittery red and blue car paint that gave him an extra sparkle. The muffler man was…
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The giant cigar store Indian outside of Cardinal Liquor Barn in Oak Lawn, Illinois is known by locals as “Big Chief.” And, he’s kind of a big deal. The Indian was built by a company called Creative Display in the 1970s. It was originally constructed as an attraction for a cigar store in nearby Chicago…
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They were quick photos. Late at night. We were taking a day road trip around Chicagoland looking for the best roadside attractions in Chicago and this was one of the final stops: the giant Indian muffler man on the roof of an eye clinic wearing a sandwich board that declares “Eye Can See You Now”….
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Antonio Pasin built his first wooden wagon in 1917. They quickly became popular among his clients as he sold the toys around Chicagoland. In 1923, his company was officially born as “Liberty Coaster Company” and, to speed up production and offset costs, he began selling steel versions. In 1930 the company was renamed Radio Steel…
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Many towns in America profess themselves to be a “home of the white squirrels”: pockets of suburbia where these curious albino squirrels seem to congregate. Olney, Illinois is one of the most boastful. About 200 or so of the tiny mammals currently inhabit the town. At its peak though, there were around 1,000. Every fall…
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I saw this in the news the other day: the famous “Ferris Bueller house” is for sale. You know Ferris Bueller’s Day Off, right? And you definitely know the iconic Ferris Bueller’s Day Off Garage, right? If you’ve never seen the movie, well, GO WATCH IT NOW! (Amazon affiliate link) I’ll wait. Promise. One of…
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The Taste of Chicago is the biggest food festival in the city each year. If you ask, nine out of ten Chicagoans will tell you that the Taste of Chicago is horrible, expensive, crowded, not worth the time.* If you ask someone like me, that tenth kind of girl, you’ll get someone who says yeah,…
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It’s the summer of 2010 and you’re watching television and this commercial comes on your HD flat screen TV… and you might wonder if you’ve skipped 20 or so years back in time. Or, if you’re like me, you think “OMG I HAVE TO GO.” Luckily last weekend a friend was visiting and with no…
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Even though they did lose last night, the Blackhawks are certainly the team of the moment here in the Windy City. And yesterday I showed you the Picasso to prove it. But, believe it or not, there was a time where our baseball teams were actually doing well as well…and at the time, way back…
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