Explore Illinois roadside attractions and other tourist traps, restaurants, stops, and detours to add to your Illinois road trip itinerary.
We’re finishing up a week of hamburger roadside attractions here on Silly America with a monument to one of the great American icons of the hamburger: J. Wellington Wimpy and the Popeye Wimpy statue in Chester, Illinois. No, J. Wellington Wimpy didn’t invent the hamburger. No, I doubt he ever even made a hamburger. But …
The McDonald’s No. 1 Store Museum (McDonald’s Museum) in Des Plaines, Illinois shut down for good after years of flooding kept it closed to the public. The property was completely demolished as of January 2019. A new McDonald’s franchise opened across the street with a handful of exhibits showcasing relics from salvaged from the museum. …
The Burger King in Mattoon, Illinois is not what you’d expect from a typical Burger King chain restaurant. You won’t find a creepy looking life-size puppet king or a 5,000 calorie omelet sandwich or a bacon and cheese Whopper or a cardboard crown that you’d pretend you are taking for your little sister but really …
Yesterday I showcased the awesometacularness that was the limited-edition turnover of 7-Elevens into Kwik-E-Marts from The Simpsons Movie. Today I’m featuring a still-limited edition, but more widespread tie-in for the movie that came out back in 2007: The Simpsons family on their signature couch. This (slightly bigger than) life-size plastic couch was in just about …
Don’t you love old cars? The cool colors, the fun lines, the unique angles! Despite all the retro throwbacks that have come on the market in recent years (my absolute favorite being the new Dodge Challenger) they certainly don’t make them like they used to! Each year at The 2009 Chicago Auto Show (going on …
Bald Knob Cross of Peace I apologize for the horrible quality of the photos today. But…for every bad picture there is an amazing story to go with it… So…you kind of know you’re in trouble when it’s dark, 9oclock at night, and you realize that you next destination is truly in the middle of nowhere, …
In honor of Christmas coming up next week I thought I’d feature a couple of blessed Midwestern roadside attractions. First up is an Illinois roadside attraction most Illinoisans can recognize from (almost literally) a mile away: the Cross at the Crossroads – America’s Largest Cross in Effingham, Illinois. This huge cross is made of over …
The Leaning Tower of Niles is about a half-size replica of its sister structure: the Leaning Tower of Pisa in Pisa, Italy. It combines roadside attraction with historic Italia…and that, my silly American friends, is worth a drive from anywhere (maybe even Rome, Illinois or Florence, Illinois…). This Leaning Tower of Pisa replica was constructed …
Have you ever watched a movie and wondered where it was filmed? I don’t blame you, most movies feature picture-perfect locations that seem too good to be true. And many of those locations aren’t exactly where they claim to be. Take for instance the 1993 holiday classic Groundhog Day. The movie takes place in the …
There are more roadside attractions to see outside of the Pink Elephant Antique Mall in Livingston, Illinois than just the pink elephant…there are, in fact TWO other fiberglass elephants (smaller and grayer, but still) AND a giant Beach Guy! Between these two gray elephants, this fiberglass giant beach guy, and the pink elephant, this …
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.
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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