top american roadside attractions

Top American Roadside Attractions

Top American Roadside Attractions
41. Largest Bottle of Catsup
Its said this 170 ft. tall (50 m) water tower could hold up to 640,000 14 oz. bottles of ketchup. The Collinsville, Illinois water tower was built in 1949 for the G.S. Suppiger ketchup bottling plant, bottlers of Brooks Rich & Tangy Ketchup. It reads catsup after the original Brooks bottle. Brooks left the town in the 1970s, but the well loved bottle remains. Its so cherished, in fact, that the town gathers each summer to sing it Happy Birthday at the annual Catsup Bottle Festival. The daylong event features a ketchup tasting, a water balloon toss, a hula hoop contest, a (smothered in ketchup) hot dog eating contest and a contest to crown kids as Little Princess Tomato and Sir Catsup.
42. Largest Buffalo
This concrete sculpture has been around for tourists to pose with since 1959. Its 26 feet tall, 46 feet long and weighs 60 tons. And while it went without a name for more than 50 years, it was finally dubbed Dakota Thunder earlier this year. After you take your pictures, theres more. The National Buffalo Museum is in Jamestown as well, and a Frontier Village complex is nearby with tourist shops and an old fashioned soda fountain.
43. Largest Light Bulb
If youre ever taking a scenic drive across New Jersey (it is called the Garden State after all) look for the 134 foot tower in Edison, New Jersey housing the worlds largest light bulb. The Thomas Alva Edison Memorial Tower stands on the site of Edisons Menlo Park laboratory where he perfected the first commercially practical incandescent light bulb. The 13 foot tall bulb at the top of the tower is meant to represent Edisons most famous invention, and a museum tells the story of Edisons work.
44. Largest Pez
Pez hasnt been this controversial since the
45. Largest Rocking Chair Cuba
Need a break after a long drive on Route 66? Sit back in this 46 foot tall rocking chair, located four miles west of Cuba, Missouri. It was built by the owner of a nearby general store who was looking to draw attention to his business. The rockers at the base of the chair are more than 31 feet long and weigh about 2000 pounds each certainly sturdy enough for a few tourists to relax on. Though if you cant climb quite that high, there are handy benches nearby.
46. Largest Santa Claus
The tiny town of North Pole, Alaska is not actually located at the North Pole. However, that doesnt stop the town from capitalizing on the thousands of letters to Santa Claus it gets sent each year. The center of the regions holiday cheer is The Santa Clause House, which offers Christmas souvenirs and personalized letters from Santa and is the site of the worlds largest Santa Claus statue. Standing 42 feet high and weighing in at 900 pounds, this Santa is big enough to fit dozens of children on his lap (if he ever sat down, that is.) He was built for the 1962 Worlds Fair in Seattle and had a second career as a travelling promotional statue before ending up in North Pole, where he has stood since 1983. Any shopping list for his upkeep would certainly have to be checked twice: He takes 10 gallons of red paint, five gallons of white and three gallons of black.
47. Largest Thermometer
Want to see how ridiculously hot this summer has been? Drive to Baker, California and read the temperature on the worlds largest thermometer. The 134 foot tall gauge is housed near the gateway to Death Valley, where temperatures soared to 134 degrees in 1913. While its an electronic sign rather than an actual thermometer, its known as the biggest on the planet. Next time youre in the area, it might be fun to keep a frying pan and some eggs handy.
48. Largest Truck Stop
When the original Iowa 80 truck stop opened for business in 1965 it had just one small store, an oil change and a restaurant. Now, the truck stop located off exit 284 on Interstate 80 in Walcott, Iowa boasts a 300 seat restaurant with a 50 ft. salad bar, a movie theater, a laundromat, a barber, a dentist, a game room, an embroidery center, a drivers den (complete with a fireplace and private showers), the Truckomat truck wash and a slew of fast food franchises. It serves more than 2 million cups of coffee each year and an average of 53 tons of beef. The truck stop employs some 450 people and can park up to 800 trucks. It is also home to a trucking museum and hosts an annual trucker appreciation event with a pork chop cook out, beauty contest and live entertainment. In its 45 years, the truck stop has served 64 million customers.
49. Smallest Church
The precariously named Cross Island Chapel actually sits on a dock in the middle of a pond near Syracuse, New York. Built in 1989, the nondenominational church is only about three feet by six feet and has only two seats. For a 1990 wedding, there was only enough room in the chapel for the minister and the betrothed, leaving the guests to sit in boats outside. Although there are no regular services, the church is available for special occasions and meditation, just dont expect to be able to stretch out too much during your contemplation. Is 50 not enough for you? Head on over to RoadsideAmerica.com for hundreds more roadside attractions.