Top 5 favorite roadside stores and attractions

by Jamie Rhein on

There are roadside stores and attractions that are worth driving to. In some cases towns wouldn’t exist unless it wasn’t for the store. With the bounties of kitsch, confections, food, and often an array of items that offer endless possibilities of items to buy–or wonder who in his or her right mind would buy such a thing, some places are hard to resist.

According to the reader survey conducted by USA Today recently, these are the top five favorite roadside stores in the United States. I’m wondering why the term “store” was used because in two cases stores aren’t involved at all. Bessie the Cow stands where she used to grace the front of a store called Oasis. Oasis was bulldozed under and a Menards was built on the land. If Oasis was great, why was it bulldozed under?

Still, it’s an intriguing collection that offers ideas for places to head, either on their own, or when you’re on the way to somewhere else. You’ll see Bessie is number 4.

The first time we drove to Hilton Head Island, we stopped at a small roadside stand that sold fireworks. Unlike that stand which was a one trick pony, South of Border, is a store and more. Fireworks is only a fraction of the bounty. You can’t miss it if you’re on I-75 I-95. Pedro, a 97-feet-tall statue of a Mexican man in a sombrero, stands by the store’s sign.

Back in 1936 when no one was stopping at the drugstore in Wall as they drove by after seeing the newly finished Mt. Rushmore, owners Ted and Dorothy Huestead began passing out free glasses of ice water to attract customers and be nice. The result is that the store has grown to be an over-the-top, you have to stop to see it type of place.

There is a store at Rock City, but the main attraction, from what I gather is the landscape. Located on top of Lookout Mountain, six miles from Chattanooga, there is a mix of fabricated attractions and ones that nature did on its own. Here you can see 7 states, tour a cavern and wander among rock formations that astound. Plus, buy stuff. Lots of it.

This 20 foot-long, one-ton bovine made out of fiberglass, stands where she used to stand after being refurbished. Here’s an idea. There needs to be a Bessie, the Cow ice-cream stand to highlight Wisconsin’s dairy hertiage. It could be next to Bessie. Here’s an article about Bessie’s return.

The Thing is a tourist attraction that is hard to explain, although there are 247 billboards that over a 200 mile stretch of highway between Deming, New Mexico and Mountain View, Arizona.

One you get to the Mystery of the Desert, you pay a small admission to enter for the chance to solve the mystery. According to the description on Roadside America, there are more than one thing to look at, each as unusual as the next. There are also The Thing related memorabilia to buy. Considering this place has been around since 1950, in today’s economy, that’s a reason to drive there. If you head to Deming, New Mexico, you won’t be far from Silver City, a very cool New Mexican town that is worth a stop as well.

I’ve driven by Wall Drug three times at least and have never stopped. I haven’t been able to talk my husband into it–yet. Next time. I’m determined. I want the cheap coffee at least. I’ve seen a sign advertising it.

Can you finish the world’s largest burger?

by Meg Massie on

Have you ever heard of Clearfield, Pennsylvania? Neither have I. But it’s not much of a detour off Interstate 80, right in the center of the state, and the little town has a pretty amusing claim to fame.

Denny’s Beer Barrel Pub in Clearfield is the home of the world’s largest hamburgers. According to the Guinness Book of World Records, here is where you’ll find the “largest hamburger commercially available,” and if you can finish it, you’ll have a place in the record books, too.

Owner Denny Liegey has been challenging customers with his behemoth burgers since the early 1990’s. The pub challenges begin with a 2-pound burger, which seems tiny compared to 3, 6, and 15-pound versions. Those who finish their burgers (one challenger per burger, or two for the 15-pound “belly buster,” and there’s a time limit, of course) get their name and picture in the restaurant’s hall of fame, as well as a t-shirt, certificate of completion, and a discount on their bill.

According to Denny, only one person has ever conquered the “Ye Olde 96er,” which is 6 pounds of beef and 9 pounds altogether. This challenger was just “a little, skinny college girl from Princeton!”

The largest burger ever cooked at Denny’s was the 123-pound monster pictured above. Read more about how Denny makes his giant burgers here.

So, do you think you could eat the world’s largest burger? Perhaps a better question is why would you want to try?

The big burgers require several hours of preparation time, so if you’re going to take on the challenge, call ahead. Good luck!

World’s largest kaleidoscope near Woodstock, New York

by Jamie Rhein on

While on a road trip, you’ve probably passed many an attraction that you’ve wondered about. Perhaps, you’ve thought, “Should I stop?” but didn’t because there’s that feeling of getting sucked into a tourist trap that’s not worth the effort of pulling over and parking.

The Kaatskill Kaleidoscope is one that is worth the effort, if you happen to be on your way to Woodstock, New York, or to the Museum of Bethel Woods at the place where Woodstock, the music festival happened–or just tootling around just outside of Kingston, New York. It is literally right off Rt. 28. The kaleidoscope is part of Emerson Place (formerly called Catskill Corners), a collection of higher end shops where you can pick up Catskill Mountain-made type products and a lot more besides. You can’t miss it.

A few years after my kaleidoscope experience, the connected Emerson Resort & Spa opened. The inn that used to be here was destroyed in a fire. From the resort’s description, it sounds like upscale has come to the area. If you’re looking to bask in luxury in the Catskills, this is it. Consider spa treatments, well-appointed rooms, 4-star rating, etc. etc. But back to the world’s largest kaleidoscope.

The kaleidoscope came about when the original owner wanted to do something spiffy and imaginative with a barn silo. Some sort of shop geared for tourists was in order for the attached barn, but the silo was calling out for something different. The size and shape, 38-feet-tall and 50-feet in diameter said, “kaleidoscope.” The result of the idea is a visual/sound experience for folks of all ages. When you step into the inside of the silo, you are stepping into the kaleidoscope. The top of the silo is where the magic happens. Through the use of projected moving images and mirrors, the world’s largest kaleidoscope replicates the kind that you hold against your eye and manipulate by turning your hand. The world’s largest is more fun, though, since you can lie on the floor and look up. If you don’t want to lie on the floor, you can lean against the wall and look up as well.

I remember lying head to head with my mom, my daugher, who was eight at the time and my mother’s best friend, splayed out in a circle like we were getting ready to do a June Taylor dance routine. I don’t remember exactly which show we saw, but I do remember that the images changed rapidly, just as if I was turning them myself. Very cool.

The show changes seasonally and each reflects the theme of the Catskills. While prices in most places tend to rise as years pass, the price of seeing the kaleidoscope show has gone down since I was there. It’s now $5 for adults. I paid at least $8. Children 12 and under are still free. You can’t get cheaper than free.

The reduced price does give you more dollars to spend in the gift shop which has probably the largest collection of kaleidoscopes in the world. They range in price from inexpensive to extremely pricey. Since my mom was along, my daughter got a better one than she would have been able to wheedle out of me.

Back when we were there we ate at the restaurant that was part of the complex, but according to Roadside America, the restaurant is no longer there, unless this has changed since 2004.

World’s largest penguin in a mighty cold spot

by Jamie Rhein on

The world’s largest penguin is in Cut Bank, Montana. I passed by this penguin summer before last when we were heading to East Glacier. It was one of those occasions where our thoughts were on our destination without much time to spend on the areas we were zipping by in our quest for a relaxing time. I do remember a flash of the penguin and thinking, “I wonder what’s up with that?”

I had hoped we would have time to return to Cut Bank, but we were heading to visit friends in East Glacier at the edge of Glacier National Park and then onto Missoula without time to spare. When I was looking for information about the world’s largest snow globe, I came across the blog Penguins! devoted to–obviously, penguins. This particular penguin is 27 feet tall, weighs 5 tons and is in front of the Gateway Glacier Inn and Plaza. You can’t miss it.

Cut Bank has more than the world’s largest penguin going for it. It’s also one of the coldest places in the U.S. That’s why the penguin was constructed. To celebrate the honor. With cold places comes snow.

Of interest this time of year are snowmobiling trails, although you may have to contact the snowmobile club to find out about using them.

More importantly, this is a significant part of the Lewis and Clark trail. The explorers and their crew camped near here in 1806 and had a bit of a run in with the Blackfeet Indians who lived in the area. Today there’s a marker at Camp Disappointment, Lewis and Clark’s northernmost camp site, and another where the altercation happened.

Another place I wish we had time to stop was the Granite County Historical Society museum. I’m fond of historical society museums and this one looks like it’s a good one.

Latest Must Stop Place on Route 66: Soda Galore and One Huge Pop Bottle

by Jamie Rhein on

Saturday morning I saw a travel/human interest story with a Route 66 connection on TV. The mention of Route 66 was the first thing that pulled me away from buttering my English muffin from the complimentary breakfast bar at the Fairfield Inn in Owenboro, Kentucky. (I was there for a wedding.) I became more enamored about the Route 66 story when I heard about the 66-foot soda bottle outside this new tourist stop.

“Pops” just opened on this historic highway thus adding a destination draw to Arcadia, Oklahoma. (It’s just south of Oklahoma City.)This gas station, restaurant, giftshop, roadside attraction combo peddles 400 different kinds of sodas for the thirsty traveler. There are 43 kinds of root beer and 50 kinds of cream soda, for example. I can’t imagine you couldn’t find something to satisfy.

You can’t miss the building since the sculpture soda bottle towers above the horizon. The way it beams out into the night in this photo from Pops’s Web site reminds me of a scene from the movie “Close Encounters of the Third Kind.” Head to the Web site for some soda fizzing sounds and videos. Very slick. This is a well thought out venture.

Here’s one video documentary I found posted on the Web site Route 66 News. It gives a bit of Route 66 history besides the making of Pops.