These 'biggest' street attractions in the world prove that sometimes bigger really is better (2023)

While there are many larger-than-life roadside attractions, only a few can truly hold the "world's largest" title. It is often a long and expensive process to become a world record holder (Guinness describes the processhere), and there's no guarantee you'll stay on top for long. But even if an object's height or weight is dwarfed by something taller or heavier, its gigantic proportions are likely to impress.

Built along popular routes and in small towns across the United States to grab the attention of travelers with limited time and money, these 10 past, current, or just wannabe attractions, one of which is made up of over 40,000 really small things. proves that sometimes bigger really is better.

Here are 10 of the best places to stop for great things in the US.

1. The biggest pistachio in the world

HeThe biggest pistachio in the worldis not arealpistachio, but the 30-foot-tall green-and-white concrete sculpture in Alamogordo is crazy enough to entice travelers on their way through Albuquerque, Roswell, or Las Cruces, New Mexico. McGinn's Pistachioland is a 111-acre pistachio farm, vineyard and gift shop billed as "the craziest place in New Mexico."

The large pistachio is dedicated to the farm's founder, Thomas McGinn, who died in 2007. A plaque explains: “Tom dreamed big, hoped big and accomplished big things. I would have said that this monument is not big enough. His legacy lives on." After the towering walnut tree beckons you, stop and stretch your legs in the sprawling gift shop, which sells everything from personalized crushed pennies to pistachio-print socks and, of course, tote bags. McGinn brand nuts (a sign in the parking lot reads "Parking For Freaks Only, All Others Will Be Broken").

2. The biggest cuckoo clock in the world

Built in 1972 and stamped on the cover ofThe Guinness Book of World Recordsem 1977, OhioThe biggest cuckoo clock in the worldit has since been eclipsed by others (the current record holder is a clock in Germany featuring a 330-pound cuckoo bird). The working clock was commissioned for the Alpine Alpa restaurant in Wilmot, Ohio, but when the restaurant closed in 2009, it was moved to Sugarcreek, a town in the heart of Amish country known as "Ohio's Little Switzerland". The brightly painted 23-foot-tall clock is located outside on the corner of N. Broadway and E. Main Streets; every half hour a cuckoo bird appears along with a Swiss polka band and a dancing couple.

3. The biggest ball of sisal yarn in the world

Started by Frank Stoeber in 1953, theThe biggest ball of sisal yarn in the worldhe has a girth of 46 feet and weighs 27,017 pounds (as of March 2022). Located 30 miles south of the (often disputed) geographic center of the USA in Cawker City, Kansas, the ball has been in constant work since 1961 and currently comprises over 8.5 million feet of sisal twine. . Visitors looking to contribute to the record dancing can stop by Cawker City's newest attraction,Eyegore Odditorium and Monster Museum, located on Lake Drive, for a topic and instructions on how to properly contribute to the community milestone.

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4. Casey, Illinois

With over 30 gigantic objects (including 12 world record holders), Casey, Illinois has fully embraced its reputation as a small town full of big things. send a letter fromThe biggest mailbox in the world, play 18 holes at Casey Country Club, home ofThe biggest golf tee in the world- and watch the world's largest barber pole slowly rotate as it's being trimmed at Tina's Barber Shop on West Main Street. HeThe biggest rocking chair in the worldis too big to sit (except inspecial circumstances), but several of the installations are photo-interactive, including the large baseball bat and an oversized mousetrap (slide under the metal bar below a sign that reads, "Help me! I'm trapped in Casey, Illinois").

5. The biggest miniature circus in the world

the ringThe campus in Sarasota, Florida includes museums dedicated to fine arts and circus artifacts, a theater, an educational center and Ca' d'Zan, the former Venetian-Gothic home of John Ringling, one of several famous Ringling brothers. The circus museum houses posters, costumes and props from the world's greatest show, but the crown jewel of the collection is The Howard Bros. circus.

Named after its creator, Howard Tibbals, the 3,800-square-foot miniature model is astounding in both its ample reach and its tiny scale (each three-quarters of an inch equals one foot). It took Tibbals over 50 years to build the 44,000-piece recreation of a Ringling Bros circus. zebras, tigers and of course a big carp.

6. The biggest teapot in the world

HeThe biggest teapot in the worldstarted life as a wooden root beer keg advertising Hire's Root Beer. In 1938, the barrel was sold to William Devon, who later added a spout and handle and pewtered it. Reimagined as a teapot, the structure was opposite the Devon Teapot Shop, which sold souvenirs and concessions. After being abandoned in the 1980s, the 14-foot tall teapot was restored and moved to Chester, West Virginia, in the early 1990s (just over the border from East Liverpool, Ohio). Although it still advertises sweets, hot dogs and soft drinks, the red and white kettle is no longer in operation; its current location, off the Jennings Randolph Bridge ramp at the intersection of State Route 2 and US Route 30, isn't ideal for much more than a quick photo op.

7. The biggest basket in the world

Driving along State Route 16 in Newark, Ohio, the former headquarters of the Longaberger Basket Company are hard to miss. The 9,000 tonsbasket-shaped buildingwas conceived by founder Dave Longaberger and was inspired by his company's bestselling Market Basket. Longaberger died shortly after its completion, and his billion-dollar company filed for bankruptcy and went out of the basket in 2015.

The seven-story, 180,000-square-foot structure has a surprisingly subdued interior with a 30,000-square-foot atrium with a glass roof and 150-ton handles. On sale intermittently in recent years, the basket iscurrently off the market; Previous plans were to possibly convert the space into another corporate headquarters, a boutique hotel, community offices or market-priced housing.

RelatedThe bizarre Longaberger headquarters is up for sale again

8. The largest operating frying pan in the world

There are several pans vying for the title of world's largest, prompting would-be competitors to add hyper-specific qualifiers or spelling quirks to their entries, such as world's largestanti-adherentSkillet is the largest in IowafryPan. Rose Hill, North Carolina has its own variant, theThe world's largest operating frying pan: The 2-ton frying pan, which has a circumference of 45 feet and a handle of 6 feet, can hold 200 gallons of cooking oil.

Built in 1963 by the Ramsey Feed Company, the dish consists of several separate wedges and sits on 40 gas burners. With the capacity to cook 365 chickens, the pot is used during the North Carolina Poultry Jubilee, as well as for community fundraising events.

9. The biggest Czech egg in the world

Located in Wilson, "the Czech capital of Kansas", the building is 6 meters high and 4.5 meters wideThe biggest Czech egg in the worldit sits below a dedicated pavilion in Ed & LaVange Shiroky Park. The fiberglass egg was constructed in 2012, painted in a traditional Czech black, red and yellow pattern by local artist Christine Slechta, and erected in its current location in 2016. Wilson, a small town with a population of less than 1,000 , draws visitors from far and wide in late July for the annual Czech After Harvest festival, which features a parade, craft vendors and the Czech/Slovak Miss Kansas pageant.

RelatedThe 'Czech Capital of Kansas' celebrates its heritage with a larger-than-life egg

10. The largest working fire hydrant in the world

Several fire hydrants line the square in front of Beaumont's Texas Fire Museum, but only one held the title of largest in the world for 2 years after its construction. Overshadowed by later fire hydrants in Canada and South Carolina, Beaumont's black and white spotBig Dealwas donated to the city in 1999 by the Walt Disney Company to commemorate the relaunch of the101 Dalmatians. The 4,500-pound steel and fiberglass fire hydrant was assembled in Anaheim, California at Disneyland; now ranked as the largest in the worldLaborHydrant, the structure is capable of spraying 1,500 liters of water per minute.