The World’s Largest Miniature Village. The World’s Largest Miniature Railroad. The World’s Largest Duck. The World’s Largest Grandfather Clock. The World’s Largest Penny. The World’s Largest Pair of Boots. When we are on the road, my wife and I enjoy nothing more than finding unique, offbeat, oddball, and memorable roadside attractions.
We spent the Christmas holiday visiting with family and friends in the Minneapolis-St. Paul area. As we began planning our return trip from the Midwest, we had the following conversation:
Wife: “So, how would you feel about a slight detour on our way home?”
Me: “Detour where?”
Wife: “There is a town in Illinois that apparently has twelve different ‘World’s Largest’ attractions…”
Me: “Let’s do it!”
So on our return to New Jersey, we pointed Grace, our 2014 Jeep Grand Cherokee, to the town of Casey, Illinois, which promised us such legendary attractions as the World’s Largest Rocking Chair, the World’s Largest Mailbox, the World’s Largest Golf Tee, the World’s Largest Wind Chime… and many more.
Let’s begin:
Casey, Illinois
On our way home from the Twin Cities, we decided to extend our drive home a bit and detour to Casey, Illinois.I had a lovely Christmas in the Midwest, spending time with family and friends… and eating some amazing food!Our drive to New Jersey began as it always does: heading across Wisconsin to the Illinois border at the southeastern corner of the state. However, instead of turning east toward Chicago (our usual route), we continued south along Interstate 39. Fun fact: the landscape of Illinois is dotted with numerous windmill farms. Windmills account for about 10% of electrical production in the state (via Wikipedia).Simply by driving through Illinois we saw the world! Towns with names such as Peru, Ottawa, and Paris made me feel like I was on an exotic adventure. My personal favorites, though, were Peoria and El Paso.After roughly 9.5 hours on the road, we arrived at our home for the night – the Eighteen-Ninety Sleepover in Casey, Illinois. Originally built in 1890 as a meeting hall for a fraternal organization, the building was converted into a twelve-room hotel in downtown Casey.Our attention was almost immediately drawn to small pieces of paper tucked into the exposed brickwork of our room.Each piece of paper was a small note left by previous occupants of the room. There was no information on how this tradition started – I will have to do some more digging and report back!On our walk to dinner we encountered our very first “World’s Largest” attraction – the World’s Largest Truck Key. Like many small towns across the nation, Casey (population 2,404) has struggled with maintaining businesses and generating revenue as its population shrinks. In 2011 a local businessman, Jim Bolin, began erecting these large roadside attractions – each certified by the Guinness Book of World Records – to draw tourism to the town (via CBS Sunday Morning).Our dinner destination for the night was Cilantros Grill & Cantina – a local Mexican restaurant that had good reviews. Even the restaurant got in on the “World’s Largest” act. While not the world’s largest taco (that record belongs to a 111-yard long taco in Queretaro, Mexico), it certainly is big!My wife dined on Pappy’s Platter – shrimp, vegetables, potatoes, and rice, smothered in a yummy sauce. It was quite delicious!Meanwhile, I had an order of shrimp fajitas, which was equally tasty! The service was friendly and quick, the food was excellent, and the atmosphere was fun. If you are visiting Casey, definitely give Cilantros a try!As we walked back to our hotel, we encountered the World’s Largest Barbershop Pole outside of Tina’s Barbershop. How big is the pole? It is 14’7″ tall and 3’11” wide. Unless otherwise indicated, all information about the attractions are from the Big Things website – there is a lot of great information there about Casey, so be sure to check it out!Not every object in town is the “World’s Largest,” but instead are simply made big for fun. Casey has a big pencil, but the “World’s Largest Pencil” is located in New York and measures over 76 feet long (via Guinness World Records).Perhaps one of my favorite attractions – the World’s Largest Mailbox! This working mailbox (more on that later!) has over 5,700 cubic feet of interior space.The next morning, we were up bright and early… well, maybe just “early.” Owing to constant rain and wind, there was very little that was “bright.” Still, I managed to snag a photo of the exterior of our hotel as we walked to breakfast.Our diner of choice was Reflections, a family restaurant serving breakfast and lunch.My wife started her day with an order of eggs over easy and a side of home fries, both of which she greatly enjoyed.Meanwhile, I dined on two pancakes and a side of turkey sausage. It was just the right meal to fuel me up for a day of exploration!After breakfast, we decided to brave the elements and visit some more “World’s Largest” attractions nearby. Sadly, Wildflower Bakery, which houses the World’s Largest Wooden Shoes, was closed for winter break and would not be reopening until mid-January.Fortunately, we were able to peer through the window and catch a glimpse of the 11’5″-long and 4’9″-tall wooden shoes.Nearby, we discovered that we could climb inside of the World’s Largest Mailbox. Besides giving us a cool view of downtown, this had the added benefit of offering a respite from the elements.We also learned that not only is this a big mailbox, it is a working mailbox! Drop a letter in the slot and a red flag raises on the side of the mailbox, letting a postal worker know to stop by and pick up the mail.After checking out of our hotel, we hopped into Grace and began exploring some of the other attractions around town, starting with the World’s Largest Wind Chime. This chime stand 54′ feet tall. This was the original record-setting attraction in town, opening in 2011.Nearby is the 82′-long World’s Longest Teeter-Totter. If you’re in town on a Saturday during tourist season, you can even ride on it!I can now say I’ve visited the World’s Largest Rocking Chair (56 feet tall and weighing over 46,000 pounds). We parked Grace in the foreground to provide a sense of scale.Swing by Brownie’s Place, a bar in town, to see the World’s Largest Swizzle Spoon (nearly 12′ in length).While not a “World’s Largest,” one of my absolute favorite sculptures was this bookworm outside of the Casey Township Library.Our next destination was the Casey Country Club golf course. With wind-driven rain making my umbrella useless, I zipped up my jacket and jumped out of Grace, sprinting down the path to the next attraction.Have you ever seen a thirty-foot tall golf tee? More importantly, have you ever seen the World’s Largest Golf Tee? Now you have.Outside of the Richards Farm Restaurant you can see the World’s Largest Pitchfork, measuring over sixty feet in length.As we neared the end of our list, we came up one item short – the World’s Largest Golf Driver was nowhere to be found. It was not in its listed location next to the Casey Welcome Center – perhaps it had gone for repairs or restoration? Oh well… at least the big mouse trap made up for it!Our final “World’s Largest” attraction took us a few miles down the road to the town of Marshall, Illinois. This nearly 17-foot long gavel stands outside the entrance to the Clark County Courthouse.Something interesting that caught our eye were these lion statues throughout Marshall. Each statute is decorated to tell of the history, culture, art, sports, and community of the town. This statue is in honor of Lawrence Gravel, a longtime business in town.Less than an hour after leaving Marshall, we crossed into Indiana and continued on our trek home.It rained without interruption from Casey, Illinois all the way to Cambridge, Ohio – almost 370 miles! To say it was unpleasant would be an understatement. As the rain began to taper off, however, we were treated to this beautiful rainbow.As we continued eastward, we witnessed a gorgeous sunset sky as we neared the eastern Ohio border. Rather than push on and arrive back in New Jersey after midnight, we decided to stay at a Hampton Inn in the town of Wheeling, West Virginia.Crossing a thin strip of land between Ohio and Pennsylvania known as the “Northern Panhandle,” we would only be passing through sixteen miles of West Virginia. That sliver of the Mountain State would be enough for dinner, a hotel, and of course, a Starbucks stop the next morning.We stopped for dinner at Generations, a sports bar near our hotel. I had the Fulton Hot Chicken Sandwich – chicken breast, spicy honey garlic sauce, pepperjack cheese, lettuce, and pickles on a ciabatta bun, and I added on a side order of tater tots. So good!!We got a booth with an excellent view of a TV showing the Vikings-Packers game, and also enjoyed some fun beverages. My wife had a non-alcoholic Bloody Mary, while I tried a Chimay ale. Chimay is one of only thirteen breweries in the entire world that can brew authentic “Trappist Ale.” Trappist monks brew the beer at their monastery in Belgium, as they have since 1862 (via Chimay).My wife ordered the Buffalo Chicken Wrap – diced chicken, buffalo sauce, and lettuce on gluten-free tortillas, along with a side order of sweet potato tots. The meal was excellent, and our server shared with us that she also has a gluten allergy, so took care to make sure that my wife’s meal was prepared correctly. All in all, Generations gets an Open Road Ahead rating of two thumbs up!The next morning we were on the road early once again and quickly crossed into Pennsylvania. I’m still trying to figure out if I like the new style for the PA highway welcome signs, which will also be reflected in Pennslyvania’s upcoming license plate redesign (via Pennsylvania Department of Community and Economic Development).We made it all the way to Denver… Denver, Pennsylvania, that is. We stopped for lunch at the Courtyard Cafe along Main Street.The interior of Courtyard Cafe was comfy and the staff was welcoming.My wife had the Honey Dijon Pecan Chicken Salad Sandwich (on a gluten-free wrap)… a sensible choice.…while I went with the less sensible Rustic Pretzel Griller: bacon, tomatoes, American and cheddar cheeses, and homemade honey mustard, all served on a pretzel roll. So good! Refueled, we were ready to finish our drive.We slogged our way through rush hour traffic in Philadelphia, making slow-but-steady progress as we headed to New Jersey.Home! Grace brought us safely and securely back from our trip, once again proving herself as an all-weather cruiser capable of eating up the miles. She’s going into the shop for a repair that wasn’t her (or our) fault – more on that in an upcoming post. Until then? Onward!
Wrapping Up
On behalf of the staff here at The Open Road Ahead, we hope you had a wonderful holiday, and a great start to your new year!
While I can enjoy a popular tourist destination as much as the next person, writing this blog for the past eight years has greatly increased my appreciation for the ways that small towns try to find new ways to welcome visitors to their communities. Casey is a lovely little town with some big attractions, and well worth the stop if you are in central Illinois.
Thanks, as always, for coming along on another journey down the open road ahead.
This is about 2.5hrs from where I grew up. I haven’t been there. Thanks for sharing all of the neat things from the area. I’ll see if my mom has been there. If not, I may try to take her there sometime.
The Open Road Ahead 
Neat stuff! And neat that you were able to see so much in one trip. My fave is the mailbox, I think.
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Yeah, the mailbox was pretty epic. I loved that and the rocking chair too. Thanks for reading!
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This is about 2.5hrs from where I grew up. I haven’t been there. Thanks for sharing all of the neat things from the area. I’ll see if my mom has been there. If not, I may try to take her there sometime.
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It’s definitely worth the visit – and the Mexican restaurant was terrific, too, if you want to get lunch. Thanks for reading!!
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