7 Playfully Peculiar Towns In Illinois

Small-town Illinois is the land of the giants. Atlanta has a 19-foot-tall Paul Bunyan statue along with a museum containing several other giant fiberglass Muffler Men. Casey looks like a place where the Muffler Men might live, with 12 certified Guinness World Records-holding giant objects scattered throughout town, like a more than 55-foot-tall wind chime. In addition to giant statues, Arthur is the largest Amish settlement in the state, while Collinsville grows the most horseradish in the world. These seven towns have developed identities unlike anywhere else in Illinois.

Atlanta

Muffler men are giant fiberglass statues that were popularized during the 1960s as roadside advertisements along Route 66. In Atlanta, Muffler Men are everywhere. The Paul Bunyan Statue stands 19 feet tall in the middle of downtown Atlanta, where the original Route 66 runs directly through. Unlike traditional depictions holding an axe, Atlanta's Paul Bunyan holds a giant hot dog. Atlanta is actually home to the largest collection of Muffler Men found along Route 66. The collection is housed inside the American Giants Museum, the exterior façade of which is designed to resemble a 1960s Texaco gas station.

Viewing vintage Muffler men is not the only thing that feels like driving the original Route 66. The Illinois Route 4 Driving Exhibit on the north edge of town features an original section of concrete roadbed constructed in 1924. It is dotted with items like a period-appropriate yellow stop sign and replicas of the original speed limit.

Casey

Skyscrapers do not frame the skyline of Casey. Some of the world's largest objects do: a mailbox, a rocking chair, and wind chimes. The World's Largest Wind Chimes stand at over 50 feet tall, with the largest chime measuring 42 feet. Unlike many roadside attractions, the wind chimes are fully operational, requiring winds of six miles per hour or greater to move them.

The wind chimes were the first of 12 of the world's largest objects created in Casey. These giant objects were created under the initiative of local businessman Jim Bolin in an effort to boost tourism. These oversized objects are incorporated into businesses throughout town, like Richards Farm Restaurant, an American-style restaurant in a 1930s barn. The World's Largest Pitchfork was created specifically to be placed outside.

Collinsville

Collinsville has a different kind of huge. Somehow, prehistoric architecture exists alongside giant roadside Americana. The Cahokia Mounds State Historic Site preserves the largest prehistoric Native American city north of Mexico, as well as the 100-foot-tall Monks Mound, the largest prehistoric earthen mound in the Americas.

Contrasting these ancient structures is the World's Largest Catsup Bottle, which once operated as a 170-foot-tall water tower. Although it was built in 1949, it has since been restored to its original form and remains a roadside attraction. It can hold up to 100,000 gallons of water, or the equivalent of 640,000 bottles of catsup. Collinsville is also big on agriculture, producing roughly 60% of the world's horseradish. The town celebrates the Annual International Horseradish Festival each year on the first weekend of June with crafts, food, and games.

Metropolis

In the comics, Metropolis is the fictional city where Superman lives. In Illinois, Metropolis received its name in the 1800s, decades before Superman was created. However, in January 1972, D.C. Comics declared Metropolis as the home of Superman. Since then, the town has commemorated him with a 15-foot-tall Superman Statue, the largest in the world.

But the town's Superman identity extends beyond the statue. Across the street, the Super Museum houses a collection of rare memorabilia worth $2.5 billion and decades of Superman history. The Superman Celebration is an annual three-day event held each summer that draws in approximately 30,000 people. Festival attendees have the opportunity to meet writers and artists from the comics, listen to live music, and participate in a superhero costume contest.

Arthur

Contrasting the futurism of Metropolis, Arthur is home to the oldest and largest Amish settlement in Illinois. Horse-drawn carriages, farm equipment, and bicycles rule the road, while the town's agricultural roots remain an important part of its identity. The Illinois Amish Heritage Center preserves that history, containing the oldest Amish house in Illinois alongside other historic buildings and exhibits documenting Arthur since its establishment.

Arthur's agricultural character is also reflected in businesses and attractions that have grown around it. The Great Pumpkin Patch is a working farm that produces approximately 300 varieties of pumpkins, squash, and gourds from over 20 different countries. Other than crops, there are corn mazes, a petting zoo, and wagon rides. Yoder's Kitchen continues the culinary side of Amish culture, serving traditional homestyle lunch and dinner.

Chester

Chester is the hometown of E.C. Segar, better known as the creator of Popeye. The town's pride in Popeye is evident all over town. The Elzie C. Segar Memorial Park marks the beginning of the Popeye Character Trail, with a six-foot-tall bronze statue of Popeye. The trail itself is a series of 19 statues of characters from the comics. Each statue has a QR code that links to individual character profiles.

Chester's Popeye collection extends beyond the streets. The Popeye Museum has over 2,000 pieces of Popeye memorabilia, like toys, posters, comic strips, and costumes. The museum is located inside a shop called the Spinach Can Collectibles, which sells Popeye merchandise ranging from books to hats.

Fulton

Fulton looks like a little piece of the Netherlands has come to Illinois. In 1872, almost 60 Dutch families lived in town. Fulton celebrates its Dutch heritage every year on the first full weekend in May with the Dutch Days Festival. The festival features traditional Dutch food, dancing, and over 100 arts and crafts vendors. During the Dutch Days Festival 2000, the De Immigrant Windmill was unveiled.

The windmill stands nearly 100 feet tall and was prefabricated in the Netherlands before it was shipped to the United States. The Windmill Museum and Cultural Center is across the street from the De Immigrant Windmill. It houses a collection of 23 European windmills from ten different European countries.

Illinois has no shortage of unusual small towns, but these seven take their unusual identities to the extreme. Atlanta and Casey showcased oversized roadside America that are perfect photo opportunities, while Metropolis and Chester have built their communities around cultural icons like Superman and Popeye. These small towns show that a town does not need to be large to have an identity that is larger than life.