Weird, Wacky, Quirky Stops

You know they are out there. You’ve probably seen them as you drive down the highway. Maybe you thought “should we have stopped?” Of course, we are talking about those weird and wacky attractions that seem to dot the landscape. Well no need to fret. We’ve got you! One of our goals in our travels was to make time to enjoy the journey as much as the destination. This is the place where you will get to see some of the quirkiest things we encounter on our adventures. (I mean who doesn’t want to see the world’s largest non-stick frying pan?)

Airstream Headquarters

Okay, okay! You are right. Maybe this stop isn’t quirky, but we are! So, we’re adding the entry here. While on our way to Cleveland, Ohio, we decided to make a detour to visit Airstream headquarters in Jackson Center, Ohio. We are definitely glad we did! They have a very cool heritage museum which houses a large collection of Airstreams built over the years, including the first Airstream ever made. We learned about Airstream’s fascinating founder and creator, Wally Byam. Wally built his first Airstream in 1929 and continued to develop and design Airstreams until he passed in 1962. Wally had a passion for travel, bringing the outdoors to people’s doorsteps, and fostering community among Airstream owners. His passion continues to drive the company to this day. After spending a little time in the museum, we were ready to start our factory tour. We were super pumped to see how our home on wheels came together. We got an in-depth walkthrough of the entire manufacturing process. Each Airstream is built by hand and built to order. The company does rigorous testing throughout the manufacturing cycle of virtually every element and system in the rig. We walked away impressed with the company, and we now understand why 75% of the Airstreams manufactured since 1930 are still on the road today!!

Cozy Dog

We took the first bite of our two-month-long fall trip to New England, by stopping in Springfield, Illinois. While there, we discovered that a local man had invented the iconic corn dog ON A STICK. That last part is important because a hot dog baked in corn bread was already a thing. While he liked the combination, it apparently took too long to prepare. He wanted to find a way to cover a hotdog with batter and cook it in a short time.  So, he and a friend came up with a recipe that would adhere to the hot dog while being deep fried.  The stick was there to allow for easy cooking and eating.  He made up a batch for his fellow army members, and they were an immediate hit. After leaving the army, he returned to Springfield and introduced his “crusty curs” (as he called them) at the Illinois State Fair in 1946.  Lucky for him, his wife convinced him that “crusty cur” might not be the best branding, and so they changed it to “Cozy Dogs”.  The rest is history. Today, you can still get the original Cozy Dog at the Cozy Dog Drive In on historic route 66 in Springfield.

Pistachios Anyone?

If you love pistachios (or just weird landmarks), this is a must stop for you!! Not only do you get to take a picture of/with the world’s largest pistachio, but you can take a tour of a pistachio farm, get pistachio ice cream, and try more types of pistachios than you could shell in a day. So, if you find yourself near Alamogordo, NM, be on the lookout for McGinn's Pistachio Land. You will be glad you stopped.

Retro and Cool

Check out this vintage sign along historic Route 66 in Holbrook Arizona. The Pow Wow Trading Post opened in 1946. The sign you see today dates back to the 1960’s and was originally a neon sign. This was by far our favorite, but the town has lots of historical treasures. Make sure to pick up some petrified wood while you are there.

World’s Largest Rocking Chair, Casey Illinois

But wait…there’s more! Casey not only offers the world’s largest rocking chair, it offers many world’s largest objects. Oh, you better believe we were stopping. We had to see this for ourselves, and we wanted to share just some of what we saw with you. So, if you find yourself crossing Illinois on Interstate 70, keep an eye out for Casey!

  • Rocking Chair

  • Bird Cage

  • Mailbox

  • Key

"You ain't heard the last of us yet." 

-Bo Duke

Dukes of Hazzard

While tooling around the Shenandoah Valley, we came across what appeared to be a roadside diner called Cooters. There was a replica of the iconic “General Lee” – a ’69 Dodge Charger – from the TV series, the Dukes of Hazzard, sitting in the parking lot. Given the flags, signs, and bustling activity, it was clear something was afoot.  So, in the spirit of stopping whenever we see something quirky, we pulled in.  It turns out that Cooters is much more than a roadside diner.  It is a legit Dukes of Hazzard Museum.  They have recreated “Cooters Garage” to be an exact replica of the studio stage at Warners Bros.  They have replicas of all the key vehicles from the show and more memorabilia than you could imagine.  They also have several versions of the General Lee! It was a ton of fun and an impressive passion project for someone.  That someone is Ben Johnson who played Cooter on the show and later became a long-time senator from the state of Georgia!  We missed the opportunity to meet some of the original cast members who were showing up for photos and autographs, but we came away pleased that we had stopped.