Beagle sculpture at Dog Bark Park, Cottonwood, Idaho

Sweet Willy

George Ostertag / Alamy Stock Photo

Quiz: Did You See That?! 8 Quirky Roadside Attractions

Match the larger-than-life landmark with the state and learn interesting facts about these iconic pit-stop stars in the U.S.

Kimberly Ferrante Kimberly Ferrante

AARP

En español

Published November 28, 2022

8 Questions

Quiz: Did You See That?! 8 Quirky Roadside Attractions

[ {
  "question" : "Which state is home to the world’s largest talking cow?",
  "answers" : [ {
    "answer" : "Ohio",
    "correctAnswer" : false
  }, {
    "answer" : "Wisconsin",
    "correctAnswer" : true
  }, {
    "answer" : "Vermont",
    "correctAnswer" : false
  }, {
    "answer" : "Idaho",
    "correctAnswer" : false
  } ],
  "multiSelect" : false,
  "explanation" : "Chatty Belle — promoted as the World’s Largest Talking Cow — is living the good life in Neillsville, Wisconsin, after originally being built for the 1964 World’s Fair in New York City. The fiberglass Holstein stands 16 feet tall and 20 feet long, and is seven times as big as a normal-sized cow of her breed. Chatty is not the only oversized cow roadside attraction in the U.S., and not actually the largest, but Chatty is the world’s largest “talking” cow — a coin-operated voice box was added to Chatty’s base years ago to give her this distinction. In the event that her voice box isn’t working, and she’s not up to sharing Wisconsin dairy facts, a picture is worth a thousand words.",
  "hint" : "",
  "hintLink" : "",
  "questionImgCaption" : "",
  "questionImgCredit" : ""
}, {
  "question" : "Which state has a giant water tower shaped like a peach?",
  "answers" : [ {
    "answer" : "Georgia",
    "correctAnswer" : false
  }, {
    "answer" : "Florida",
    "correctAnswer" : false
  }, {
    "answer" : "South Carolina",
    "correctAnswer" : true
  }, {
    "answer" : "North Carolina",
    "correctAnswer" : false
  } ],
  "multiSelect" : false,
  "explanation" : "Most travelers would think Georgia would be the state to have a water tower that looks like a giant peach, but South Carolina is actually the second-largest peach producer in the U.S. — behind California and ahead of Georgia. This 135-foot-tall water tower is between exits 90 and 92 on the north side of Interstate 85 in Gaffney, known as the Peach Capital of South Carolina. The construction of the Peachoid took five months, and it holds 1 million gallons of water — it’s so large that the leaf on the peach is 60 feet long. What was once just the butt of many jokes has now become somewhat famous after appearing on Netflix’s 'House of Cards' series. From the peach, it’s worth the 10-mile drive south to visit historic Fort Thicketty, site of a 1780 standoff between Patriots and Loyalists during the American Revolution.",
  "hint" : "",
  "hintLink" : "",
  "questionImgCaption" : "",
  "questionImgCredit" : ""
}, {
  "question" : "Which state is home to the world’s largest totem pole?",
  "answers" : [ {
    "answer" : "Oklahoma",
    "correctAnswer" : true
  }, {
    "answer" : "North Dakota",
    "correctAnswer" : false
  }, {
    "answer" : "Texas",
    "correctAnswer" : false
  }, {
    "answer" : "Arizona",
    "correctAnswer" : false
  } ],
  "multiSelect" : false,
  "explanation" : "Ed Galloway’s Totem Pole Park is in Foyil, Oklahoma, 3½ miles east of U.S. Route 66 on Oklahoma State Highway 28A. Oklahoma-based folk artist, woodcarver and blacksmith Ed Galloway retired in 1937 to the property, where he spent his retirement creating violins, furniture, wall art and 11 giant totems, including the world’s tallest at an impressive 90 feet. Galloway died in 1961, and the park deteriorated until a restoration begun in 1988 by the Rogers County Historical Society and the Kansas Grassroots Arts Association. The park and gift shop are open 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. Monday-Saturday and 12:30 to 4 p.m. Sunday. Admission is free.",
  "hint" : "",
  "hintLink" : "",
  "questionImgCaption" : "",
  "questionImgCredit" : ""
}, {
  "question" : "Where can you see the world’s largest elephant statue?",
  "answers" : [ {
    "answer" : "New York",
    "correctAnswer" : false
  }, {
    "answer" : "California",
    "correctAnswer" : false
  }, {
    "answer" : "Utah",
    "correctAnswer" : false
  }, {
    "answer" : "New Jersey",
    "correctAnswer" : true
  } ],
  "multiSelect" : false,
  "explanation" : "Lucy the Elephant — a National Historic Landmark — stands six stories tall in the seaside city of Margate, New Jersey. Lucy was built in 1881 in what was then known as South Atlantic City. The builders hoped that the gigantic elephant would attract visitors — and property buyers — to the area. Lucy was first constructed out of tin and wood, and today, 141 years later, she is undergoing a multimillion-dollar restoration with new materials. Although the view of Lucy is obscured by scaffolding at the moment, the restoration is set to be completed in mid-December, and travelers already can take limited guided tours of Lucy and climb the spiral staircases in her legs (guided tours are $8.50 for ages 13 and up). Call 609-823-6473 for more information.",
  "hint" : "",
  "hintLink" : "",
  "questionImgCaption" : "",
  "questionImgCredit" : ""
}, {
  "question" : "In which state can you see the world’s largest catsup bottle?",
  "answers" : [ {
    "answer" : "Illinois",
    "correctAnswer" : true
  }, {
    "answer" : "New Mexico",
    "correctAnswer" : false
  }, {
    "answer" : "Montana",
    "correctAnswer" : false
  }, {
    "answer" : "Wyoming",
    "correctAnswer" : false
  } ],
  "multiSelect" : false,
  "explanation" : "Off State Route 159, just south of downtown Collinsville (coincidentally known as the Horseradish Capital of the World), you can visit the world’s largest catsup bottle. What the majority of us have come to know as ketchup was called catsup before Heinz came along in 1876 and created a new name to stand out against competitors. The 170-foot-tall water tower was built in 1949 for the G.S. Suppiger bottling plant, which bottled Brooks Old Original Rich & Tangy Catsup. The company changed hands many times, and when the water tower was eventually in disrepair, fans formed the Catsup Bottle Preservation Group. Through donations, they restored the water tower to its former glory, and in 2002 it was named to the National Register of Historic Places.",
  "hint" : "",
  "hintLink" : "",
  "questionImgCaption" : "",
  "questionImgCredit" : ""
}, {
  "question" : "Where can you visit the largest Santa Claus statue in the country?",
  "answers" : [ {
    "answer" : "Maine",
    "correctAnswer" : false
  }, {
    "answer" : "Alaska",
    "correctAnswer" : true
  }, {
    "answer" : "Vermont",
    "correctAnswer" : false
  }, {
    "answer" : "New Hampshire",
    "correctAnswer" : false
  } ],
  "multiSelect" : false,
  "explanation" : "North Pole, Alaska, population 2,269 and counting, has this dubious distinction. The fiberglass Santa Claus was originally built for the Seattle World’s Fair in 1962, then bought and relocated in 1978. The statue was restored in 1983 and put on display. While it is impossible to climb onto this 900-pound Santa’s lap and rattle off your Christmas list, you can pet his resident reindeer and purchase gifts inside the Santa Claus House.",
  "hint" : "",
  "hintLink" : "",
  "questionImgCaption" : "",
  "questionImgCredit" : ""
}, {
  "question" : "Where can you find Sweet Willy, the world’s largest beagle?",
  "answers" : [ {
    "answer" : "Minnesota",
    "correctAnswer" : false
  }, {
    "answer" : "Colorado",
    "correctAnswer" : false
  }, {
    "answer" : "Kansas",
    "correctAnswer" : false
  }, {
    "answer" : "Idaho",
    "correctAnswer" : true
  } ],
  "multiSelect" : false,
  "explanation" : "Located off U.S. Highway 95 in Cottonwood, Idaho, Sweet Willy is the world’s largest beagle, standing 30 feet tall, along with his sidekick, Toby, coming in at 12 feet tall. Book in advance to spend the night in the belly of the beagle at the popular, budget-friendly Dog Bark Park Inn B&B. But you don’t have to stay the night to enjoy the scenery and visit the gift shop with replicas of Sweet Willy and Toby. The owner-operators, Dennis Sullivan and Frances Conklin, are a married couple who specialize in creating chainsaw wood carvings that inspired the roadside stop.",
  "hint" : "",
  "hintLink" : "",
  "questionImgCaption" : "",
  "questionImgCredit" : ""
}, {
  "question" : "Which state has the ultimate roadside homage to the automobile in the form of England’s Stonehenge, affectionately referred to as Carhenge?",
  "answers" : [ {
    "answer" : "Michigan",
    "correctAnswer" : false
  }, {
    "answer" : "Kentucky",
    "correctAnswer" : false
  }, {
    "answer" : "Nebraska",
    "correctAnswer" : true
  }, {
    "answer" : "Tennessee",
    "correctAnswer" : false
  } ],
  "multiSelect" : false,
  "explanation" : "Carhenge is just north of Alliance, Nebraska, on State Highway 87. Jim Reinders, the brains behind the iconic roadside stop, had always wanted to replicate Stonehenge after studying it in England. In 1987, with the help of family and friends (and as a tribute to his late father), Reinders placed 39 automobiles across a 96-foot-diameter circle to create a full-size replica of the circle of standing stones, even spray-painting them gray for a stone-colored finish. Carhenge is open year-round, but its Pit Stop Gift Shop is open only in summer. After Carhenge, drive about five minutes south to stop by the Knight Museum and Sandhills Center and the seasonal Dobby’s Frontier Town (May through September) for some hands-on Western history and culture.",
  "hint" : "",
  "hintLink" : "",
  "questionImgCaption" : "",
  "questionImgCredit" : ""
} ]

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Quiz: Did You See That?! 8 Quirky Roadside Attractions

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Kimberly Ferrante is an award-winning journalist based in Plano, Texas. Her work has appeared in Road Trip, Island Soul, Explore the Northshore and The Lens.