The Biggest Roadside Attractions in the Midwest

There is no shortage of wonderous, curious, and sometimes strange roadside attractions across the United States, from interstates to back roads. Some are hotels, with unique accommodations, and others are simply odes to giant foods. And while everything might be bigger in Texas, a trek across the Midwest will yield an impressive collection of massive roadside attractions, many of them claiming to be “the world’s largest.” Some are labors of love, and others stand as proud symbols of the local community. 

In Hillsboro, Ohio, a giant marine arthropod has made the landlocked Ohio town its home. The world’s largest horseshoe crab is not an actual ocean creature, but a massive fiberglass rendition. Known as “Crabbie” by locals, the crustacean was once used to teach marine biology. Just outside the Missouri Quilt Museum in Hamilton, Missouri, stands the world’s largest spool of thread. Created in 2018, the giant spool contains more than a million yards of yarn.

From the world’s largest cherry pie tin to the world’s largest rubber stamp, here are some of our favorite places to do it big in the Midwest.