An amusing collection that will make you smile

1. 12 Strange Tourist Attractions by the Editors of Publications International, Ltd. "Hey, hey, easy kids. Everybody in the car. Boat leaves in two minutes ... Or perhaps you don't want to see the second largest ball of twine on the face of the earth, which is only four short hours away?“ ­This quote was delivered by Chevy Chase's character Clark Griswold in the 1983 family car-trip comedy "National Lampoon's Vacation.“ In the movie, the Griswold family treks across America in a station wagon called the "family truckster" to reach a theme park named Walley World. Walley World is fiction. But the ball of twine mentioned here by father Griswold isn't. In fact, there are two giant balls of twine you can visit while you road trip North America. One slightly smaller ball of twine sits in Cawker City, Kansas, and its larger cousin is on display in Darwin, Minn.

2. 12 Strange Tourist Attractions by the Editors of Publications International, Ltd. ­ But why would anybody roll an 11-foot (3.3-meter) ball of twine? It's a legitimate question. And it's not the first time you'll repeat, "But why?" inside your head as you read the following list of road trip tourist traps. What other " U.S. and Canadian back roads? Who built these wacky statues and sites and why world's largests" and odd attractions exist out there on do they lure vacationers? The Jolly Green Giant.

3. 12 Strange Tourist Attractions by the Editors of Publications International, Ltd. ­ 12. House on the Rock Resting atop a 60-foot stone formation in Spring Green, Wisconsin, the House on the Rock is one of the best-known architectural oddities in the United States. Built by eccentric artist Alex Jordan in the 1940s, the House on the Rock was his vacation home before being turned into a museum in 1961. Jordan sold the building in the early 1980s, but it continues to grow as a tourist attraction. With 14 unique and lavishly decorated rooms - including the Infinity Room, with 3,264 windows -- and a surrounding complex that houses a miniature circus and the world's largest carousel, the House on the Rock is at once wacky, tacky, innovative, and elegant.

4. 12 Strange Tourist Attractions by the Editors of Publications International, Ltd. 11. Crazy Horse Memorial June 2008. The Crazy Horse Memorial in Crazy Horse, South Dakota, is a labor of love that sculptor Korczak Ziolkowski began in 1948 to honor the great Native American leader. Ziolkowski's life's work (until his passing in 1982), the sculpture is likely the most ambitious roadside project ever undertaken. Ziolkowski's family continues the project, but the statue remains very much a work in progress. The carving is a depiction of the legendary warrior on horseback and will measure 641 feet long by 563 feet high when completed.

5. 12 Strange Tourist Attractions by the Editors of Publications International, Ltd. 10. Superman Statue Metropolis, in far southern Illinois, has nothing to fear these days because Superman lives there. In 1972, the town decided to capitalize on its famous name and subsequently adopted the moniker, Hometown of Superman.“ A seven-foot-tall statue was erected in 1986, only to be replaced in 1993 by a more impressive 15-foot bronze monument. In 2008, a statue of Lois Lane was erected next to her hunky beau in Superman Square.

6. 12 Strange Tourist Attractions by the Editors of Publications International, Ltd. 9. Chuck the Channel Cat Chuck the Channel Cat flips his tail at visitors cruising past his statue in Selkirk, Manitoba. Erected in 1986, the two-ton, 25-foot-tall monument to the area's enormous catfish greets visitors with a smile. Chuck's mission: to help promote Selkirk as the "Catfish Capital." It's a well-deserved title -- anglers on the Red River regularly reel in catfish up to 30-plus pounds.

7. 12 Strange Tourist Attractions by the Editors of Publications International, Ltd. ­ 8. World's Largest Hockey Stick and Puck Leave it to hockey-hungry Canadians to build the world's largest hockey stick and puck. The stick, which is made of Douglas fir beams reinforced with steel, is 205 feet long, weighs 61,000 pounds, and is 40-times larger than life-size. It was created for Expo '86 in Vancouver, British Columbia, before being sent to Duncan, where it has been a popular tourist attraction since 1988.

8. 12 Strange Tourist Attractions by the Editors of Publications International, Ltd. ­ 7. Albert, the World's Largest Bull Located in Audubon, Iowa, Albert, the world's largest bull, stands 30 feet tall and weighs in at 45 tons . . . of concrete. Named after local banker Albert Kruse, the monster Hereford statue was built in the 1960s for Operation T-Bone Days, an event held each September to honor the days when local cattle would board trains to the Chicago stockyards. As an interesting side note, Albert's internal steel frame is made from dismantled Iowa windmills.

9. 12 Strange Tourist Attractions by the Editors of Publications International, Ltd. ­6. Lucy the Elephant Looming 65 feet over the beach at Margate, New Jersey, Lucy the Elephant is the only example of "zoomorphic architecture" left in the United States. With staircases in her legs leading to rooms inside, the wide-eyed elephant was originally built in 1881 as a real-estate promotion. Over the years Lucy has served as a summer home, a tavern, a hotel, and a tourist attraction Relocation in 1970 spared Lucy from demolition, and she received a loving face-lift and restoration in 2000.

10. 12 Strange Tourist Attractions by the Editors of Publications International, Ltd. ­ 5. Jolly Green Giant Statue Ho, ho ho! The Jolly Green Giant remains the towering symbol of the Green Giant food company, located in Blue Earth, Minnesota. Since 1979, the 55-foot-tall statue, who sports a size 78 shoe, honors the third-most-recognized advertising icon of the 20th century.

11. 12 Strange Tourist Attractions by the Editors of Publications International, Ltd. ­ 4. Corn Palace The city of Mitchell, South Dakota, proudly calls itself the "Corn Capital of the World," and it even has a palace in which to celebrate. The Mitchell Corn Palace, originally constructed in 1892, is now an auditorium with Russian-style turrets and towers and murals that local artists create each year out of corn and other South Dakota grains. After the annual fall harvest, pigeons and squirrels are allowed to devour the palace's murals until the next year when the process begins anew.

12. 12 Strange Tourist Attractions by the Editors of Publications International, Ltd. ­ 3. Paul Bunyan Statues There are enough Paul Bunyan statues around the continent to delight any teller of tall tales. Representations of the big fella -- known for his ability to lay down more trees in a single swath of his ax than any contemporary logging firm -- can be found wherever there have been logging camps. One of the most memorable statues is located in Bangor, Maine, the lumberjack's alleged birthplace, where a 31-foot-tall, 37,000-pound Paul shows off his ax and scythe. Other statues, such as those in Klamath, California, and Bemidji, Minnesota, show Bunyan accompanied by his faithful companion, Babe the blue ox.

13. 12 Strange Tourist Attractions by the Editors of Publications International, Ltd. ­2. Coral Castle Coral Castle was the brainchild of Edward Leedskalnin, who was jilted by his fiancée the day before their wedding. Crushed by the rejection, Leedskalnin moved from his home in Latvia and set out to build a monument to his lost love. The result was Coral Castle in Homestead, Florida. Without any outside help or heavy machinery, the distraught lover sculpted more than 1,100 tons of coral into marvelous shapes. he entry gate alone is made of a single coral block weighing nine tons. The fact that Leedskalnin was barely five feet tall and weighed only 100 pounds adds to the feat.

15. For a complimentary copy of this Power Point, send your email request for Strange Attractions & Statues To Dr. John Hogan, CHA CHE MHS Co-founder www.HospitalityEducators.com [email_address] www.hoganhospitality.com

16. 21 Roadside Statues The Hobo Joe Statue in Buckeye, Arizona, is one of the few remaining statues that was built for the now-defunct restaurant chain.

17. 21 Roadside Statues 20. Arrow Statues: Twin Arrows, Arizona . The Arrow Statues plunging into the Colorado Plateau are all that remain of advertising for the Twin Arrows Trading Post in Arizona. The now-shu­ttered Twin Arrows Trading Post survived for a spell after Route 66 was replaced by I-40, but the store/motel/cafe complex closed in the 1990s. Just like the nearby Two Guns Trading Post (also closed), all that remains of the Twin Arrows Trading Post is the advertising -- which includes the twin arrows embedded at the foot of the Colorado Plateau.

18. 21 Roadside Statues 19. Steve Canyon Statue: Idaho Springs, Colorado Publications International, Ltd. The Steve Canyon Statue was erected by the U.S. Treasury Department. In 1947, locals changed the name of Idah­o Springs' Squirrel Gulch district to Steve Canyon, in honor of a patriotic cartoon character from the 1940s. Three years later, the U.S. Treasury Department financed this 40-foot-tall limestone carving. A plaque for the statue pays tribute to "all American cartoon characters who serve the Nation." .

19. 21 Roadside Statues 18. Mike the Headless Chicken Sculpture: Fruita, Colorado The Mike the Headless Chicken sculpture tells the tale of Lloyd Olsen and his chicken -- it survived 18 months without a head. In 1945, Lloyd Olsen chopped a chicken's head off but missed its brain stem. Rather than getting fried, the bird, dubbed "Mike the Headless Chicken," lived for another 18 months, with Olsen feeding it with an eyedropper. In 2000, sculptor Lyle Nichols paid tribute to Mike's fortitude with this 300-pound interpretation, and the city of Fruita, Colorado, plays host to an annual festival that invites visitors to "party their heads off." .

20. 21 Roadside Statues 17. Jimmy Carter Peanut Sculpture: Plains, Georgia The Jimmy Carter Peanut Sculpture in Plains, Georgia, commemorates the former president's peanut-farming days. Created by Dem­ocrats in Indiana for a Jimmy Carter visit during his presidential campaign in 1976, this roadside statue -- a 13-foot peanut -- pays homage to the former president's peanut-farming background and toothy grin. Its creators subsequently gave it to the president, and it now sits only a stone's throw from his old campaign headquarters in Georgia.

21. 21 Roadside Statues 16. Junk Statue of Liberty: McRae, Georgia The Junk Statue of Liberty in McRae, Georgia, was fashioned partly out of a tree stump, Styrofoam, and green paint. In 1886, France gave the­ United States the Statue of Liberty. In 1986, the local Lions Club chapter in McRae, Georgia, commemorated Lady Liberty's centennial by fashioning a one-sixteenth scale model out of Styrofoam, a tree stump, and other objects normally considered rubbish. Thanks to a coat of green paint, the resemblance is uncanny.

22. 21 Roadside Statues 15. Superman Statue: Metropolis, Illinois This Superman statue was erected by Metropolis, Illinois to capitalize on the superhero's popularity. Metropolis, Illinois, with a population of 15,000 (including the city an­d the county), is not quite the Metropolis of DC Comics fame. But it predates Superman by a long shot, as it was founded in 1839. In 1972, the town decided to capitalize on the association with the comic book hero and adopted the "Hometown of Superman" moniker. A seven-foot statue went up in 1986, only to be replaced seven years later by this more impressive 15-foot bronze piece.

23. 21 Roadside Statues 14. Roadside Statue Garden: Dinosaurs, Cave City, Kentucky The Dinosaur Roadside Statue Garden in Cave City, Kentucky, was designed to mark the territory where dinosaur skeletons were discovered. As archaeologists discovered dinosaur skeletons in far-flung places, many a visitors bureau saw their area's status as one-time dinosaur stomping grounds as the key to tourism growth.

24. 21 Roadside Statues 13. Joe Louis Sculpture: Detroit, Michigan Publications International, Ltd. The Joe Louis Sculpture in Detroit, Michigan, is either loved or hated by locals. A gift to the city of Detroit from Sports Illu­strated in 1987, this sculpture by artist Robert Graham honors legendary boxer (and Detroit native son) Joe Louis. The 24-foot bronze fist, which is poised as if to strike, has been the source of local controversy since its unveiling. Locals love it or hate it -- there is no middle ground.

25. 21 Roadside Statues 12. Jolly Green Giant Statue: Blue Earth, Minnesota Publications International, Ltd. The Jolly Green Statue in Blue Earth, Minnesota, has stood tall at the Green Giant headquarters since 1979. Ho, ho, ho -- Green Giant! We­aring a size 78 shoe, this 55-foot-tall likeness pays homage to the third-most recognizable advertising icon of the 20th century. The statue's geographical significance: The Green Giant company began in the fertile farmland that surrounds Blue Earth, Minnesota.

26. 21 Roadside Statues 11. Paul Bunyan Statue: Bemidji, Minnesota Paul Bunyan statues can be found from coast to coast. This one in Bemidji, Minnesota, is one of the most notable of the big lumberjack. Big Paul Bunyan might just be the mascot of the American road. Throughout the northern forests -- and almost every other corner of the country -- the hero of so many tall tales is immortalized as a gigantic statue, often accompanied by his sidekick, Babe the Blue Ox. The giant lumberjack was said to be 80 pounds when five giant storks delivered him as a baby, and he grew so fast he was wearing his father's clothes within a week. He grew up on the coast of Maine but relocated with Babe to Minnesota.

27. 21 Roadside Statues 11. Paul Bunyan Statue: Bemidji, Minnesota Legend has it the young and rambunctious duo created the state's 10,000 lakes with their horseplay. Later, Paul went on to invent the logging industry and chop down vast tracts of forest by himself. The big fella is the subject of so many statues and woodcarvings it's impossible to tally them all. This one resides in Bemidji, Minnesota, while a few of the other notable ones can be found in Brainerd, Minnesota; Bangor, Maine; Klamath, California; and Ossineke, Michigan. In the end, however, Paul Bunyan is the unofficial patron saint of clear-cutting and carries all of the political baggage that the title now entails.

28. 21 Roadside Statues 10. Paul Bunyan's Girlfriend Statue: Hackensack, Minnesota Paul Bunyan's Girlfriend statue resides about 50 miles southeast of Bemidji, Minnesota, in a resort town called Hackensack. The town of Ha­ckens­ack, Minnesota, is the home of Paul Bunyan's sweetheart, Lucette. Sometimes called his wife, other times just his girlfriend, this formidable but friendly-looking woman towers over the Minnesota resort town, about 50 miles southeast of Bemidji, Bunyan's hometown.

29. 21 Roadside Statues 9. Enchanted Highway, North Dakota . North Dakota's Enchanted Highway I is one mans attempt at giving his agricultural-based town another way of surviving. The highest population density of huge roadside statues might well be North Dakota's Enchanted Highway, a 32-mile stretch of two-lane blacktop that runs between the towns of Gladstone and Regent in Hettinger County, North Dakota. The statues are the handiwork of one Gary Greff, a self-taught sculptor and onetime schoolteacher and principal who feared that Regent would become a ghost town if its economy did not diversify beyond agriculture. So what was Greff's solution to the problem? You've got it -- a colony of enormous sculptures on the side of the road. Greff went to work in the early 1990s and is still at it today. At the time of this writing, the Enchanted Highway was home to six of Greff's installations -- Tin Family (1991), Roosevelt Rides Again (1993), Pheasants on the Prairie (1996), Grasshoppers in the Field (1999), Geese in Flight (2001), and Deer Crossing (2002). Greff also runs the Enchanted Highway Gift Shop in Regent and plans to build several more oversize attractions before he hangs up his welding torch.

30. 21 Roadside Statues 8. W'eel Turtle Sculpture: Dunseith, North Dakota The W'eel Turtle Sculpture was made out of 2,000 tire rims by Dales Thrifty Barn, a gas station, cafe and motel in Dunseith, North Dakota. Made in 1982 from 2,000 tire rims that never made it to their destination, W'eel stands sentinel on the North Dakota prairie and lures customers to Dale's Thrifty Barn, the gas station/cafe/motel responsible for its existence. The 40-foot turtle's one-ton head bobs from side to side, perhaps acknowledging the surrounding Turtle Mountains or the annual turtle derby in nearby Boissevain, Manitoba.

31. 21 Roadside Statues 7. Golden Driller Statue: Tulsa, Oklahoma The Golden Driller Statue in Tulsa, Oklahoma, weighs in at 43,500 pounds. Originally erected in 1953 for the International Petroleum Exposition, the Golden Driller claims the title of world's largest freestanding statue -- 76 feet tall and 43,500 pounds. The big guy was refurbished and relocated to its current home at the Tulsa Exposition Center in 1966, where it has since survived tornadoes, art critics, and even the occasional shotgun blast.

32. 21 Roadside Statues 6. Caveman Statue: Grants Pass, Oregon The Caveman Statue represents the club that used to meet in the cave system near Grants Pass, Oregon. In 1874, a hunte­r discovered a cave system near Grants Pass, Oregon. The men in the community eventually used it as the launching pad for an Elks-like club named the Cavemen. After a secret subterranean ceremony in 1922, the group dressed in skins and marched in local parades. The club isn't as visible today, but members left a lasting mark on the town in 1971 in the form of an 18-foot fiberglass Neanderthal who welcomes visitors.

33. 21 Roadside Statues 5. Forbidden Gardens Statues: Katy, Texas The Forbidden Gardens in Katy, Texas, offers a glimpse into Chinese history, including a model of Emperor Qins tomb. Built in 1997 by a Hong Kong tycoon as a testament to Chinese history, this Houston-area attraction features a one-third scale model of one of China's greatest archaeological finds: Emperor Qin's tomb and its resident army of 6,000 terra-cotta soldiers. The Gardens also include an elaborate model of the Forbidden City.

34. 21 Roadside Statues 4. Fremont Troll Statue: Seattle, Washington The Fremont Troll Statue lurking under a bridge in Seattle, Washington, brings to mind many a fairy tale. Like a postmodern Brothers Grimm tale, a gigantic concrete troll lurks under the Aurora Avenue Bridge in Seattle's Fremont neighborhood, mangling a Volkswagen Beetle in its massive meat hook. That location had been increasingly littered with junk before the troll was built in 1990 and the Fremont Arts Council revitalized the area.

35. 21 Roadside Statues 3. Jackalope Statue: Douglas, Wyoming Publications International, Ltd. The Jackalope Statue resides in Douglas, Wyoming, also known as the "Jackalope Capital of the World." Douglas, Wyoming, is the­ self-proclaimed "Jackalope Capital of the World" because, as the tall tale goes, pioneers first spotted the legendary critter in the area in the 1820s. The city pays homage to the beast with a statue built in the center of town in 1965 and an annual festival. Jackalope hunting licenses are even available through the local chamber of commerce, but only to those whose IQ is more than 50 but less than 72, and the season is limited to two hours a year.

36. 21 Roadside Statues 2. Chuck the Channel Cat Statue: Selkirk, Manitoba, Canada Chuck the Channel Cat Statue can be found in Selkirk, Manitoba, which is also known as the "Catfish Capital." From its home at the Dae­rwood Motor Inn in Selkirk, Manitoba, this 30-foot monument to the area's enormous catfish greets visitors with a smile. Chuck's mission: to help promote Selkirk as the "Catfish Capital," a suitable title for the place where anglers often yank 30-pounders from the Red River.

37. 21 Roadside Statues 1. Ernie the Turtle Statue: Turtleford, Saskatchewan, Canada Ernie the Turtle was created by Don Foulds, who's built other roadside attractions in Canada. While not in the s­ame league as W'eel in North Dakota, Ernie the Turtle claims the title of Canada 's largest turtle with an impressive eight-foot peak at the crest of its shell. Built in 1983, the sculpture is the work of Don Foulds, who was also behind several other big roadside beasts in Saskatchewan. ABOUT THE AUTHOR A Denver-based freelance writer, Eric Peterson contributes to numerous periodicals and travel guides. His recent credits include Ramble: A Field Guide to the U.S.A. and stories for Sky, the New York Daily News, and Westword.

38. For a complimentary copy of this Power Point, send your email request for Strange Attractions & Statues To Dr. John Hogan, CHA CHE MHS Co-founder www.HospitalityEducators.com [email_address] www.hoganhospitality.com