Holiday guides 

Record-setting roadside attractions around the world

So-called ‘drip pricing’ can make it difficult to determine the total cost of airline tickets and vacation rentals.
Fair warning: Local wildlife can bring traffic to a standstill on Parks Highway 3 while you're driving through Denali National Park. Then again, that is part of this road's allure.
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Slide 2 of 19: ALLEN PARK, MI - JULY 17: A giant Uniroyal Tire from the 1965 World's Fair sits along Interstate 94 on July 17, 2014 in Allen Park, Michigan. (Photo By Raymond Boyd/Getty Images)
Slide 3 of 19: Nackawic, New Brunswick, Canada - June 25, 2014: World's largest axe in Nackawic in Canada. It was commissioned, designed and built in 1991 by a company in Woodstock. There is a time capsule embedded in the head of the axe.
Slide 4 of 19: The world's largest artichoke In the town of Castroville, California. Artichoke capital of the world.
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Slide 6 of 19: The Big Banana tourist attraction. Coffs Harbour, New South Wales, Australia, Australasia
Slide 7 of 19: JAMESTOWN, ND - AUGUST 24: The World's Largest Buffalo, seen here on August 24, 2009, can be seen from I-94, and is nicknamed Dakota Thunder. It is located in Frontier Village in Jamestown, ND; Shutterstock ID 78206956; Purchase Order: -
Slide 8 of 19: The world's largest chest of drawers stands on North Hamilton Street in High Point North Carolina. Built in 1926 to draw attention to High Point as the home furnishings capitol of the world. (
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Slide 10 of 19: Wooden chainsaw carved art in Dog Bark Park in Cottonwood, Idaho; Shutterstock ID 671492668
Slide 11 of 19: World's largest pistachio at McGinn's Pistachio Tree Ranch in Alamogordo, NM.
Slide 12 of 19: The Tipi in Medicine Hat ; Shutterstock ID 531565246; Purchase Order: -
Slide 13 of 19: World's Largest Catsup Bottle, Route 159, Collinsville, Illinois. 170-foot water tower built in 1949 for the G.S. Suppiger catsup bottling plant where Brooks catsup was bottled. Now on National Register of Historic Places.
Slide 14 of 19: The Big Merino - April 15, the landmark 50 ft tall concrete merino ram which is Nicknamed "Rambo" by locals on April 15, 2018 in Goulburn, New South Wales, Australia; Shutterstock ID 1092786371
Slide 15 of 19: world's tallest thermometer on January 10, 2013 in Baker, California. Erected in 1991 by a local businessman and measuring 134-feet in height to commemorate the United States' record temperature of 134 degrees Fahrenheit, the thermometer has been billed as the world's tallest. The current owner has now placed the landmark up for sale due to the burden of its running costs, setting an asking price of $1.75 million.
Slide 16 of 19: Festival goers enjoy the atmosphere around the official Guinness World Record holding Largest Disco Ball on the first nigh at the end of Day 1 of Bestival 2014 at Robin Hill Country Park on September 4, 2014 in Newport, Isle of Wight.
Slide 17 of 19: The skies over the Big Nickel, the world's largest coin are emission free as Vale INCO's Superstack, the second tallest chimney in the world sits idle as about 3,100 members of the Steelworkers Local 6500 have been on strike since July 13. in Sudbury Toronto
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World’s Largest Elephant

Location: Margate City, New Jersey, U.S.

Record: 65.6 feet (20 meters) tall

The wooden structure, named Lucy the elephant, is touted as the first-ever “world’s largest” structure which was constructed in 1881.

World’s Largest Tire

Location: Allen Park, Detroit, Michigan, U.S.

Record: 86 feet (26.2 meters) tall

The giant Uniroyal Tire sits along the I-94 and is a leftover from the 1964 New York World Fair where it was a Giant Tire Ferris wheel with gondolas.

World’s Largest Axe

Location: Nackawic, Canada

Record: 49 feet (15 meters) tall

The axe was built in 1991 to symbolize the importance of the forestry to the region. The town is aptly nicknamed the Forestry Capital of Canada.

World’s Largest Artichoke

Location: Castroville, California, U.S. 

Record: 20 feet (6.1 meters) tall and 12 feet (3.6 meters) wide

This record-setting artichoke was created in 1963 in the self-proclaimed “Artichoke Center of the World.”

World’s Biggest Lobster

Location: New Brunswick, Canada

Record: 35 feet (10.6 meters) long and 16.5 feet (5 meters) high

Built in 1990, it was designed by naturalist sculptor Winston Bronnum, who was famously known as the “Godfather of Canadian Art.”

World’s Largest Banana

Location: New South Wales, Australia

Record: 16.4 feet (5 meters) height and 36 feet (11 meters)

One of the very first of Australia’s “Big Things,” The Big Banana was initially constructed in 1964 to attract visitors to a roadside banana stand. The site has now become a full-fledged water theme park.

World’s Largest Buffalo

Location: Jamestown, North Dakota, US

Record: 26 feet (7.9 meters) tall and 46 feet (14 meters) long

Nicknamed Dakota Thunder, the 1959 creation lends Jamestown the moniker of Buffalo City.

World’s Largest Chest of Drawers

Location: High Point, North Carolina, U.S.

Record: Four-story high

The world’s largest chest of drawers was built in 1926 to draw attention to High Point as the home furnishings capital of the world. 

World’s Largest Truckstop

Location: Walcott, Iowa, U.S.

Record: 220-acre (89 hectares) plot of land

Built in 1964, the Iowa 80 truck shop is more than four times larger than an average truck shop.

World’s Biggest Beagles

Location: Cottonwood, Idaho, US

Record: 30 feet (9 meters) tall

The wooden structures, called Sweet Willy and Toby, were made by a local chainsaw artist couple. The larger one, Sweet Willy, is a bed and breakfast named the Dog Bark Park Inn with the entrance at the back, while the smaller sculpture is 12 feet (3.65 meters) tall.

World’s Largest Pistachio

Location: Alamogordo, New Mexico, U.S.

Record: 30 feet (9.1 meters) tall

Made from five yards of concrete and done in about 35 gallons of paint, this roadside attraction, built in 2008, has been blessed by a priest.

World’s Largest Tipi

Location: Medicine Hat, Canada

Record: 215 feet (65.5 meters) tall

The Saamis Teepee was constructed for the Calgary 1988 Winter Olympics and was moved to its current location later. It’s a tribute to the country’s native heritage.

World’s Largest Catsup Bottle

Location: Collinsville, Illinois, U.S.

Record: 170 feet (52 meters)

The water tower was built in 1949 in the shape of a catsup bottle for the G.S. Suppiger catsup bottling plant. 

World’s Largest Sheep

Location: Goulburn, Australia

Record: 49.8 feet (15.2 meters) high

The giant concrete merino ram has been nicknamed Rambo by the locals and is an actual building housing a gift shop, wool display and lookout point where the sheep’s eyes are.

World’s Tallest Thermometer

Location: Baker, California 

Record: 134 feet (41 meters) tall

It was built to commemorate the record temperature of 134 degrees Fahrenheit (57 degrees Celsius) in the nearby Death Valley in 1913. The landmark is up for sale due to its high running costs.

World’s Largest Disco Ball

Location: Blackpool, U.K.

Record: 4.5 tons with 4,600 mirrors

The largest disco ball measures 33.1 feet (10.3 meters) in diameter and was built in 2014 for Desert Island Disco at the Isle of Wight, U.K.

World’s Largest Coin

Location: Sudbury, Canada

Record: 29.5 feet (9 meters)

The Big Nickel is an exact replica of 1951 Canadian five-cent coin and weighs close to 13 tons (approximately 13,000 kg). It was built in 1964. 

World’s Largest Dinosaur

Location: Alberta, Canada

Record: 82 feet (24.4 meters) high

The world’s largest dinosaur, with 15.6 feet (4.6 meters) length, is almost four times the size of a real T-Rex.

World’s Largest Rocking Chair

Location: Cuba, Missouri, U.S.

Record: 42 feet (13 meters) high 

The giant rocker initially swayed back and forth but due to safety concerns, it was welded to the ground.

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