If we were to rank states by the number of roadside attractions they contain,
Wisconsin, Minnesota, and South Dakota would be right up at the top of the list.
Wisconsin- The brochure rack at the visitor's center at the Wisconsin border
reads like a who's who of roadside attractions: World's Biggest Badger, World's Largest
Talking Cow, Fred Smith's Concrete Park, Worlds Largest Replica Cheese, Robot World, and
of course, Circus World Museum.
Minnesota - One of the oddest attractions I saw was the History of Meat Museum,
also known as the Spam Museum, in Austin, Minnesota. Sponsored by Hormel and housed in
a small strip mall, the museum documents the past glories of Hormel. On exhibit: Old copies
of Squeal, the Hormel company magazine, the first canned ham, and "Slammin' Spammy,"
the bomb-throwing pig symbol from World War II.
Minnesota is also the original home of the Jolly Green Giant. A 55 foot statue commemorates.
South Dakota - It was well past sunset when I pulled into Mitchell, SD, home of
the Corn Palace. Touted as the "agricultural showplace of the world," it is five stories high,
covers a square block, and is covered with murals made of corn, grain, and grass.
NEXT STOP:
Badlands National Park
