One of the things we enjoy when taking road trips is stopping along the way to see cheesy, corny fun stuff.  And, boy, did we succeed recently.

Did you know the world’s biggest covered wagon is located in Lincoln, Illinois?  Yep, it is.  It sits on the lawn of a Best Western.  I have no idea where the world’s biggest horse or oxen went off to after parking the wagon in front of the Best Western…. And, I have no idea why Abe Lincoln sits in the front seat reading a book.

The world’s biggest covered wagon.

Do you remember the Burger Chef chain of restaurants?  It was pretty big in the 1970’s.  Well, one of the Burger Chef chefs now sits by a baseball diamond in Ryan, Iowa and is all dressed up like an umpire.  Don’t feel bad if you’ve never heard of Ryan — neither had we — it is a blink and you miss it kind of place where kids on bikes rule the streets.

The Burger Chef umpire.

The world’s biggest strawberry (allegedly) sits in Strawberry Point, Iowa — another town we had never heard of but they apparently have a popular bluegrass festival every year.  I have to say, the strawberry was pretty unimpressive.  This photo makes it look far better than it was….

There is a SPAM museum in Austin, Minnesota.  If you are anywhere nearby, this is most definitely worth the trip — lots of fun and interesting facts about SPAM and you might even get to sample the product.  Plus, it is free!  And, even better, there is a decent BBQ joint just across the street.

SPAM cans at the SPAM museum.

Plus, Buffy the Cow is in Austin too.  You can’t come to the SPAM museum and skip Buffy.  Who doesn’t want to see a huge cow?  (Although, personally, I prefer the real life cow that always used to be at the Wisconsin state fair.  That cow had a window into its stomachs — they have four you know — and its owner could reach in and pull out undigested grass.  Seriously, I’m not making that up.)

Buffy the Cow.

The world’s largest stucco snowman is in St. Paul, Minnesota.

The world’s biggest stucco snowman.

Did you know Elmwood, Wisconsin is the UFO capital of Wisconsin?  Well, it is.  And, there are a couple of UFO’s parked outside of Sailer’s Meats.  If this is what a UFO looks like, the aliens must be pretty small….

Some pretty small UFO’s….

There is even a haunted tower in my home town of Elk Mound, Wisconsin.  The tower sits on a hill that some people say is the second highest point in all of Wisconsin.  (I don’t think I’m buying that).  Some people say there is a dragon buried under the hill.  (Yeah, right).  Some people say someone plunged to their death here.  (Who knows).  And, the hill is said to be a place where the war councils of Chippewa and Black Hawk Indians once met.  (I have no opinion on that).

The Elk Mound Tower.

If you are in Wisconsin, you are going to see cheese stuff everywhere.

A mouse with cheese.

And, for reasons completely unknown, there is a big orange moose in Black River Falls, Wisconsin.  If you need to stop for gas, might as well see the moose, right?

The orange moose in Black River Falls.

There is also a cheese castle in Wisconsin down by Kenosha.  Mars Cheese Castle is certainly worth a stop.  They have all sorts of amazing Wisconsin cheeses.  But, better yet, they have kringle (a Danish pastry made famous in Racine, Wisconsin).

Mars Cheese Castle.

If you are taking a road trip in the United States, check out the weird roadside sights near your route on the Roadside America website.