Roadside Fun
One of my favorite things about Connecticut is that for a state so small, there are so many unusual things to see here. As someone who has driven the state, I'm especially drawn to those wonderful roadside attractions—giant heads or unusual statues—that dot the highways and byways of the state, really cool things that harken back to the days of refined motor touring when you would regularly to stop the car to check things out and maybe snap a photo or two. Unlike the great roadside attractions of yesteryear, however, many of the kitschy curiosities here don't require driving days across the country to see. Here, most are only about an hour or so apart.
Here are a few fun ones you can find within the borders of Connecticut.
The Giant Easter Island head of the Timexpo Museum in Waterbury. Why is there a 40-foot-high replica of an Easter Island moai out in front of a museum mostly dedicated to the history of Timex watches? Apparently, the Olsen family, who owns Timex, was good friends of famed researcher Thor Heyerdahl, and helped support his well-chronicled journey aboard his tiny raft, the Kon-Tiki. About half the second floor of the museum are dedicated to Heyerdahl and his research. On an off day, I recently stopped in for a visit.
The world's largest jack-in-the-box in Middletown. Housed in a 50-foot-high former grain silo behind Wild Bill's Nostalgia Center in Middletown, this contraption—featuring a 600-pound replica of Claribel the Clown's head on a mechanized pulley system—is touted as the world's largest. It regularly pops out of the silo, delighting some and horrifying those among us who don't particularly care for clowns, giant or other. On the outside of the building is "the world's largest bobbing head," a likeness of Wild Bill himself. Like the Timexpo Museum, I semi-recently swung by for a non-Connecticut Magazine visit.
The Paul Bunyan flagpole in Cheshire. This 26-foot-high statue of the American legend outside of House of Doors on West Johnson Avenue is one of the original roadside attractions—one of hundreds of fiberglass figures made during the 1960s that became to be known as "muffler men." Paul has been standing tall in town for over 30 years; the Record-Journal recently published an update on the statue.
Classic Auto Wash in Cromwell. Like the other businesses, the eclectic statues out in front of this one are all about getting you to stop your car here. Of course, unlike the others, this one will wash your car while you wander among the numerous fiberglass figures. Here you will find an abundance of roadside kitsch with everything from The Blues Brothers and Marilyn Monroe to pirate wenches and dinosaurs. And yes, I've also visited here in my spare time.
Anyway, there's a nice group to get you started on your own roadside adventure.
Roadside Fun
