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Mount Rushmore. The Washington Monument. The Golden Gate Bridge. The Metropolitan Museum of Art. These are the monuments and museums and sights that family trips are planned around. It can feel like we go through life trying to tick these off the figurative list, grabbing a photo at each stop.
But as lovers of food and weirdness, we wanted to find the lesser-known statues and galleries—the wacky food-themed destinations that affirm our country's desire to play with our food (and immortalize it in statue-form). We wanted to find a bit of personality beyond the country's best restaurants or best farmers markets.
So we solicited your help! (Twice.) We scoured Weird U.S. and Roadside America and the accompanying website. We found so many to be strange and strangely interesting.
On our list you will find... the world's oldest ham! And the world's largest prairie chicken (and peanut and Holstein cow and non-stick frying pan)! And several places where all of your childhood dreams have been realized (like the Pez Memorabilia Museum, the Jelly Belly factory, and Hershey Park, which combines chocolate and amusement rides).
Stay quirky, America!
1. Spoonbridge and Cherry, Minneapolis, MN
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A refreshing cocktail garnish in the summer, the 51-foot sculpture takes on a new aspect in the winter season: Topped with snow, “the cherry turns into a mouthful of ice cream sundae.”
Update: The sculpture is not on display now but will be back next summer. All the reason to start planning the trip today. (Thanks for the info, Renae!)
2. Coffee Pot and Cup Water Tower, Stanton, IA
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Stanton is the birthplace of Virginia Christine, the actress who was briefly famous as Folgers’ "Mrs. Olson" on television commercials and the sides of coffee cans. It was taken down in 2013, but the giant coffee pot is now displayed at ground level.
3. Randy’s Donuts, Los Angeles, CA
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You can’t miss it!
See the rest of the story at Business Insider