Seniors/Boomers: Do you still have Americana establishments left standing in your area?

Question

These would be buildings like the Brown Derby, Dino the Dinosaur for Sinclair gasoline or a big donut-shaped building to buy donuts, etc.
We use to have a gigantic chair that advertised a furniture store where I use to live.

Answer 1

Hi, I live in Australia and there are heaps of Americana establishments still alive and kicking.

At Coffs Harbour there is the "Big Banana" which is well known for the best bananas in NSW and includes a gift store.

At Ballina which is a great fishing spot, there is the "Big Prawn" which stands 6 X 9 metres and encompasses an eatery and gift store.

At the Sunshine Coast in Queensland there is the "Big Pineapple" at 16 metres tall, then right next door, we have the "Big Macadamia Nut".

In Donnybrook Western Australia, there is the "Big Apple", also in Harvey WA there is the "Big Orange" .

At Daintree, far North Queensland there is the "Big Barramundi" which is an eatery and Information centre.

At Wauchope NSW we have the "Big Bull". Cattle country.

At Mission Beach, Nth Qld there is the "Big Cassawary".

In Swan Hill, Victoria we have the "Giant Murray Cod" which is about 60 feet long.

In Tamworth, the home of country & western music in Australia, we have the "Big Guitar" which is 65 feet high.

At Dadswell Bridge, Victoria there is the "Giant Koala" also about 60 feet high.

In Kingston South Australia there is the "Big Lobster".

In Cairns Qld, we have the "Big Marlin" a great fishing spot.

At Glenrowan Victoria, we even have the "Giant Ned Kelly" a well known bushranger who was hanged more than 100 years ago.

In Taree NSW, well known for their fantastic oysters, there is the "Big Oyster" and includes an art & craft shop.

In the Atherton Tablelands, we have the "Big Peanut"

At Wagin WA they have the "Big Ram" - sheep country.

At Singleton NSW they have built a "Giant Sundial" for people who don't wear a wristwatch.

It looks like we Aussies have taken on board many advertising ideas from our American friends over the years. They must be good because tourists flock to these places every year to visit.

Answer 2

Oh, I love those! Not so many in my state though. There is a giant chair down in Beaver at a truck stop, the giant dino exhibit outside the museum in Vernal (I think it's still there), the Bluebird Cafe in Logan, but that's all I can recall right now. No record holding balls of video tape though.

Utah has many landscape wonders though. Delicate Arch, Bryce Canyon, Zion National Park, and the infamous Great Salt Lake.

Denie ..... do you mean the Capitol Theater in SLC?

Answer 3

We have a fairly new building in a strip mall on East Flamingo Road that is shaped like a coffee cup. It's a quick stop for coffee.
When I was a bachelor in Los Angeles I lived four blocks north of the Brown Derby (the one shaped like a derby). It was at the corner of Wilshire Boulevard and Alexandria.

Answer 4

Yep! Here in Central Illinois there are quite a few. In Mattoon there's Rhodes Frozen Custard--giant ice cream cone, Charleston--150ft fiberglass Abraham Lincoln for Lincoln Resort, Metropolis in southern Illinois has a, you guessed it, giant Superman statue.

But sad to say most of those things that I saw as a kid on vacation are gone and replaced by strip malls that all look the same. Too bad, so sad.

Answer 5

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Answer 6

We still have a HUGE chair that once was used to advertise a furniture store...the st ore is gone, but the Big Chair is still there. Recently it was removed for refurbishing though

Answer 7

No, sadly they are all gone along with all the burma shave signs. We used to have giant orange orange shaped stops along the freeways where you could get all kinds of fresh orange juice drinks, my favorite was a large bear family marking the stateline between Lake Tahoe Ca. and Lake Tahoe Nevada, so many gone by the way side.

Nancy Kay, where in Southern calif. where, where,where?

Answer 8

No. And I was upset when the took Jack out of the Box after JFK was shot. I think the 76 ball still exists at the gas station. That's about it!

Answer 9

I don't know if this counts...it might only count to me! In my hometown they say that what used to be the "Capitol Theater" is still there...but now it's a place where they give "plays". At least it's still there. My sister said she was "amazed" at how much ':smaller" it is now. (It's the same size...but we were little kids then and it looked BIG to us) You have that same experience? Things getting "smaller" as you get "older"??? lol
PS,,These places are kinda like "Sacred Ground" to us Seniors, aren't they!? Wonder what this generation will call it's "Sacred Ground". (They probably don't even know what :Sacred Ground" is!!!!)

Answer 10

Sadly, they're pretty much gone but we do have a couple of drive in movie theaters still operating.