The most endearing American love story of World War II started out as a mistake. On a cold winter evening days after the attack on Pearl Harbor, a group of townsfolk laden with food, homebaked goodies and Christmas gifts gathered on … Continue reading →
Dorothy Hustead was hot, tired and trying to stave off the discouragement of a failed career experiment. In December 1931, she and her husband, Ted, had rolled into Wall, S.D., with their 4-year-old son, Ted’s $3,000 inheritance from his father … Continue reading →
There are — literally — some big things in Casey, Ill. The mailbox can garage a school bus. The golf tee towers three stories above the clubhouse and a grown man could lie across the tee’s head with neither head … Continue reading →
Is the Mystery Hole just outside of Anstead, W.Va., a unique location where the laws of gravity have somehow gone haywire? Or is it merely a cleverly constructed subterranean attraction designed to make visitors think so? The real answer is … Continue reading →
Some say the town of Mayberry, N.C., existed only on a television lot in Hollywood. Others insist it is a state of mind more than a physical location. But Mayberry does exist — in Andy Griffith’s hometown of Mount Airy, … Continue reading →
Imagine a place so pristine and idyllic its signal character of perfection is also its most prominent target for criticism. Welcome to the “too good to be true” master-planned community of Celebration, Fla., population 7,427. “Town” is not exactly the … Continue reading →
Some of the notable denizens of Virginia, Minn., are larger than life. Literally larger than life. They are emblazoned up to 20 feet tall on the city’s colorful and impressive murals, concentrated within a five-by-five block area downtown. The eight … Continue reading →
Nestled serenely among the picturesque Smoky Mountains lies Gatlinburg, Tenn., its 4,200 residents and the largest collection of salt and pepper shakers in the world. The collection started about three decades ago with a single pepper mill. “We did not … Continue reading →
Blackville, S.C., boasts perhaps the world’s only parcel of land owned by God. God’s Acre Healing Springs is a small parcel of damp sod 3 1/2 miles north of downtown. The attraction sports about a dozen taps a couple feet … Continue reading →
His nickname was Tıny. Hıs influence was gigantic. William “Tiny” Zehnder (1919-2006) grew up in the restaurant business. When he was 8 years old, his parents traded in their family farm to purchase a hotel in nearby Frankenmuth, Mich. They … Continue reading →
What makes for a successful globally acclaimed museum? In the case of the National Mustard Museum in Middletown, Wis., the ingredients included a heartbreaking World Series loss, an all-night supermarket and a mysterious disembodied voice. During the wee hours of … Continue reading →
