My recent work trip to Hays gave me the perfect excuse to stop in Lucas, one of my favorite towns in Kansas. And that is saying something, because I have a lot of favorite towns in Kansas.
No trip to Lucas is complete without a visit to the Garden of Eden. Samuel Dinsmoor was a showman. Maybe he never reached the fame of Barnum or Disney, but I think both men would have recognized him as a kindred spirit. His story is legendary, and I covered it extensively in a previous post.
This trip, however, was about a museum I had tried to visit five or six times over the years. Somehow it was always closed when my strange travel schedule rolled through town.
Until today.
The World’s Largest Collection of the World’s Smallest Versions of the World’s Largest Things Roadside Attraction & Museum. Artist Erika Nelson opened the museum on April Fool’s Day in 2018. Before then, she drove the museum around in a van and let guests look in on her art. That’s right, she’s the artist behind most of the world’s smallest versions.
If you know me, you know roadside attractions are my thing. Jeremy and I will happily drive thirty minutes out of our way just to see the World’s Largest Whatever. This museum combines two of my favorite things into one glorious package. It is basically a roadside attraction dedicated to roadside attractions.
The museum feels like an old circus sideshow. Colorful banners welcome visitors and proudly advertise famous giants like the World’s Largest Prairie Dog in Oakley. Rest in peace, old friend. Large circus props fill the room, giving your eyes something fun to discover around every corner.
Near the entrance sits a guest book complete with a comically oversized pencil. My coworker Joel and I proudly signed it. Nearby was a collection of souvenirs from around the country. Naturally, I was pleased to spot a few shot glasses among the treasures. Speaking of souvineers, the museum’s gift shop was a collection of vintage gumball-type machines, selling stickers, pins, and other paraphernalia.
Just beyond that is a Kansas map highlighting many of the state’s World’s Largest attractions. I am proud to say I have visited almost all of them. As for the rest, I still have some road trips ahead of me.
Some Kansas giants represented in miniature include:
• Giant Van Gogh Painting, Goodland
• Cow Hairball, Garden City
• Palisade Meteorite and Hand Dug Well, Greensburg
• Souvenir Travel Plate, Lucas
• Czech Egg, Wilson
• Ball of Twine, Cawker City
• I Like Ike Button, Abilene
• Belt Buckle, Abilene
• Wren, Topeka
The collection also includes miniature versions of attractions from beyond Kansas. I have visited the Sam Houston statue, the world’s largest Santa Claus in Santa Claus, Indiana, and the famous Louisville Slugger in Louisville, Kentucky.
One display that caught my attention was dedicated to the World’s Largest Ball of Gum. The miniature version sits beside the original. A sign notes the Lucas-based project was halted in 2019 “for obvious reasons.” Fair enough.
The story gets even better. Vandals stole the giant gum ball in 2023, but according to the museum, evidence recovered at the scene led investigators to a shocking conclusion: the gum was no longer palatable. That may be the funniest museum label I have ever read.
Another exhibit highlighted Teepee Junction in Lawrence. While not a World’s Largest attraction, it holds an important place in Kansas roadside history. The display shares the story of Cliff McDonald and his connection to Native American culture and Haskell.
Another roadside attraction, Wigwam Village in Hollbrook, AZ, which I know is racist by today’s standards, was part of a greater display titled “inappropiation”
As I prepared to leave, I discovered one final surprise. Behind the museum sits a tiny, fully playable miniature golf course. Yes, I realize “miniature” is already doing a lot of heavy lifting in this story, but this course truly is miniature. It is a scaled down replica of a course in Topeka, and it fits the museum perfectly.
What a delightful place. I waited years to catch it open, and it was worth every missed attempt. I cannot wait to see it grow larger and larger as it collects even tinier versions of the world’s biggest oddities.
The entire time I was there, I kept thinking of “Horton Hears A Who” so to borrow and slightly twist the words of Dr. Seuss*:
“You may squint, you may peer, you may stare at them all,
But these tiny attractions are giants, after all.
For the World’s Largest Things, whether ten feet or one inch tall,
Are worth stopping to see, no matter how small.”
*I tried to do the rhyme on my own, but could not get the cadence right, so I did use ChatGPT to create the Seussical quote.
To find other great things to do in Kansas. Check out the Road Trips page.
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