World’s Largest Things in the USA

Everything is large in Texas, but it seems that the rest of the United States has more than its share of the world’s largest somethings. Texas itself has the world’s largest fire hydrant in Beaumont; wooden nickel in San Antonio; kettle in Galveston; horseshoe in Marfa; cowboy hat in Paris; and of course, the world’s biggest burger served at Charlie Brown’s in Carrolton.

California is another big state full of big things, like the world’s largest shoe and Pez dispenser, both in Bakersfield; chess set in Morro Bay; hammer in Eureka; fiddle in Fiddletown; artichoke in Castroville; paper cup in Riverside; and the very patriotic U.S. flag in Long Beach.

Some of the world’s largest things can be found all over the United States. Here is a short list.

- Adirondack Chair: Westminster, Maryland - Apple Basket: Frazeysburg, Ohio
- Baked Potato: Blackfoot, Idaho - Ball of Rubber Bands: Wilmington, Delaware
- Baseball Bat: Louisville, Kentucky - Basketball: Knoxville, Tennessee
- Clock: Clarksville, Indiana - Conch Shell: Panama City Beach, Florida
- Dinosaur Park: Beaver, Arkansas - Donut: Yokumtown, Pennsylvania
- Ear of Corn: Olivia, Minnesota - Eight-ball: Tipton, Missouri
- Globe: Yarmouth, Maine - Golf Ball: Fripp Island, South Carolina
- Guitar: Bristol, Tennessee - Hockey Stick: Real Eveleth, Minnesota

Not all the world’s largest things in America are just curiosities. For instance, The world’s largest wind generator has two 400-foot blades, is 20 stories high and is located on the Hawaiian island of Oahu. Walmart of Bentonville, Arkansas is the world’s largest retailer. And there is lots more:

The world’s largest American Legion Post is in Lincoln, Nebraska; the world’s largest carousel is in Spring Green. Wisconsin; the world’s largest flattop mountain is in Grand Mesa, Colorado; the world’s largest drive-in fast-food restaurant is the Varsity in Atlanta, Georgia; the world’s largest public library is the Harold Washington Library in Chicago, Illinois; the world’s largest commercial building is the Merchandise Mart also in Chicago; and the world’s largest brewery is Anheuser Busch in St. Louis, Missouri.

America has so many of the world’s largest that the list goes on and on. The world’s largest bookstore is a Barnes and Noble in New York City; the world’s largest vacuum chamber is 100 feet in diameter and located at the NASA Glenn Research Center in Sandusky, Ohio; the world’s largest supercomputing grid is the TeraGrid based at the University of Chicago; the world’s largest marine reserve is in Hawaii; the world’s largest honkytonk is Billy Bob’s in Fort Worth, Texas; the world’s largest casino in the Foxwoods Resort in Ledyard, Connecticut; the world’s largest McDonalds is in Vinita, Oklahoma; the world’s largest Bible is in Abilene, Texas; the world’s largest swimming pool is in Garden City, Kansas; the world’s largest guitar store is Ed Roman’s in Las Vegas, Nevada; the world’s largest hotel chain is Best Western, founded in Long Beach, California; the world’s largest department store is Macy’s in New York City; the world’s largest rose bush covers 800 square feet in Tombstone, Arizona; and the world’s largest laundromat is in Berwyn, Illinois and you still have to wait for a dryer!