Big Things Small Town is Casey IL. I saw the giant mailbox on Instagram from a travel Instagrammer. Then I started to figure out how far Casey was from me in Peoria. I am very directionally challenged and know where nothing is in Illinois, but I was shocked when it was only 90 minutes away. In Casey IL, there are 12 World’s Largest Things and 20+ Big Things. Most of the attractions are outside, but there are a few that are inside. Some of them were gone to get repainted or repaired. The wooden shoe is inside the Wildflour Bakery and Candy Co., but you can see it from the window.
Casey, IL
Casey is located in eastern Illinois on Interstate 70. A few things are coming into town, but you can find most of the items in downtown Casey. I started by coming in on I70 to see the wooden token, antlers, and pizza slicer. The antler and pizza slicer are right across the street so you can park in one spot to see both. The antler was really cool to see up close. From there I went to the airport to see the airplane. This one was not what I expected at all, but I absolutely loved it. Then I made my way downtown on North Central Ave. Like the website says, it’s a one-stop light downtown, and that’s where I turned right to find parking. From downtown, I followed the map starting with the giant mailbox.
Navigating through downtown Casey
I would recommend getting there early in the morning. I think I got there around 9 or 10 in the morning and there was only a handful of people there. As the day went on more people showed up, but everyone was great at making sure everyone got the photos they wanted. Which was so awesome because sometimes it doesn’t play out that way.
I started at the giant mailbox because that was the main reason I came. I wanted to see it and go up in the mailbox. Then I went across the street with the giant pencil, pokemon ball, and the World’s largest barber pole. From there I saw everything near here. I crossed Central Street to see the giant rocking horse, mouse trap, and the World’s Largest golf club. My goal was to see all the World’s largest and giant things, but I also wanted to explore Casey, IL. Anything that caught my eye I went to see what it was.
I went on a Sunday, and most of the shops were closed. The open shops didn’t open until noon, and by that time we had seen everything. Then to leave town I went to the golf course to get the worst largest golf tee.
World’s Largest
- Wind Chime
- Golf Tee – not part of downtown. you’ll need to go to the Casey Country Club to get a picture of the golf tee. I thought it was fairly easy to get to. I recommend this as the last thing you see before leaving Casey.
- Rocking Chair – According to the website, it took 2 years to construct the rocking chair. The rocking chair was one when I saw it I was impressed. It’s super cool to see in person.
- Wooden Shoes – This is located inside the Wildflour Bakery and Candy Shop. If you want to donate, put a change in the shoe. Fun Fact: 15 people can fit into 1 shoe
- Pitchfork
- Mailbox – This is a fully functioning mailbox. When a letter is mailed the red flag will raise up. You can climb up to get inside the mailbox and look over Main Street.
- Key – I was a little disappointed with the key. It’s a Chevy car key, but I thought it would be an old-fashioned type of key.
- Gavel – This is NOT in Casey, IL. This is in Marshall, IL.
- Swizzle Spoon
- Golf Drive
- Barbershop Pole – This was another one that blew my mind when I saw it. I can’t explain it but it just looks super cool.
- Teeter Totter – I’m torn on this one still to this day. I was really excited to see this one, and I didn’t know what to expect. I’m disappointed because it didn’t look like a teeter-totter. On Saturdays, it does go up and down which I think it cool.
Big Things
- Antlers
- Birdcage – There is a swing inside the cage. This is where I saw the most amount of people, but everyone helped each other take pictures.
- Softball Bat – This is located USA Softball of Illinois Hall of Fame. I didn’t see this one when I went because it wasn’t close to anything.
- Horseshoe – This is NOT in Casey, IL. This is in Martinsville, IL.
- Bookworm
- Nail Puzzle
- Anvil – This is NOT in Casey, IL. This is in Martinsville, IL.
- WW
- Ear of Corn – This wasn’t there when I was there and I was really disappointed. Being from Iowa, I wanted a picture with an ear of corn.
- Big Cactus
- Knitting Needles – The needles are inside and I wasn’t able to get any good pictures. The shop isn’t open on Sundays.
- Crochet Hook – Same as the knitting needles. I was kinda bummed that I didn’t get a better picture because I love to crochet and knit.
- Mouse Trap
- Rocking Horse – This is inside a shop. It was so pretty.
- Pokemon Ball – You can get inside the ball. I’m not a big Pokemon fan but I thought it was cool.
- Spinning Toy – I don’t remember seeing the spinning toy.
- Airplane
- Taco
- Piggy Bank – I think the piggy bank is new because I didn’t see it when I was there. Plus on the website, it says that it’s new.
- Wooden Token – NOT located in downtown Casey, IL. This is right off Interstate 70.
- Pizza Slicer
- Yardstick
- Pencil
Casey Events
The town has a variety of events throughout the year. In December the city does Candy Cane Main Street. I saw they do a popcorn festival in the fall with autumn festival later in September. Whether you go during a festival or a random weekend, it is a fun day trip. I can’t wait to go back and hopefully see the ones that I didn’t see.
