Paul Bunyan Statue and The Palms Grill Cafe-Atlanta, IL
Originally designed to hold an axe, the first of these was a "Paul Bunyan" figure, done for the Paul Bunyan Cafe on Route 66 in Flagstaff, Arizona, in about 1962.
Next door is the Atlanta Museum. You can learn more about Route 66 history and how the road came right through this town.
The also have beautiful murals of Route 66 on some of the buildings and a lovely park.
Atlanta is a nice place to visit along the roads less traveled.
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| Main Street, USA Atlanta, IL |
Atlanta, IL is a quiet little town that is just 20 minutes south of Bloomington on I-55 and Old Route 66.
It is a great place to stop on the way to see the Lincoln Sites or the State Capitol in Springfield, IL.
When Route 66 was in its prime, businesses used, statues, signs and murals as roadside advertising, hoping to entice travelers to stop in their town.
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| Paul Bunyan Statue Atlanta, IL |
Among the best remembered of these were the fiberglass giants created during the 1960s by International Fiberglass of Venice, California.
Originally designed to hold an axe, the first of these was a "Paul Bunyan" figure, done for the Paul Bunyan Cafe on Route 66 in Flagstaff, Arizona, in about 1962.
Other statues were made from the same mold, many were placed in front of service stations, or restaraunts holding tires, hotdogs or icecream.
It is worth the drive to Atlanta, IL just to see the Paul Bunyan statue, but you should really try to get there in time for lunch.
Across the street from Paul Bunyan, is The Palms Grill Cafe and they are only open until mid afternoon. The cafe is a nostalgic trip back in time, even serving a blue plate special, just like the old days.
More importantly, The Palms Grill Cafe has won a blue ribbon for Pie Baking at the Illinois State Fair several times and was recently honored at the Illinois Governor's Conference on Tourism.
The also have beautiful murals of Route 66 on some of the buildings and a lovely park.
Atlanta is a nice place to visit along the roads less traveled.
Hi, Kelly. Thanks for your comments regarding Atlanta and our Palms Grill Cafe. I'm very happy to let you k now that as of this week, the Grill (as the locals refer to it) is now open seven days a week from 7am-9pm. It still serves the same great, homemade pie and daily blueplate specials, but now it's added a whole new evening dinner menu.
ReplyDeleteAlso - my wife and I visited the Hegler Carus Mansion with friends just a couple weeks ago. Kudos to you and everyone associated with the place for the great job you're doing!
Bill Thomas,
Atlanta, Illinois