Chicago to Omaha

“a landmark statue on Route 66”

The Gemini Giant is a landmark statue on U.S. Route 66 at the Eastern entrance to Wilmington, Will County, Illinois. Standing outside the Launching Pad Drive-In restaurant, the 30 foot tall statue is one of many giant "Muffler Man" advertising props found throughout the USA in the Sixties. The Gemini Giant is named after the Gemini space program and holds a silver "rocket ship" in his hands, while sporting an astronaut's space helmet that looks more like a welding mask.

“Prominent historic state park”

Starved Rock is probably the single most prominent historic place connected with early Indian life in the Corridor. This striking pedestal of sandstone has a colorful history to match. Its name comes from a semi-legendary disaster that befell a group of Illinois Indians besieged on its top in the aftermath of Pontiacs Uprising around 1769.

Starved Rock State Park – VOTED THE #1 ATTRACTION IN THE STATE OF ILLINOIS

Slave escape house on the "Underground Railway"

This was the home of Owen Lovejoy (an abolitionist, Congregationalist preacher, Congressman, and brother of Elijah Lovejoy who was murdered for his abolitionist views). Two well-prepared docents give excellent tours (for $3.00) of this house. This home was used as a "station" of the Underground Railway transporting slaves to freedom in Canada and northern U.S.

“A world famous truck stop”

Americas biggest and best truck stop!!

When trucking was just a gleam in some of today’s drivers’ eyes and Interstate 80 was not yet completed, the Iowa 80 Truckstop was founded.

I didn't stay long enough to explore the upstairs which may have been a game-changer... "Showers, theatre, barber, dentist, public laundry, chiropractor" I hope the next reviewer can touch on what THOSE offerings were like. I thought it was fun to explore just this once.

Salads, burgers, booze

The Hamburg Inn opened in the mid-1930s under Joe Panther on Iowa Avenue. Nicknamed “grease spots,” burgers sold for a nickel. Joe's brother, Adrian, joined in the business and eventually bought the restaurant.

Hamburg Inn No. 2, one of Iowa's most famous restaurants, was featured in the Washington Post's “Great American Hamburger Debate,” National Public Radio's "All Things Considered" and Susan Stramburg's “Every Night at Five.” The Quad City Times called us “a piece of Americana.” It was a film location for the movie “Zadar, Cow from Hell.”

Politicians and candidates frequently visit the Inn when they swing through Iowa City, including President Ronald Reagan in 1992 and President Bill Clinton in 2003. The Burg is the host of the official Iowa Coffee Bean Caucus and Iowa Coffee Bean Ballot, helping to attract local, state, national and international interest to Iowa politics.

The Literary Rest Stop is very well maintained and is modernized. Tile floors and walls. The outside picnic benches each have one wall with quotes from Iowa literature and culture stenciled into the wall material, allowing sunlight to filter through the wall. It is beautiful and well designed.

Inside the building you'll see an electronic ticker tape (long narrow black screen with red words scrolling on it) with excerpts from Iowa literature. Cute oversized yellow pencils with orange erasers line the front sidewalk.

The Amana Colonies are a group of settlements of German Pietists in Iowa, comprising seven villages. Calling themselves the Ebenezer Society or the Community of True Inspiration, die Gemeinde der wahren Inspiration, they first settled in New York state near Buffalo in what is now the Town of West Seneca. However, in order to live out their beliefs in more isolated surroundings they moved west to the rich soil of east-central Iowa (near present-day Iowa City) in 1855. They lived a communal life until the mid 1930s.

A striking feature of the Amana Colonies is that for eighty years they maintained an almost completely self-sufficient local economy, importing very little from the wider, industrializing U.S. economy. The Amanians were able to achieve this independence and life style by adhering to the specialized handcrafts and farming occupations which they had brought with them from Germany.

Today, Amana is a major tourist attraction known mainly for its restaurants and craft shops. Included in the shops are woodworking shops, wine shops, and even a brewery called Millstream. The colonies as a whole have been listed as a National Historic Landmark since 1965.

Weird roadside art featuring farm machinery.

“preserving Kellogg's cultural heritage”

Museum complex includes agricultural building; factory/bank; country school; church; machine shed and blacksmith shop; along with two-story museum building and the locker building.

“Laid-Back Easter Island Head”

An Easter Island head made of rusted steel, 11 feet tall, with a satisfied, surfer-dude grin.

Breakfast Burrito $6.99

A flour tortilla stuffed full with eggs, potatoes, sausage, onions, cheese, and tomatoes. Served with our house salsa. For $2 try it smothered in cheese sauce and housemate chilli.