Atlanta, IL – The 2024 tourist season at the American Giants Museum begins on Saturdays from 10am – 4pm during the month of March. The Museum opens for its regular season schedule on Tuesday, April 2. Days/hours of operation will be: Tuesday through Saturday, 10am -4pm and Sunday, 1pm -4pm. The Museum will be closed on Mondays.
Mark your calendar now for the Grand Opening Events scheduled for Memorial Day Weekend. Click here for details for this public event. Activities include the arrival and erection of a 24’ tall Texaco Big Friend giant, one of only six remaining from the original 300 produced by International Fiberglass Company in the mid 1960s. The Texaco Big Friend will be placed on a 12’x12′ concrete pad on the west side of the American Giants Museum, directly next to Atlanta’s original 1926 alignment of Route 66. When in place, the Texaco Big Friend will be 7′ taller than the Museum building itself. An original Viking Carpet Giant will also arrive in Atlanta in time to be installed at the American Giants Museum over the Memorial Day Weekend. The Viking Carpet Giant will stand on a 10’x10′ concrete pad on the east side of the American Giants Museum in the Route 66 Land of the Giants Rest Stop area, where its brother giant, the Snerd, is already located.
The American Giants Museum tells the story of the kitschy and quirky “Muffler Man/Bunyan Giant” statues that sprang up in the 1960s as advertising gimmicks across the USA. Today, they are some of the most popular sights for tourists traveling Historic Route 66. The Museum is a partnership between American Giants expert, Joel Baker, and the Atlanta Betterment Fund organization. Several years ago, Baker approached the Atlanta Betterment Fund organization with the idea of creating an American Giants Museum. Baker’s collection of giants, sales materials, files, photos, and other documents from International Fiberglass are the basis for the museum’s exhibits, giving Route 66 tourists the chance to see, learn about, and interact with what will be the largest single collection of American Giants anywhere along Route 66.
The Atlanta Betterment Fund worked with the City of Atlanta to add the American Giants Museum to the community’s growing mix of tourist attractions. It is already drawing people from near and far to Atlanta, where they can discover local businesses and artisans, and contribute to the Atlanta and Logan County economy.
The Atlanta Betterment Fund is a 501 (c)(3) organization, established in 2008 through private donations and administered by a board of directors. Its mission is to make Atlanta a better place to live by supporting its business, civic, and religious organizations.
Contact:
Bill Thomas
Logan County Economic Development Partnership
217-648-5077
wthomas@teleologic.net
