Sometimes taking a detour is just what you need to take your trip to the next level. What you find on back roads and quiet highway exits may surprise you. Take Casey, for instance, a famous little big town in east-central Illinois, 120 miles (193 km) southeast of Springfield.
I’d heard about Casey before we left on our 2024 trip to Springfield, Illinois, but it was not a must do on our itinerary. Skip it, don’t skip it, I didn’t care. What’s the big deal, anyway?
Why were we taking a road trip to Springfield, Illinois? See my post Springfield’s Lincoln- 3 Places You Need to See.
I’m not usually one to seek out cheesy photo ops with the world’s largest anything. You know, like the world’s largest prairie dog (South Dakota) or the world’s largest pistachio (New Mexico). Okay, so I did make a point to see those. Anyway…
I went crazy for Casey. This metropolis of cheese (cheesy photo ops, that is) was better than I ever expected. And my expectations are always ridiculously high.
Just so you know, the town’s name doesn’t rhyme with “lacy”. It rhymes with “crazy”.
What Makes Casey Famous?
The big stuff. And there is lots of it. Casey has an unbeatable collection of “the world’s largest” most random things. Take these, for instance.
The World’s Largest Mailbox
There are stairs you can climb to get inside the mailbox. My husband said he was mailing me to New Mexico or Arizona. If you’ve read some of my other posts, you’ll understand why.
World’s Largest Rocking Chair and Windchime
You can’t climb the rocking chair. It’s a lot higher than it looks- 57 ft. high to be exact. We had to stand on the opposite side of the street to get this photo. And yes, the world’s largest windchime actually chimes. Pretty neat, huh?
There are twelve other “world’s largest” and a sizeable list of “not the world’s largest, but certainly close” stuff in Casey. You’ll find the highest concentration in the downtown area. Look on Casey’s website for a list of attractions and a map of their locations.
My favorite items were the big pencil and the taco. Dang if I didn’t lose my photo of the taco! It’s a 16 ft. artistic wonder made (nonexclusively) with recycled materials. You’ll find it on E. Alabama Street outside of Casey’s local Mexican restaurant, Cilantros Grill & Cantina. Go see it!
Why is Casey So Big?
That’s what I wanted to know. To get the lowdown on the big, watch the short video on the town’s website.
You’ll notice that all of the big things are accompanied by Bible verses. This says a lot about the character of this community and Jim Bolin, the local businessman who designed Casey’s “world’s largest” assemblage. Mr. Bolin held several Guiness Book of World Records for his creations, but he was respected most for his devotion to his faith and community. Sadly, Mr. Bolin passed away on January 27, 2026.
Best Time to Visit
That depends. We were there early on a Sunday morning. Hardly any businesses were open, and many weren’t planning to be.
If you’re looking to do some shopping and dining, I’d say Sunday morning is not the best time. However, we really weren’t interested in those things. We just wanted to take photos with the big stuff. Sunday morning was ideal for that. We didn’t have to wait our turns to get the photos we wanted. Zoom and boom- we were off.
I’m glad no one else was walking the sidewalks that morning. My whistling performance in the birdcage sounded like a bird with emphysema.
What Else Can You Do In Casey?
A few things, for sure. There are festivals throughout the year, a local history museum, and a community center that hosts a variety of events. Check out the town’s website for other attractions.
Casey’s desire to stay relevant and draw visitors is obvious. Like a lot of other small towns in America, Casey is revitalizing its downtown with a variety of cute shops and restaurants. I wish we’d had more time to sample all this charming town has to offer.
We especially wished we could have tried Casey’s Candy Shop next to the World’s Largest Mailbox. Who doesn’t love a good candy shop?
The Big Sum Up
It’s easy to imagine Casey being a place where Sunday church is the community hotspot, people have each other’s backs, and high school sports are king.
Casey, Illinois s a quirky, unforgettable highway diversion for any traveler and a destination for anyone on a search for “the world’s largest”. For us, it was just a fun place to