If this roadside nut in Plains, Georgia reminds you of someone then congratulations, you recognize the smile of President Jimmy Carter. Have a peanut.

Mr. Carter is from the town of Plains, Georgia where he made his living as a peanut farmer before venturing into politics. The statue is all in good fun, and frankly, the resemblance is uncanny.

Do you know of any other roadside tributes to political leaders? If not, stick around, we have another one coming up next week! Hint: It’s really, really big.

This post is part of Uptake’s Tuesday Roadside Attractions Series. If you have a photo of an odd, funny or interesting roadside attraction that you would like to see featured here please submit it via the link in the sidebar with subject line: Roadside.

The Lion lies in his lair in the perpendicular face of a low cliff — for he is carved from the living rock of the cliff. His size is colossal, his attitude is noble. His head is bowed, the broken spear is sticking in his shoulder, his protecting paw rests upon the lilies of France. Vines hang down the cliff and wave in the wind, and a clear stream trickles from above and empties into a pond at the base, and in the smooth surface of the pond the lion is mirrored, among the water-lilies.

Around about are green trees and grass. The place is a sheltered, reposeful woodland nook, remote from noise and stir and confusion — and all this is fitting, for lions do die in such places, and not on granite pedestals in public squares fenced with fancy iron railings. The Lion of Lucerne would be impressive anywhere, but nowhere so impressive as where he is.

— Mark Twain, A Tramp Abroad, 1880

I also visited Lucerne, Switzerland, but I did not see the Lion Monument. I did, however, see a great bar. Backpacking across Europe is wasted on the young.

This post is part of the UpTake Monday Museums, Monuments and Memorials Series.

Photo: Dave-F via Flickr

He’s a lumberjack, and he’s okay!

Paul Bunyan is larger than life and Akeley, Minnesota knows it. The town has a Paul Bunyan Museum and this giant statue of the man himself. No word on the whereabouts of Babe the Blue Ox.

Statues of Mr. Bunyan can also be found in Tucson, Arizona, Bangor, Maine, Portland, Oregon, Bemidji, Minnesota (with Babe!) and many other towns throughout America (and some in Canada).

A lot of towns also have some sort of Bunyan-related festival during the year, which sounds like a different post.

What’s great about the city of Akeley, Minnesota is that it has the honor of being the smallest town ever featured on UpTake Vacations. The population is listed at 432. Sa-lute!

Maybe that’s why they love something as big as Paul Bunyan. It’s like a Napoleon complex for the entire town. Don’t let their size fool you, they are located between two highways (MN-34 and MN-64, respectively) and as such they have some great roadside diners to go with their attractions. Brauhaus German Restaurant and Curtisinn Headwaters will meet your breakfast needs and then some.

This post is part of UpTake’s Roadside Tuesdays Series.

Photo: bsabarnowl via Flickr

My teddy!

The only thing sadder than a child dropping their favorite toy is knowing that they’ll never be able to pick it up.

Oh well, makes for great art.

If you find yourself on the streets of Blackburn, England help the lad out.