Travel Across the USA: Home of Superman

Welcome to the beginning of my new Travel Across the USA series!

As I mentioned previously, our family has traveled across the US extensively since the beginning of 2013 due to some life changes. This has given us the unique opportunity to visit many tourist traps sites, some have been fun and amusing, others very educational. I'd like to share some of them with you! Follow along with me...

Our first stop in this series is Metropolis, IL, the Home of Superman...

Destination: Metropolis, IL 

Major Attraction: 15-foot high statue of Superman

Cost: Free

Web links: www.metropolistourism.com

Ideal for: Kids and comic enthusiasts 

What we did: Since we were only driving through, we just hit the main Superman attractions. We got photos with the famous 15-foot tall Superman statue in Superman Square. If you walk a block or two, you’ll find a little shop where you can find some Superman memorabilia. The shop won’t be hard to spot since there’s a smaller flying Superman statue hanging off the side of the building over the Superman-style telephone booth. We also drove a few blocks and found a large chunk of Kryptonite. 

Date of our visit: February 2013

Our thoughts about the area: It was a fun little diversion from driving and took less than an hour to see. If you’re driving through the area and have little boys who are into super heroes, they would definitely enjoy stopping! 

Tips when visiting: Parking is pretty easy to find near the large Superman statue, you can walk to the little shops and attractions from there. RoadsideAmerica.com explains why Metropolis is considered the "Home of Superman".

Other Attractions nearby: 

Super Museum, located at 517 Market St., Metropolis, IL, cost $5.00/adult, children 5 and under are free, www.supermuseum.com

Big John statue located in the parking lot of the Big John grocery store

Directions: If you followed Hwy. 45 (E. 5th St.) off of I-24 on into the town, you will pass right by the Big John statue, just before Yashoda Street in Metropolis. You can find the giant statue of Superman on Market Street, between E. 5th and E. 6th Street. Only 2 minutes away, on the corner of E. 3rd and Ferry Street, you'll find the giant green Kryptonite Rock. 

Map: