Barberville Roadside

A couple of weekends ago we had a family reunion out in Astor, Fl. On the way to Astor, you pass Barberville Roadside. It's hard not to notice an 8 foot tall pink rooster, but it's really hard to describe what this place is. They have everything - giant cast aluminum animals, fountains, ceramic statues, miscellaneous yard art. It's the ultimate in roadside kitsch. And I happen to love that stuff.

When I was younger, on cross-country road trips with my parents, I always longed to stop at all those crazy roadside attractions (giant ball of twine, huge dinosaurs, ghost towns, etc.). Sometimes we did, sometimes we didn't. I'm sure my parents, like most people, realized that whatever awesomeness may be shown on those billboards that tease you for miles is never what you get when give into your pleading child in the backseat and pull over. It's inevitably a disappointment for most people. Usually some craptastic waste of time and money. But kids don't care. Probably because any kind of break from the monotony of being trapped in a car for hours is a welcome relief. I am still this way today. Maybe that's why I still feel that childlike impulse to explore anything uniquely odd or offbeat.

So if you're into that sort of thing, and you're ever out in rural Astor, give into that youthful impulse to stop the car and explore. Get your picture taken with a giant dinosaur or rooster or miniature statue of liberty. Just because you can.