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4.3
112 votes

Bunyon With a Hotdog

110 Southwest Arch Street, Atlanta, Illinois 61723 USA

Free
Free to Visit
Open Now
Tue 12a-11:59p
  • Independent
  • Credit Cards
    not Accepted
  • Pet Friendly
  • Wheelchair
    Accessible
  • No Public
    Restrooms
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“Huuuge Muffler Man statue”

How often do you got to have your picture taken with a 19-foot tall statue of a guy holding a hot dog? The only place you'll ever be able to add this pix to you: photo album is on Rt- 66 in downtown Atlanta. During the heyday of Rt. 66, travelers passed hundreds of signs, murals, and other forms of roadside advertising, each hoping to grab its share of attention. Among the more famous of these stood the fiberglass giants created during the 1960s by International Fiberglass of Venice, California. Originally designed to hold an axe, the first of these was a "Paul Bunyan" figure, done for the Paul Bunyan Cafe on Rt. 66 in Flagstaff, Arizona, in about 1962. Most of the statues were derivatives of that one mold. As the retail attention-getters became popular, many of them were placed in front of service stations, holding such things as automobile mufflers and tires. They soon became known as "Muffler Men." In 1965, H. A. Stephens purchased one of these giants, swapped its original axe for a hotdog, and placed it in front of his restaurant on Rt. 66 in Cicero, Illinois. Mr. Stephens purposefully misspelled the name of his business "Bunyons" in order to avoid a potential trademark conflict with the Paul Bunyan Cafe. A legend was born, and over the next 38 years, "Bunyons Statue" became a Rt. 66 landmark.

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Reviewed by
Oceangrrrl

  • 4 Reviews
  • 6 Helpful
March 08, 2014
Rated

Awesome photo op!!!! Plus it's off the old US 66 route!!! Very cool little town!!! This stop had my mom and I cracking up laughing!!!!

4 people found this review helpful

Reviewed by
nebulize

  • 4 Reviews
  • 4 Helpful
September 21, 2014
Rated 5.0

This is an awesome stop and a very cute little town! We ate at the cafe across the street and be sure to visit the shop to the right of Paul and buy some locally made chocolates and a handmade rug like we did! Don't forget to sign the lady at the shop's guestbook :)

1 person found this review helpful

Reviewed by
Tatiana Danger

  • Road Warrior
  • 1,169 Reviews
  • 910 Helpful
September 07, 2014
Rated 4.0

This was actually an awesome roadside attraction. It’s funny cause he’s clearly a Muffler Man, and his hands are placed in such a way that he should totally be holding a muffler instead of a hot dog. But whoever thought of putting a hot dog in his hands is a genius. It’s such a cute photo-op.

Also, THANK GOD I came to Atlanta for the picture because, man, this small town is AWESOME. It’s just like those super small towns you see in the movies. I’d easily have been able to spend all day walking around. Grabbing food at the local cafe and there’s also an arcade museum that you can play in.

1 person found this review helpful

Reviewed by
TheThreeAmigos

  • 4 Reviews
  • 3 Helpful
July 29, 2014
Rated 5.0

LOVED stopping here. The town is one tiny little block, a Memories Museum, little Cafe, 5-6 other shops, and a tiny, pretty, little park. Great to stretch your legs and grab a funny photo with Paul. We went into the Cafe for a quick bite and they were SO friendly and welcoming! The Memories museum is pretty quirky and cool to see as well.

1 person found this review helpful

Reviewed by
Austin Coop

  • 485 Reviews
  • 505 Helpful
July 20, 2014
Rated 4.0

Another one of the great "muffler men" you can see throughout Illinois's sections of Route 66. You can never have too many pictures with these giants!

1 person found this review helpful
  • 1 Review
  • 1 Helpful
July 05, 2014
Rated

nice little stop for tourists it has a lot of little route 66 photo ops

1 person found this review helpful

Reviewed by
Lori

  • Road Warrior
  • 24 Reviews
  • 6 Helpful
June 29, 2014
Rated

Atlanta, IL was a great stop.

1 person found this review helpful
  • 2 Reviews
  • 0 Helpful
June 25, 2023
Rated 5.0

Update there are two statues and there is a Bunyan holding a hotdog

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  • 2 Reviews
  • 0 Helpful
June 25, 2023
Rated 5.0

No more Hotdog, but the kids loved it :)

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Reviewed by
t8rtott

  • 1 Review
  • 0 Helpful
December 27, 2022
Rated

Fun time on the road back to Texas from Chitown after being stranded by Southwest Airlines! Gotta make the best of it, right?
#irishindian7

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Bunyon With a Hotdog

110 Southwest Arch Street
Atlanta, Illinois
61723 USA
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Hours

Open 24 hours today
  • Sun - Sat: 12:00 am - 11:59 pm

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