World’s Largest Ball of Twine, Cawker City, KS

Probably the king of roadside attractions, the world’s largest ball of twine (sisal twine, to be exact) has been a work in progress since 1953. The ball was started by resident Frank Stoeber as simply a way to store extra twine. According to Roadside America, “By 1957, his twine ball weighed 2.5 tons and stood eight feet tall. By 1961, when he turned it over to the town, Stoeber had over 1,600,000 feet of twine rolled into a sphere 11 feet in diameter.” Now (as of October 2015), the ball has a circumference of 43 feet, could stretch 1530 miles, and weighs nearly 20,100 pounds. It is obviously a source of pride for this small town in northern Kansas. The ball has its own shelter, the surrounding sidewalks are painted with squiggly lines depicting unraveling twine, and a Twine-A-Thon is held every August. Visited October 2015.

Location: On Wisconsin Street (Route 24).