Tat’s Bizarre Travels

SHIPPENSBURG, PA - This was my favorite stop in middle Pennsylvania. I wasn’t sure at first because there was no website and the only real mention was the listing on Roadside America (the best web site in the world). It’s only about a 5 minute drive from Mr. Ed’s, and if you’re not counting down the numbers on the mailboxes it could be easily missed. The place is situated in the back yard of Ernest Helm and according to the folks at Roadside America (RA) it was built for his cats. It’s almost magical because it’s on the crest of a hill, and, if you were coming in from the south like I was, it just appears behind the normal sized house.

There were no cats when I stopped, nor was Mr. Helm or any of his family around. I’m not sure if there are still any cats. All the building have had their windows and doors covered in plexi so I don’t imagine cat’s would be especially excited to hang out in Tiny World, unless it’s just to sit on the roofs of the town. It just goes to show that someone disrespected the true awesomeness of Tiny World and now the cats (and the rest of the viewing public) have to suffer.

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ORRTANNA, PA - On my way back across the vast expanse of Pennsylvaniatucky I had planned on making a few stops in order to make the experience a little less painful. The place I really wanted to see was Mister Ed’s Elephant Museum.

Just off of Route 30, my new favorite road, lies the elephant museum. The billboard that I saw was much more interested in advertising the candy than the elephants, but they don’t make any money off of the viewing the over 6,000 elephants…they make money off of the store. But more on that later.

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NORTH HUNTINGDON, PENNSYLVANIA - This weekend I’m heading out to Philly. This means I’m spending my time visiting friends rather than the odd homes of roadside attractions. I would be happy to share many of the fantastic places to stop in Philly, most of them bars.

That being said, when I left Pittsburgh yesterday at 3:00 I wanted to go around the city instead of through it. I have a deadly fear of gridlock when I know I’ll be in the car for 5+ hours. So I took a trip down 70 and hit the turnpike a mere 20 minutes from the Big Mac Museum. So I turned the car back in the direction I came and went to visit, what the website insists, is:

The most tasteful museum in the world

Ummm…

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