Saturday, February 19, 2011

A slight case of blockage: the World's Smallest City Block and the other wonders of Dothan, Alabama


This is a city block?



You bet it is! The Camellia Garden Club and The Guinness Book say so.

Dothan is also the Peanut Capital of the World, or so they say, and they want you to know it with these whimsical characters...


They've also got some awesome murals.




Sometimes less is more when it comes to eccentric roadside attractions. Such is the case with the southeastern Alabama town of Dothan, home of a small, nondescript triangular patch of land at the intersection of North Appletree, Museum and Troy Streets that has been feted by the Guinness Book of World Records as the World's Smallest City Block. There's a yield sign, a stop sign, a street sign and a stone marker declaring its awesomeness, and that's, well, it. That was certainly good enough to get me to detour way out of my way on a 100-degree day last September. But wait, there's more! In addition to some really terrific murals all around town, another quirky attraction looms: whimsically decorated 4-foot tall peanut characters, in honor of Dothan's self-proclaimed title of "Peanut Capital of the World" greet you from different town vantage points. Apparently in this town, eccentric roadside attractions are a dime a Dothan.
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16 comments:

  1. wendyveeFebruary 19, 2011 at 1:53 PM

    "a dime a Dothan" ... now that's punny :)

    I have the world's shortest street on my radar for this summer :)

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  2. Gunnar and SherryFebruary 20, 2011 at 7:47 AM

    The world's shortest street? Where's that?

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  3. AnonymousFebruary 20, 2011 at 8:33 AM

    Just found your blog via Go Home or Go Big. Wish I had found it sooner, we just took a trip from Houston to Ft. Lauderdale and I totally would have detoured to Dothan. I love when the small town embraces its claim to fame ala the peanut characters.

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  4. greg urbanoFebruary 20, 2011 at 1:48 PM

    cool things to photograph come in small packages!

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  5. AnonymousFebruary 21, 2011 at 7:00 AM

    I'm surprised you didn't make special note of the mural dedicated to... Turpentine? You don't see that every day.

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  6. Gunnar and SherryFebruary 21, 2011 at 7:19 AM

    eb: Houston to Ft. Lauderdale? Sounds like a great ride. Dothan is definitely worth the detour!

    Greg: I agree! As Forrest Gump would say, they're like a box of chocolates...

    Anonymous: HA! How right you are. I suppose "Turpentine Capital of the World" doesn't have the same cache...

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  7. BillFebruary 21, 2011 at 4:33 PM

    Clearly you've run out of places to visit. Central Falls closed?

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  8. Gunnar and SherryFebruary 21, 2011 at 5:20 PM

    Bill: Those peanuts bear an uncanny resemblance to a certain potato-headed blight across RI...no?

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  9. Kris the Educated VagabondFebruary 22, 2011 at 9:02 AM

    The smallest city block reminds me of a "park" I saw in Topeka, Kansas. It was literally a little patch of grass, maybe a few feet wide at most. And there was a sign designating it an official park. You know, for all the time I spend visiting "the world's largest" attractions I need to spend some more time going to the smallest. If only to say, "Really? That's a city block?"

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  10. Gunnar and SherryFebruary 22, 2011 at 9:34 AM

    Kris: I like how the official signs at these places are almost as big as the places themselves!

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  11. BillFebruary 23, 2011 at 6:03 AM

    Yes, they do remind me of the 'taters. But, I think the peanuts offer the opportunity to render a better likeness of people.... like the one you have pictured - the Mel Cooley peanut.

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  12. Gunnar and SherryFebruary 23, 2011 at 10:24 AM

    Mel Cooley! HA! Perhaps they should have a peanut dressed as Goober from The Andy Griffith Show. That would be a Goober goober.

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  13. Frank JumpFebruary 23, 2011 at 12:07 PM

    Nice murals!

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  14. Gunnar and SherryFebruary 24, 2011 at 12:31 PM

    Thanks, Frank and great to hear from you!

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  15. Jeffery BlackwellMarch 2, 2011 at 6:58 AM

    The murals are beautiful! Thanks for sharing them.

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  16. dawson clarkJuly 24, 2018 at 7:08 AM

    i live in dothan and you only posted a few of the amazing murals and there are dozens of those peanut people around town

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