Go BIG or Go Home
What Happens When A Small-Town Family Visits The "World's Largest"... Whatever!

My 7 Links

Have you heard about the “7 Links” meme going around among travel bloggers? It’s a Tripbase project to share some of our previous posts, with the benefit of hindsight. If you’re new to Go BIG or Go Home, I’m about to highlight the seven posts you should read to get caught up on all this quirky insanity.

I was nominated by the lovely ladies at Road Trips for Families, who share my compulsion for quirky travel, with no qualms about forcing their kids to visit retro roadside attractions.

So, here I go:

Most beautiful post:

Montreal Botanic Garden

The Alpine Garden

There’s not much tear-jerky, emotional “beauty” going on here. I’m saving that for the moment I cast eyes on the world’s largest ball of twine…sigh. But in terms of physical beauty, it doesn’t get prettier than Montreal’s botanic garden. It’s the world’s second largest botanic garden, with many smaller themed gardens within. This post described the day we played explorer in the Alpine, Chinese, and Aquatic gardens, rode the tram, ate lunch al fresco, and enjoyed a low-fi visit on a perfectly sunny and cool day.

Most popular post:

When I look at this blog’s traffic, I always get a giggle when I see what posts are getting the most visits. That’s because two of the most popular posts are about the world’s largest toilet and world’s largest Rubik’s Cube. Both were guest posts, because I send my minions out for all the “choice” assignments. And I’m guessing the term “world’s largest toilet” is an “SEO” bonanza.

World's Largest Toilet

Because I know you want to see it again.

Most controversial post:

There was quite a heated exchange of comments following this guest post about the world’s largest candy store. This was also the first time an attraction scored a lowly “2” on our ten-point scale, where 1 equals “snoozefest,” and 10 equals “add to your bucket list.” Our guest reviewer Tom thought Daffin’s Candy Store was sorely lacking appeal, although he did give props to the taffy selection. Candy afficionados weighed in to defend this long-standing institution.

Most helpful post:

With our aforementioned scoring system, we try to steer you toward – or away from – each of the BIG places we visit, so you don’t waste your time. But this recent post went a step further, describing great, affordable places for families to eat on the road instead of traditional restaurants. We visited the world’s largest Wegmans supermarket, which has an amazingly extensive food bar and seating area. Other road warrior family bloggers offered their suggestions, as well.

A post whose success surprised me:

Second to the About Us page, the single page which gets the most traffic on this blog is about our short walk along the world’s longest continuous sidewalk, Bayshore Boulevard in Tampa, FL. I need a professional SEO analyst to tell me why this post, which appeared over a year ago, still attracts so much traffic. Any takers?

The source of most visits to this page is via Google, so I guess there are hundreds of people every month searching for info on the “world’s longest sidewalk?!” It wasn’t even that great a story. Our walk was cut short because 1) It was 210 degrees that day; and 2) The Girl got sunscreen in her eye, a drama which rendered her unable to stand upright on her own two feet.

A post which didn’t get the attention it deserved:

I would like more eyes to see these posts on the world’s largest collection of glass at the Corning Museum of Glass, and the world’s largest light bulb at the Thomas Edison Center. Because we’re not JUST about BIG toilets, ya know! These were visits to places with educational value, where my kids experienced “hands-on” science and history. And we have fun video clips on both posts, so there’s that!

The post I am most proud of:

I get nostalgic for historic sites which are still open to the public, keeping their story alive. The Mirror Lake Shuffleboard Club in St. Petersburg, FL is not only the world’s largest shuffleboard club, but also the nation’s oldest. We were fortunate to have a “behind-the-scenes” tour from the president of the club, which works to not only preserve it as a historic site, but also promote the sport. Shuffleboard Friday nights are now popular events for local families, who come for a night a wholesome fun. We learned to play shuffleboard the right way. I’m ready to go pro.

Recently, the city of St. Petersburg accepted bids from restaurants to come in and take over the 1923 Art Deco clubhouse. I would hate to see this charming spot taken over by a capital venture, especially when there’s no lack of restaurants in St. Pete! The locals have been vocally opposed, so hopefully there will be a positive resolution.

shuffleboard

So much fun...such a wonderful place.

The bloggers I’m nominating for the next round are equally enamored of offbeat road trips; some with kids in tow, some without. They’re all really groovy!

Tina at Ploho on the Road

Dana at Feasting on Americana

Carly at Bloggin’ America

Elizabeth at Livin’ to Drive

Tanya at Driving and Dining

7 comments

  1. Fiona said,
    August 11, 2011 @ 6:38 am

    Traci this is great, kinda like a season 1 highlights tape. As for the continuous sidewalk, you might get some athletic parents looking to get in a jog.

  2. Tina E. said,
    August 11, 2011 @ 8:54 am

    School can’t come fast enough so that Ploho on the Road can receive the love and attention it needs!

  3. August 11, 2011 @ 9:45 am

    Traci,
    Thanks so much for thinking of us!
    We will gladly take the baton and take a lap.

    (Guilty…) We were one of the folks who stopped off at your Rubik’s Cube page guest post. The munchkin was excited to see it, so it made the list this Summer. Pictures to follow.

    (OMG!) There’s a “Largest toilet?!” Okay, to wacky to miss that – note to self. Man, our family is strange…

    Thank you again to Go BIG or Go Home!
    All the best,
    Dana, Tim and E

  4. Mike said,
    August 11, 2011 @ 10:19 am

    210 degrees is quite hot, yet I bet that oppressive heat seemed bearable compared to the scene that followed once The Girl got the sunscreen in her eye.

  5. Tanya said,
    August 11, 2011 @ 12:44 pm

    Thanks for the nomination, Tracy – can’t wait to put a ‘highlights reel’ together for Driving and Dining, too. That Shuffleboard club looks really cool!

  6. Dana R. Daffin said,
    June 20, 2012 @ 1:37 am

    Hi…my wife, of 54 Years…(the late Pamela Daffin, 1937-2011), visited & also purchased Daffin Candies,
    (in Pennsylvania, I believe), back in the 1990’s, & early 2000’s, & enjoyed their tour very much!
    (From 80-Year-Old, Dana Randolph Daffin) danadaffin60@gmail.com

    • Traci Suppa said,
      June 23, 2012 @ 5:21 pm

      Thank you for your note, Mr. Daffin! The person who wrote the post about Daffin’s wasn’t a chocolate lover like I am — I think I would have enjoyed the place quite a bit!