Poor Matt. He’s been doing a lot of the “heavy lifting” for the sake of the blog lately, like when we sent him out on a tightrope 70 feet in the air in November. Last month, we sent him up a circular staircase of 228 steps, to the top of Absecon Lighthouse, the third tallest lighthouse in America.

Well, someone has to do it.

Where we went, and who was coerced into going:

We spent a cold President’s Day weekend in Atlantic City, New Jersey, WITH the kids. Despite those obstacles, we still had a great time, and found plenty to do. One of our stops was the Absecon Lighthouse, the tallest in New Jersey and the third tallest in the United States (topped only by the Cape Hatteras Lighhouse in North Carolina, and the Ponce De Leon Inlet Lighthouse in Florida).

Okay, what was so cool about it?

The lighthouse has been decommissioned since 1933, but it’s still lit every night, and open for tours daily.

Absecon Lighthouse, Atlantic City, NJ

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A Round-Up of BIG News Highlights Across The Globe

It’s the second edition of our new monthly feature, the BIG Times, to share our finds of BIG-ness!

GBOGH Awarded!

There was some BIG satisfaction from learning this month that two blog posts from last year earned “Finalist” spots in the 2012 NATJA (North American Travel Journalists’ Association) Awards! In the category of “Internet/Family Travel,” our post on Gatorland’s world’s largest collection of white alligators was recognized. In the category of “Travel Tips & Advice,” this post on “How to Find a Kid-Friendly Hotel” earned recognition as well.

World’s Largest Stuff-of-the-Month

The Topps company celebrated the launch of 2013 Topps Baseball Series 1 and the start of Spring Training with the unveiling of the World’s Largest Baseball Card this month at spring training in Florida.  It would take 82,944 cards to make up the size of this card, which was 90 feet tall and 60 feet wide!

Credit: Topps

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All I knew as we approached Trenton, NJ was that we should be looking for the world’s largest tooth, based on an address listed on RoadsideAmerica.com. As we approached, I saw signs for “Grounds for Sculpture,” and excitedly noticed several other over-sized artworks.

This 15-foot tall tooth isn’t on the “Grounds for Sculpture” proper, but it’s nearby. It actually sits unceremoniously on the side of the road, in front on the Congoleum warehouse. There was some trepidation as we parked, but we figured we would be okay on a weekend!

“Tooth” by Seward Johnson

That’s when The Boy struck with this zinger, delivered with a smirk: “We should go see if there’s any plaque with the artist’s name.” BAM!! Bless him; he inherited his mother’s wit.

Of course, there was a plaque. The piece is officially called “Tooth,” by Seward Johnson. It was made of aluminum in 1982, and is on loan from The Sculpture Foundation, Inc.

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Thanks to everyone who entered our giveaway for the fab “Get to Know Alamo” prize pack. The winner is…Marcia G.!

Remember, even if you didn’t win, you’re still entitled to an additional 10% discount on any Alamo rental, just for joining the “Alamo Insiders” program. Seriously, that’s like free money!

**THIS GIVEAWAY OFFER IS NOW CLOSED.**

I spend an inordinate amount of time planning the GBOGH family’s travel, and while I love doing it, I’m always looking for ways to simplify the process! Alamo recently contacted me about its revamped website, and I’m now a fan of its new features, such as the Alamo Deal Retriever^SM tool, and the Alamo Insiders loyalty program. And – woo hoo – Alamo is working with us this week to give away a BIG prize pack to help spread the word!

When Alamo – part of the world’s largest car rental network — re-launched its website, it added the Alamo Deal Retriever system so you can find the best Alamo car rental deal with one click. It searches all valid Alamo deals and coupons on the web to find the best rates to meet your specific needs.

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…as evidenced by the melted chocolate around her mouth.

When it comes to Valentine’s Day candy, chocolate isn’t the only kid on the block. If you want points for creativity, pass on the red heart-shaped box from Walgreens. I can also do without those chalky pastel message hearts, thank you.

Our travels have brought us to several BIG candy stores where the selection is vast, and the ideas are limitless. For inspiration, I recommend visiting one of the world’s largest candy stores from this list before buying sweets for your sweetie. I’ve also made a few suggestions on what to buy to commemorate Valentine’s Day, if you want to go a step beyond predictable!

b.a. Sweetie Candy Company, Inc.

While Sweeties Candy is the largest candy store in Arizona, its no-frills warehouse in Cleveland, Ohio bills itself as the “largest candy store in the U.S.A.,” offering the “largest selection of candy in the world.” Those are some pretty BIG claims, so we went to check it out last summer on our Cleveland road trip.

You’ll need at least an hour to cover the 20,000 square feet housing ten aisles of candy – over 3,500 different varieties, stocked floor to ceiling. You’ll find a lot of bulk candy on display in addition to small packages, and all the tools – molds, sprinkles, sugars — to make your own candy.

b.a. Sweetie Candy Company

There’s an entire wall dedicated to PEZ dispensers and hard-to-find candy flavors like chocolate and cola. I loved discovering brands I’ve never heard of before, like Pearson’s Nut Goodies, Chase Cherry Mash candy bars, and Annabelle’s Abba-Zaba Taffey.

Best Bet For Valentine’s Day – Head to the large Jelly Belly display, and mix a custom blend from the vast variety of colors; including all sorts of red and pink hues.

World’s largest jelly bean?

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A Round-up of BIG News Highlights Across the Globe

There’s just so much BIG stuff going on every month; it’s difficult keeping track! We’re starting a new monthly feature, the BIG Times, to cover some recent highlights of BIG-ness. A Compendium of the Colossal…an Overview of the Oversized… a Summary of the Substantial…okay, I’ll stop playing around on Thesaurus.com now.

BIG Events

1. You never know what you’ll happen upon in Grand Central Station in New York City. When I took the train into NYC this month for the New York Times Travel Show, I was surprised to find the world’s largest squash spectator event – the J.P. Morgan Tournament of Champions – taking place inside Vanderbilt Hall. I stuck around and watched a practice session for a few minutes, imagining myself as a squash player, and wondering how long it would take for me to get pelted with the ball.

The World’s Largest Squash Spectator Event!

2. This isn’t news if you live in Seattle, but the World’s Largest Snowball Fight took place this month, as 162,000 lbs. of snow was trucked into to a snow fort village, and six thousand people chucked it at each other! The real bonus was that the proceeds went to the Boys and Girls Clubs of King County.

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We definitely needed a post on something exotic and highbrow to balance the last one! Our friend Sandra Foyt to the rescue, with this month’s guest post on the world’s largest turban, located in Udaipur, India. You may remember Sandra, editor of Albany Kid, from her post on Bubblegum Alley, the world’s largest collection of “ABC” (already been chewed) gum. She has eclectic interests. I dig it.

Her report:

Where we went, and who was coerced into going:

By the time my two teens and I arrived in Udaipur, we were beginning to suffer from one of the first gastro-bugs that felled us while traveling in India and Nepal. Nothing serious, but we weren’t up for doing anything too ambitious.

A short visit to Bagore-ki-Haveli, a restored royal palace, located a block away from our lodgings, sounded like an entertaining option for a tranquil afternoon.

The Bagore-Ki-Haveli Palace, Udaipur, India

WHY did you go there, exactly?

Curiosity, plain and simple. Who wouldn’t want to see the world’s largest turban? I’m a sucker for royal palaces; and added bonus, Bagore-ki-Haveli was reputed to hold an eclectic collection of regional folk art.

World’s Largest Turban

Okay, what was so cool about it?

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We’re back! Thanks for holding.

Where we went, and who was coerced into going:

Country Junction

You know I’m an easy grader when I rate the places we visit. Too many years spent working in PR, looking for the best in places for a proper spin. I tried my hardest at Country Junction, the world’s largest general store, but I may have met my match. It’s a chain, but we went to the largest flagship location. I couldn’t get out of this place fast enough.

WHY did you go there, exactly?

I love the retail, you know that. Matt was even patient enough to visit the world’s largest candle store, and the world’s largest shoe store. These places lulled him into a false sense of security. Having been scarred at Country Junction, I’ve lost his trust.

Okay, what was so cool about it?

Welllll…not much.

A “general store” makes me think of an old-timey emporium out in Walnut Grove where the Ingalls family would buy coffee, jerky, nails, and penny candy. This place began as a hardware store, then added lawn and garden products, then gift and home décor items. There’s furniture, seasonal décor, grocery, a candy counter, and a bakery.

Oh, and a fine selection of guns and ammo. And a display of taxidermied animals. The turkey would look nice over our fireplace.

The green lights add a lot to the display, I think.

The layout follows a yellow brick road (painted squares on the cement floor), and there are a few animatronics here and there to keep the kids from whining. And random dinosaur and Spartacus statues.

Hail! (Matt forgot to bring his gold chest plates on this trip.)

We didn’t purchase much, but we did try the fresh-baked apple dumplings in the bakery department, and they were quite good.

Here’s a few things we found among the merch:

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We’ve been quiet for the past week on GBOGH. It hasn’t felt right, since the Newtown tragedy, to cheekily post about our travel adventures. So, we’re taking a couple of weeks away from the blog to celebrate the holidays, and to spend time as a family.

You may still see us showing up on Facebook, Twitter, Pinterest, and Instagram.

Look for us is this space in early January, with posts on the world’s largest Pez dispenser, Van de Graaf generator, living history museum, and more! There’s plenty in the hopper!

January will also bring a guest post on the world’s largest turban; and our first site in India! Remember, we welcome guest posts, so if you’ve been somewhere BIG and would like to write for us, contact us.

Best wishes for the BIGGEST and happiest of holidays!

– Traci, Matt, The Boy and The Girl

“Lights on the Lake” at Onondaga Lake Park, Liverpool, NY