A Giant-Sized Stop in a Small Town

1nonblonde
Jun 23
2 min read

April 2025: If you’ve never heard of Casey, Illinois, don’t worry - you’ll see it coming from a mile away… literally. Because everything in this tiny town is HUGE, we’re talking record-breakingly huge. After a short jaunt from Indy, we rolled into Casey (pronounced KAY-zee, for you out-of-towners) for a Harvest Host overnight stay at Richards Farm Restaurant, ready to soak in the oversized small-town charm.

It was one of those days when the sky looked like a dirty cotton ball, but the rain politely held off while we roamed the town on foot like two shameless tourists with camera phones locked and loaded.

And roam we did. Because Casey isn’t just known for one or two novelty items - it has 12 things certified by the Guinness Book of World Records as the World’s Largest, plus a slew of honorable mentions. A local businessman named Jim Bolin is the visionary behind all this giant goodness. He decided to breathe life into his hometown by building big stuff, and honestly? It worked. Tourists like us are totally into it.

We took the opportunity to mail a postcard from the World’s Largest Mailbox (yes, it’s functional), stood slack-jawed under the World’s Largest Rocking Chair, peeked inside the World’s Largest Wooden Shoes, and even played around the World’s Largest Teeter Totter - though after lunch, we weren’t feeling that brave.

There’s also antlers, a barber pole, a pair of knitting needles, wind chimes, and more. All giant. All photogenic. All perfect for making your social media followers do a double-take.

After our big day with big things, we returned to our Harvest Host spot for the night - Richards Farm Restaurant, which sits on the edge of town. The converted barn-turned-eatery is rustic and cozy, with three levels of seating and a reputation that draws crowds on holidays like Mother’s Day (pro tip: book early if you plan to visit then).

But the real MVP? The salad bar.Not your basic bowl-of-lettuce-and-a-crouton situation. This thing had four homemade soups, all piping hot and soul-hugging. There was fresh-baked bread that made us question our carb discipline, and enough crisp, colorful veggies to make your grandma proud. And we can’t forget the creamy pasta and potato salads and delicious puddings. We may have gone back for seconds. And maybe thirds. But in our defense, the portions were probably proportionally giant - you know, to match the town.

As if perfectly timed for the finale, a massive thunderstorm rolled in mid-dinner, so we hunkered down, sipped our drinks, and stretched our stay under the guise of “waiting it out.” Honestly, we just didn’t want to leave. The ambiance, the food, the stormy vibes - chef’s kiss.