The Eiffel Tower. The Great Wall. The Pyramids of Gaza. These are dream vacation destinations for many. You won’t find The Biggest Ball of Twine in Darwin, Minnesota, on many’s lists, though. But, when I had you vote between the biggest mall and the biggest ball of twine, you chose to send me to the rural town of Darwin. And, let’s say, this historic landmark might stay off your list after reading this.
The City That The Ball Of Twine Made
Darwin, Minnesota, is just a little over an hour outside of Minneapolis. It’s a small town that less than 400 people call home. If you were driving down route 12, you would drive right past it probably. That is if it wasn’t for the biggest ball of twine in Minnesota. This orb of string made a no-name town into a cultural phenomenon…sort of.
Francis A. Johnson single handily tied this 12-foot ball of rope and currently holds the record for the largest ball of twine made by a single human being (there are bigger balls of twine). It is said he didn’t like to waste anything, which is why he started tying this sphere together. They also say he may have even died from this project by breathing in all the twine dust. Johnson was a non-smoker and died emphysema. So they chalk that up to his 29 years of inhaling the twine dust.
This ball may have ended Johnson’s life, but it put this small town on the map. From news stories to Guinness Book of World records. This no-name town was now the talk of the town. Even the parody king Weird Al wrote a popular song about it. So, when you all chose to send me here, my childhood self was pretty thrilled.
Visiting The Biggest Ball Of Twine In Minnesota
I loved Weird Al when I was younger, so I was well aware of this ball of twine because of his work. But, even though I am from Minnesota, I have never been. For years, I assumed my parents were neglecting me by not taking me to this 8th world wonder. But, it turns out, the only thing to see in Darwin, Minnesota, is this one thing.
I love weird tourist attractions. So seeing a giant ball of rope was right up my alley. Weird Alley, to be exact, as that is the street you can find this twine ball. It’s also across the street from the closed Twine Ball Inn and right in front of the Biggest Ball Twine Museum. Which was also closed. You could text a guy to open the museum up, but it was 30 degrees out, and I wasn’t going to pull some random man out of his house so I could buy a ball of twine keychain at the gift shop.
The Biggest Ball of Twine is encased in a glass gazebo to preserve this national treasure. Actually, I heard it smells horrible, so it’s probably to prevent this town from smelling like a wet rope. As I gazed upon the giant ball, I must admit it is impressive. Well, as impressive as a ball of twine can be.
It could be very easy to mock this monument, but when is the last time any of us strung together a 12-foot ball of string. The hours this guy put into this deserves some recognition. And I admit it was kind of cool. Drive an hour and fifteen minutes to see cool? No. But, if you’re driving by, pull over and take a quick pic, kind of cool.
Nothing Else To See
There isn’t much to do around Darwin. Believe me, I tried to find something else to write in this post. The thing is, the city of Darwin looks like what you would expect a small town that had some minor fame over 20 years ago to look like. It’s a little run down and, quite frankly, a bit of a ghost town. But it was a gloomy day, so I’m sure if the sun was out, it wouldn’t have reminded me of a dark independent movie about a small-town grocer dreaming of a better life.
About five minutes away is Litchfield, Minnesota, where I stopped for a quick bite of watery Mac and Cheese at the Muddy Cow. There is a nature center to explore, but it was a little cold to hike. The lakeside was pretty, and if it were nicer out, I would have hung out there for a while. But that’s about all there is to do. Besides the cool mushroom hut, I pulled over to see.
A Fun Experience, But Not A Must
I am glad that you all chose this adventure for me. Was it the most exciting thing I have ever done in my life? Not even close. But I’m happy I can take seeing the biggest ball of twine off my list of things I have seen in my life. It was a nice drive and better than sitting at home watching “Schitt’s Creek” for the 100th time.
If you’re a fan of seeing strange things and can make any adventure fun, then this is a cool little road trip to take. If it weren’t as cold as it was, it probably would have been a lot more interesting because I could have explored a little more and taken more photos. But the weather wasn’t on my side.
But this is definitely a stop on your way to somewhere else kind of place. Unless you’re really into twine, then you should absolutely make this a destination stop. But, for the rest of us, there are plenty of other hour-long drives you could take to something much more entertaining.
*Check out the history of the biggest ball of twine HERE.
*And if you missed my last adventure you sent me on, read all about my road trip to Grand Marais, MN, HERE
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