Do you want your very own plastic Braxton County Monster? You might find a used one online, but for a fresh model you have to go to the source: Braxton County, West Virginia.
Richland, Washington (Home of “The Bombers”), has never shied from showing pride in its nuclear heritage. But its loyalty was recently tested when the local museum stopped selling “atomic marbles” in its gift shop.
Cheap miniature metal buildings are a classic souvenir category. At one time they were made with actual metal — probably pewter — and often handily doubled as banks or salt and pepper shakers. Today they are most likely cast from polyresin with a faux-bronze finish. But they still generally sell in a reasonable $5-10 price […]
If a tourist attraction succeeds, thrives, and endures long enough, it accumulates a storeroom full of old brochures and souvenirs. While many owners toss yesteryear’s marketing into the trash and merchandise into the 25 cent bins, some hold onto their creations. They open a “museum” about the attraction’s past, to put tourists in the proper […]
When it comes to Abe Lincoln, tourist attractions haven’t been shy in finding ways to cash in and merchandize. We’ve seen all manner of misshapen statuary of our 16th President, commemorative plates, paperweights, and trashy keepsakes. Unlike Elvis Presley, there is no surviving estate with a lawyer army to crush off-brand souvenirs. But Lincoln is […]
