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Trucking Museum Opens At World’s Largest Truck Stop
August 4, 2008
Everyone has a dream. Bill Moon’s was to open a trucking museum.
Bill died in 1992, but his dream did not. He had a family to complete that dream, and he left behind a business — Iowa 80, the World’s Largest Truck Stop, which included a lot of land (220 acres) and a large supply of old trucks. It took a while, but on July 14, 2008, the Iowa 80 Trucking Museum finally opened to the public in Walcott, Iowa.
The Trucking Museum is a natural attraction in a place where many of the travelers are already truckers. It exhibits a rotating selection of 40 vintage vehicles out of Bill’s collection of over 100, including a 1910 “Trucktor” — a failed mutant hybrid between a truck and a tractor. Antique gas pumps line the walls, and a theater shows nothing but trucking movies (Smokey and the Bandit, Convoy, White Line Fever, etc.) This would be an interesting place to watch Duel.
Even for those who drive nothing larger than a minivan, Iowa 80 is an attraction. It employs 450 workers and offers parking for 800 trucks. It has world’s largest trucker store (with three full-size 18-wheelers in its indoor showroom), a Dolby Surround Sound movie theater, a “Driver’s Den” complete with a fireplace, laudromat, barber shop, and dentist, 24 private showers, and a mighty multi-stall Truckomat truck wash (it can even clean diesel engines).
If you ever wanted to buy a set of naked lady silhouette mud flaps, or just a World’s Largest Truck Stop collecter spoon, this is the place.
Sections: Attraction News 2 Comments »
August 11th, 2008 at 8:09 am
On the western edge of Iowa, just South of I-80 on State Rt. 59, is the town of Ashland. They have a historical museum that is well worth the short jaunt out of the way. The antique steam tractor by itself is worth the trip. Packed with quaint antique items.
August 17th, 2008 at 10:35 am
This sounds oddly compelling. To the batmobile!!!