Dothan, Alabama: Big Gold Peanut and Art Peanuts

Anxious to see the "huge" golden peanut in Dothan, I trekked to the Convention and Visitors Center and was underwhelmed by its size, but delighted at its beauty and function. It signifies that, yes indeed, this is the home of the peanut in Alabama and the home town of the National Peanut Festival held each fall in honor of the farmers and the annual peanut harvest. Inside the center, there are maps, books, and friendly people who will help you find the 44-plus peanut sculptures placed around town. Inside is an Elvis Peanut. It was brought inside because he was the most-stolen peanut of them all, and they needed a safe harbor for the colorful character.

Dothan Peanuts are scattered throughout the city as a part of a community art project. They are subject to move around, but the Big Gold Peanut is permanently situated at the visitor's center.

While visiting Dothan, make sure you visit the murals downtown as well: they feature subjects such as country music, Johnny Mac Brown, a gunfight, a steamboat, turpentine, a Sherman Rose mural, and a woman's mural. Dothan is Alabama's "Mural City."

Dothan is the city of peanuts. There are peanut characters everywhere. On the corner of Burdeshaw and Oates, near downtown, is a creative statue of a movie director with an old camera facing him. This town is fun. Many "nuts" everywhere.

Where any tour of Dothan should start. There's a large gold peanut out front, and a big Elvis peanut inside (It was originally in front of a Dothan business, but people kept trying to steal it). There are free maps of all the painted peanuts and painted wall murals around Dothan, and free peanut-themed recipes. We also bought several peanut souvenirs. The woman at the desk while we were there was very nice and helpful.

There are a bunch of these big peanuts all over the city. I wish we had more time to find them all!