We were heading home from a few days in Branson, Missouri. The three older kids were anxious to get home and call their friends. We were all tired. We had a cranky 16 month old with us. We had about 3 hours to go….then my husband and I saw the sign….BIG BRUTUS….
We had talked about going to see Big Brutus for several years. It was a great day trip from where we lived. We had relatives that had been there and said it was worth the drive. We had never gotten around to going though. My husband asked if I wanted to detour and go. It was only about 17 miles from the road we were on. At first I said no….so we sailed past the turn. Then I realized that we may never “get around” to going and since we were so close we might as well do it!
My husband turned around without complaint! He was about the only one not complaining though. The three big kids didn't want to go. They thought it would be boring. What was Big Brutus anyway? On and on it went. I almost gave in and said to forget it….but I can be stubborn!
It turns out that going off the beaten path can be fun. Our kids found out that detours can be a super time! We learned so much about Big Brutus and got to see it up close! When we left each of our older kids said that they were glad we had driven out in the middle of nowhere to see Big Brutus! (yes…mommy may have said, “I told you so”)
What is Big Brutus
In case you haven't heard of Big Brutus (and I am guessing that most of you haven't)…it is the largest electric shovel in the world! Right there in southeast Kansas! It was used for coal mining. It is VERY cool to see in person! This shovel is HUGE! You can walk around it and even climb through many parts of the shovel. There is a wonderful visitors center that will tell you everything you ever wanted to know about Big Brutus.
I highly recommend a trip if you live in Kansas, Missouri or Oklahoma! Here is a link to the website: www.bigbrutus.org
Has your family ventured off the beaten path lately? If so…where did you go! I would love to hear about it.
If you want another fun place to visit in Kansas be sure to check out our visit to Botanica in Wichita!
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Well that sounds like fun! What a cool thing to see.
You’re not kidding about it being HUGE. It looked big, but when you showed the pic inside the scoop, I really saw the reality.
OH WOW! That is humungous! The picture of your family inside it is shocking with the size
It’s huge!!!! :)))))
No. It lately. I can’t believe how big it is. It looks like you could easily park a vehicle in the shovel. So neat.
Oh my! The picture of your family inside really shows how big Big Brutus is. It looks like it was a great detour.
Yes..you have to see it to really appreciate how huge it is!
Holy cow, that is huge, and such a cool thing to see! Thanks for sharing!
Wow that thing is massive! I’m not sure when or if we’ll be in that area but if we are, that’s definitely something to see.
Okay this is just cool and something that my family would dig!
This is so cool and something my family would dig! Get it dig?
🙂
Wow that shovel is huge. I know that I would opt off the beaten path if my kids were getting “car happy”. This is a great way to stretch the legs and get some fresh air. I think my boys would enjoy the big shovel.
That is massive, this looks really awesome though; would surely excite the little ones!
It does pay off sometimes indeed to go off the beaten path. When we were kids, my parents would do this sometimes. I haven’t heard of Big Brutus before but if we are ever out that way will will have to stop to see this giant shovel. It is amazing how big it is and the kids would have fun climbing on it indeed. Thanks for sharing.
Thanks Rebecca!
It looks awesome in photos, what more in person! 🙂
I so want to travel but have to wait until my husband gets leave! Hoping to visit the USA one day.
I had never even heard of Big Brutus until reading this pist,so thanks for teaching me something new! I’m glad you guys had fun, but I probably would have been too afraid to get to close! Lol
Well, it hasn’t been used for quite a while..so it is pretty safe! 🙂
These are always such fun stops for the kids! http://www.parentinghealthy.com/
My son would love seeing this. It’s a good reminder to give yourself a little extra time when traveling, too… that way you can go off course without stressing about it. 🙂
So true…yes this is right up most boys alley!!
Wow, you guys look like ants!
My husband is great about finding things off the beaten path. He would probably LOVE this.
holy cow, that is huge!!! that looks pretty cool though.
What an awesome sight to see. That thing is HUGE! I wouldn’t be able to resist standing in it, either.
never heard of it…that is so cool!
wow this is huge and would be fun and scary to be there!
Wow, that thing is huge and awesome! My daughter would love that. She used to make me read her a book about construction equipment from A to Z. We are in North Texas right now enjoying the rugged beauty and seeing a lot of horses and cows! Found you on the Welcome Wednesday link up. Thanks for sharing!
Thanks for stopping by! Yes, your daughter would love it if she likes construction equipment!! We aren’t all that far from North Texas!!
I am Canadian so I don’t know if I ever will actually see it…but you make it seem amazing