Tennessee Drivers Bewildered by 18-Foot Skillet Traveling I-59

We've got a new "World's Largest" on our road trip bucket list after an 18-foot cast iron skillet was spotted trucking along a Tennessee interstate.

Food
2 min
Meghan Yani
Meghan Yani

Road trip enthusiasts have a new stop to add to their bucket lists after America’s latest roadside oddity was spotted casting a spell on drivers along a Tennessee interstate last Friday en route to its permanent home.

Cooking Up Something Big

South Pittsburg, Tennessee’s Lodge Cast Iron Store has been cooking up something special in celebration of their 125th anniversary — an 18-foot, 14,360-pound cast-iron skillet set to debut at the Lodge Cast Iron Museum when it opens this summer.

The museum hopes to open while the cast iron is hot and has no intention of being a flash in the pan, having curated an experience for tourists to learn about the rich history of cast iron and commemorate the community that cookware maker Lodge Manufacturing has called home since 1896.

Visitors can look forward to a variety of exhibits, including “How It’s Made,” “Lodge History & Legacy,” and “Cast Iron Culture,” in which Lodge partners with the Southern Foodways Alliance to give hungry guests a taste of Southern cast-iron cooking.

While there will be plenty of “rare cast-iron collections” to behold, the World’s Largest Cast Iron Skillet will be the museum’s main dish. Fans can even get their very own (much smaller) cast-iron cookware over at the Lodge Cast Iron Factory Store!

Don’t load up the car quite yet, though! While the oversized skillet has officially touched down in its new town, Lodge will be keeping it under wraps until the museum officially opens at the end of summer, which means more time for you to plan your itinerary!

Map Out Your Unbelievable Roadtrip To Tennessee

No quirky road trip would be complete without a pitstop in Gatlinburg, Tennessee, home to seven Ripley’s Attractions ! While you’re there, be sure to check out Ripley’s Believe It or Not! Odditorium to come face to bumper with a car covered in crystals, breathe fire with a scrap-metal dragon, and have a squint at the Last Supper made of lint! Or swim over to Ripley’s Aquarium of the Smokies to take in some of the world’s most curious creatures!

gatlinburg

Can’t wait for the end of summer to satisfy your record-breaking itch? Head over to our Facebook to watch our pride, joy, and latest world-record-breaking achievement, Hoss the Human Hairball’s hair-oic journey from road tripping around the world collecting human hair for his mega-coif to his magnificent New Year’s Eve Hairball drop!

About The Author

Meghan Yani

Meghan Yani

A Ripley's contributor since 2020, Meghan is a nomad with a taste for the weirder things in life. Kn…

By this author

Does Alcohol Evaporate Out of Food When Cooked?

Does Alcohol Evaporate Out of Food When Cooked?

The Appalachian Apple Hunter Who Saved 1,200 Lost Varieties

The Appalachian Apple Hunter Who Saved 1,200 Lost Varieties

How Long Does It Actually Take to Digest Swallowed Gum?

How Long Does It Actually Take to Digest Swallowed Gum?

Read All Their Stories

Or Explore Our Categories

Have an Amazing Story?

At Ripley’s, we’re always in search of the unbelievable – maybe it’s you! Show us your talents. Tell us a strange story or a weird fact. Share your unbelievable art with us. Maybe even sell us something that could become a part of Ripley’s collection!

Have an Amazing Story?

Read More Ripley's

Get lost in a vortex of weird and wonderful stories! Ripley’s twenty-first edition annual book is full of all-new, all-true stories from around the world.

Dare to Discover book
Buy Now
Swirling Pinstripe backdrop
Ripley's Cartoon of the Day

November 21, 2024

Cartoon of the Day

In 2024, a man wore 70 pieces of clothing on a flight to avoid baggage fees.

Ripley's Cartoon of the Day

Robert Ripley began the Believe It or Not! cartoon in 1918. Today, Kieran Castaño is the eighth artist to continue the legacy of illustrating the world's longest-running syndicated cartoon!