So I was really satisfied – and well, proud – to find out yesterday that I won two awards – a gold and a bronze — from the North American Travel Journalists Association (NATJA) for two posts I wrote last year!

We earned the gold in the “Internet / Family Travel” category for this post about our visit to The Big E, or the Eastern States Exposition. It’s the state fair of Massachusetts and several other New England states, and it’s where you’ll find the world’s largest traveling amusement park, the North American Midway.

The highlight of that trip, however, was trying the Craz-E burger — a bacon cheeseburger sandwiched between two halves of a glazed doughnut. When Matt set his eyes upon it, he got a glint in his eye I haven’t seen since our first date. “Lustful” is an apt description.

I have a soft spot for the St. Petersburg Shuffleboard Club. This post earned a bronze in the “Internet / Historical Travel” category. The Mirror Lake Shuffleboard Club, an Art Deco gem which opened in 1923, is the world’s largest shuffleboard club, and the nation’s oldest. It’s also where I learned I have some pretty mad shuffle skills.

Thanks for continuing to read our blog. You know, the website. On the internet.

However, staying put gave me the opportunity to plan out our next several adventures. Travel planning is almost as fun as the travel itself; without all the back seat fight refereeing. (“Stop singing in your brother’s ear. Let your sister pick the DVD. Give him back the pretzels. Did you just take her last sip? LET’S ALL PLAY THE QUIET GAME!!”)

In a few short weeks, the Go BIG family is wheels up! Here’s what the next few months look like:

February – Pittsburgh, PA

The world’s largest permanent robotics exhibition – “roboworld” – at the Carnegie Science Center

The world’s largest collection of Jurassic dinosaurs at the Carnegie Museum of Natural History

Credit: Joshua Franzos for Carnegie Museum of Natural History

March – Philadelphia, PA

The Philadelphia International Flower Show, the world’s largest indoor flower show.

(reminder to self: refill Matt’s Zyrtec prescription.)

The World’s Largest Clothespin (outdoor sculpture)

The 9th Street Italian Market, the largest outdoor market in the U.S.

April – Williamsburg, VA

The world’s largest living history museum, Colonial Williamsburg. (We went last summer, but didn’t cover much ground as the temperature was hotter than the surface of the sun. So we’re going back, this time with Grandma and Grandpa!)

"Let us out so we can go find some air conditioning!"

May – Cleveland, OH

World’s largest collection of rock memorabilia, the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame

World’s largest rubber stamp, the “Free” Stamp in Willard Park

If you know of any other “world’s largests” in these cities, spill it!

On the walk from the parking lot to the main gate, we stopped by the world’s largest globe. The Unisphere in Flushing Meadows-Corona Park was built for the 1964-1965 World’s Fair as a symbol of world peace. It is 140 feet high (that’s 12 stories) and 120 feet in diameter. Made of stainless steel, it weighs 900,000 pounds! It is stationery. It is beautiful.

Wearing our goofball T-shirts in front of the Unisphere

Of course, we’ve also seen another BIG globe, specifically, the world’s largest rotating globe, at the DeLorme headquarters in Yarmouth, ME.

This shot was taken from the third floor balcony!

“Eartha,” which measures 41.5 ft in diameter, is a three-dimensional scale model of the earth with mountains and landforms in full 3D, rotating and revolving to simulate the earth’s real movements. Eartha tilts at 23.5 degrees, just as the earth does, and revolves on a specially-designed cantilever arm, while you’re standing still, you’ll see the world pass before your eyes.

SO, let’s re-cap. Not only has the “Go BIG” family seen two world’s largests on the same day, we’ve seen two world’s largest in the same category!

Please contain your excitement. I can barely stand it myself.

Again with the shirts.

We’ve shared this post on Photo Friday at Delicious Baby.

Credit: TheVarsity.com

Back in my carefree, single, post-college days, I visited my friend Tina in Atlanta. She took me to the Varsity, the world’s largest drive-in restaurant. While I relished the extremes of salty and sweet, what made a lasting impression was the frenetic pace and secret language of the counter staff, and the charmingly retro décor.

Twenty years later, and still in Atlanta, Tina blogs at Veggievangelist about the wholesome, home-cooked meals she prepares for her family. But she still takes them to the Varsity on occasion.

In this, her second guest post for GBOGH, she assures us that not much has changed at the Varsity. Phew.

Did I mention I’m hungry?

Where we went, and who was coerced into going:

When my friend Michelle suggested that we take our gaggle of boys to The Varsity in Downtown Atlanta before heading over to the World of Coke, I didn’t hesitate. If there are wide gaps in my religious education, it isn’t hard to figure out why. Our church is across the street from what is the “World’s Largest Drive-In Restaurant.” We would go get onion rings instead of getting our butts into our Sunday School classroom.

There is not anything better to me than the siren song of the counter staff (at 23 registers all in a very long row) yelling out, “What’ll ya have, what’ll ya have?” We went the day after a particularly humiliating SEC Championship game (for Georgia), and the place was not nearly as busy as, say, the three hours leading up to a Georgia Tech football game.

This is where I got VERY confused.

WHY did you go there, exactly?

Aside from the fact that we don’t go there often anymore because of dietary considerations, Michelle and I both grew up in Atlanta and have fond memories of dining at The Varsity. It was time to let our kids in on that.

 Okay, what was so cool about it?

The Varsity is one of those places where you either love it or hate it. When it’s crowded, you sit where you can. The building is really sort of odd. They have it broken into all these separate rooms for viewing different channels on the television. You don’t dare change the channel. If you’re in the room with the football on and it’s not your game, you take your tray elsewhere.

And it’s on different levels. Oh, and before I totally zone it, a huge chunk of the parking lot along one side of the building is reserved for car service. It was cold the day of our visit, and I do not care for in-car dining because of the in-car vacuuming that takes place afterwards, so we went inside.

Nipsey Russell, the comedian, started out as a car-hop at The Varsity (if you don’t know who he is, where were you in the 1970’s?)

Another cool thing about The Varsity is that it has its own secret language. They’ve now got a board that has “Combos” listed. The menu is very straightforward. You can order a naked dog walking (plain hot dog to go). Or a Bag of Rags (a bag of potato chips).

Heavy weights with ring ones? Or just the Combo #1?

How to order other items on the Varsity menu:

M.K. Dog — a naked dog with mustard and ketchup

Heavy Dog — a hot dog with extra chili

Walk a Dog (or Steak) — a hot dog (or hamburger) to go

Glorified Steak — a hamburger with mayonnaise, lettuce, and tomato

Ring One — order of onion rings

F.O. — a frosted orange shake

Michelle and I had chili dog combos with onion rings and of course, before our trip to World of Coke, a Coke Zero. Heartburn be damned.

How it rated on a scale of 1 to 10 (1 = snoozefest, 10 = add to your bucket list): ★★★★★★★★

I give it an eight. It’s where to go if you’re from Atlanta and feeling nostalgic (and wearing your best stretch pants).

Car hops in training.

A little background info about the place:

Frank Gordy started The Varsity in 1928. Over the years, the Gordy family has opened other locations (one in Athens, the rest mostly in suburban Atlanta). This is the best location.

Hey YOU! Go BIG:

The Varsity, 61 North Avenue, Atlanta, GA 30308

404-881-1706

Norman Rockwell Museum

The word “museum” is subject to qualification when you’re traveling with young kids. Is it a place with hands-on, interactive exhibits, or static displays? Is there a restaurant on premise, and does it serve chicken nuggets? And if they do serve nuggets, are they shaped like dinosaurs??

Sometimes, a museum doesn’t quite meet my kid-friendly criteria. And yet, there is still that moment which justifies the visit.

Where we went, and who was coerced into going:

While in the Berkshires region of Massachusetts, we decided to check out the world’s largest public collection of Norman Rockwell’s works, at the Norman Rockwell Museum in Stockbridge.

WHY did you go there, exactly?

I wasn’t too sure that this museum would interest the kids, but then I found out about two temporary exhibits which changed my mind. “Curious George Saves The Day: The Art of Margret and H. A. Rey” and “Pop-Up! The Magical World of Movable Books,” are both on view through February 5th.

The Girl adores Curious George, and I figured The Boy would enjoy the artistry of the pop-up books.

Okay, what was so cool about it?

As you enter the gallery containing the Curious George exhibition, there’s a fun walk-through installation which looks like a hotel, drawn in the Rey illustrative style. This proved to be one of the few interactive features of the exhibit. There was also a reading room stocked with books and a touch-screen display.

Walking through Hôtel de l’ Europe, a hotel façade

The main part of the exhibition, though, is the collection of nearly 80 original drawings from the Rey’s children’s books. I loved seeing the original sketches of not only our favorite simian scamp, but several other characters created by the Rey’s, like Spotty the bunny and Raffy the giraffe.

To get the most from your visit, I would suggest printing out the gallery guide on the museum’s website. It provides questions and observations you can share with your kids as you walk through this exhibit.

The pop-up and moveable book collection displayed books of several genres, from a 1933 version of Pinocchio to a 2007 Star Wars guide. Both kids enjoyed this room, but it was all we could do to keep The Girl from reaching for the delicate books on open display just inches away.

She grew restless after an hour, and was not interested in moving on to the galleries of Rockwell art. Luckily, there is a “Creativity Center” on the lower level with art supplies and complimentary activity sheets. She colored Curious George and posted her creations on the community gallery wall.

The Girl was relieved to find the Creativity Center and do some coloring

At a turning point during our visit, it became clear to me that coming to this museum wasn’t really for The Girl’s benefit at all. It was really meant for The Boy. He’s 11-years old, and an alum of his elementary school’s art club. In recent years, he’s shown an appreciation of art, but mainly in the technical aspects of the work. On this day, he was able to see beyond the brush strokes.

I brought him over to see a display case. In it was a white school girl’s dress worn by Lynda Gunn, who modeled it for Rockwell as he painted The Problem We All Live With. A reproduction of the painting lay in the forefront of the case.

Courtesy Norman Rockwell Museum. All rights reserved.

The Problem We All Live With is the iconic 1964 painting depicting young Ruby Bridges on her way to an all-white public school at the beginning of racial desegregation in New Orleans. While the work is part of the Museum’s permanent collection, it is part of a traveling exhibition and is currently on view at the Dayton Art Institute in Dayton, OH.

He took in the objects in the display slowly and thoughtfully. We discussed not only what was happening in the painting, but also about what was taking place in that moment of America’s history.

“I can’t believe that could ever happen.”

There it was. The disquiet, awareness, and resonance. This was the reason for our visit.

A little background info about the place:

In 1973, Rockwell bequeathed his personal collection in trust to the Museum so that the works could be exhibited and preserved. This 367-work collection includes large-scale oil paintings as Stockbridge Main Street at Christmas, Triple Self-Portrait, The Four Freedoms, Girl at Mirror, and The Marriage License.

Since 1974, the Museum has acquired original Rockwell artwork through gifts, bequests, and purchases. This collection includes such well-known paintings as The Problem We All Live With, Christmas Homecoming, The Art Critic, and Girl Reading the Post.

The Museum’s holdings include original artwork, and the artist’s studio and its related collection, including personal memorabilia, supplies, and reference materials.

How it rated on a scale of 1 to 10 (1 = snoozefest, 10 = add to your bucket list): ★★★★★★★

3 and 7. I’m scoring in two different categories, depending on the age of the kids in  our party. The score is 3 for kids seven and under. There’s more here for older children, so for them, I score it at 7.

Hey YOU! Go BIG:

Norman Rockwell Museum

9 Glendale Road, Stockbridge, MA 01262

413-298-4100

So while we’re feeling sheepish to do so, we would like to ask you to nominate GBOGH again, this time in the “Best Travel Blog” category of the 12^th Annual Bloggies Awards. The deadline for nominations is January 15^th, which is why we have to ask now.

You’ll notice that your ballot must contain at least three unique nominees, in any of 28 categories. If you need some blogs to nominate in other categories, may we suggest:

Most Humorous Weblog, Kelley’s Break Room, http://kelleysbreakroom.blogspot.com/

Best Food Weblog, Veggievangelist, http://veggievangelist.blogspot.com/

And of course…

Best Travel Weblog, Go BIG or Go Home, http://GoBIGorGoHomeBlog.com

Thank you, again, for supporting us in a BIG way!

{Gratuitous cute kid photo} Won't you vote for their parents?!

Little did Dad know he would also be called into duty as The Boy’s social studies project assistant. I came home to find a soundly-constructed, two-story cardboard Egyptian villa. (Phew.)

Where we went, and who was coerced into going:

Matt and I went to the Foxwoods Resort in Mashantucket, CT for three days. With the promise of spa treatments for me, and hours at the poker table for Matt, we knew this would be a destination we could both enjoy.

This is the view from the Pequot Museum observation tower. I was plastered against the far wall with jelly knees, so Matt took this shot.

WHY did you go there, exactly?

Two words: Kid-free getaway. The last time the two of us were alone on a “Go BIG” assignment was over a year ago, when we dined at the world’s largest Spanish restaurant.

Besides that, Foxwoods also appealed to us because it’s the largest casino in North America, and one of the largest in the world, as measured by actual square footage dedicated to gaming. (The world’s largest casino is the Venetian Macao in China.) Foxwoods has 340,000 square feet of gaming space, which houses 6,393 slot machines, 360 tables for 15 different types of table games, and 100 poker tables. Plus, the bingo hall, one of the world’s largest, has a capacity of 3,600 people!

There are four hotels on property, 38 dining venues, and the 1,400-seat Fox Theatre, as well. We also spent an enjoyable morning at the neighboring Pequot Museum, the world’s largest Native American museum, which we’ll describe in a future post.

The 12-ft. tall Rainmaker statue lights up from within and constantly changes colors.

Okay, what was so cool about it?

I owe a debt of gratitude to Matt’s lucky underwear. On the day he wore them, I won at the Goldfish slots, the Money Wheel, and roulette. They didn’t actually work for him, though. He didn’t really lose a lot, and he only invested a minor amount for hours of entertainment. Poker at Foxwoods is played in the WPT World Poker Room, the largest poker room on the East Coast.

I sought out the slots which still had levers on the side. You don’t even feed them tokens anymore. Where’s the fun without a lever to pull?

There are plenty of opportunities to win or lose here, because Foxwoods really isn’t just one casino; it’s a string of six casinos connected across the mile-long complex. It took a full 10 minutes to walk from the MGM Grand hotel where we stayed, all the way to the Rainmaker Casino (the original casino, now celebrating its 20th anniversary). Luckily, you can find many smoke-free places to play.

In reality, I’m not much of a “play-ah,” so I sought refuge in the spas. There’s not one, but two spas here: the G Spa at the MGM Grand, and The Norwich Spa at Foxwoods, which is part of the Grand Pequot Tower hotel. There aren’t many things I would rather do than spend a few hours in a top-tier spa.

At the G Spa, I spent three hours at the mercy of my esthetician Lisa, enjoying the “East Meets West” package with hydrotherapy, a maize and Mountain Laurel body scrub, a green tea facial, and flexology. I was steamed, scrubbed, and massaged into a limp, sleepy puddle. At The Norwich Spa, I received the “Chocolate Overload” spa pedicure while sipping Bailey’s in a cup of hot chocolate. They also provide you with a chocolate bar, ostensibly to discourage you from licking the heaven-scented scrub off your own feet.

When we weren’t gambling or spa-ing, we were walking and people-watching, shopping for guilt-alleviating souvenirs for the kids, or eating. There are a lot of dining options at Foxwoods, from the typical buffets to high-priced steak houses. We had great meals at the Hard Rock Café and Shrine, an upscale Asian restaurant.

Shrine does NOT have a children’s menu. Yay!

Matt was just happy to find a Dunkin’ Donuts to keep him fueled. One of my favorite finds was the Fay Da Bakery, a casual Asian counter-service place serving sweet and savory buns of all shapes and sizes. I’m a sucker for roast pork buns, and these were warm, cheap, and perfect for late-night noshing.

How it rated on a scale of 1 to 10 (1 = snoozefest, 10 = add to your bucket list): ★★★★★★★★★

As an adult destination which offers much more than gaming, we rate Foxwoods as a 9 on our scale. As a family destination, we would rate it a 2. Surprisingly, plenty of people do bring their kids. Only adults can enter the gaming floors, but I did see an arcade, indoor pools, and some crafts tables. Not enough to convince me it would be worthwhile to introduce my kids to this kind of environment.

I call this composition “Well-Rested Parents Not Helping Son With Social Studies Project.”

Hey YOU! Go BIG:

Foxwoods Resort Casino

350 Trolley Line Boulevard, Mashantucket, CT 06338-3777

800-369-9663

Foxwoods’ 20th Anniversary ad campaign struck a chord.

Disclaimer: We paid a media rate at the MGM Grand. The spas offered me complimentary treatments.

The largest science museum in the western hemisphere!

So while I make sure the kids have clean undies, I rely on generous contributors to write monthly guest posts covering what I have to miss. This month, that kind soul is Jessica at Suitcases and Sippycups. When she sent me her photos of the pinball machine, I was caught off guard, because I thought it would look like an arcade table-style game.

She told me that this is an exhibit piece, and you watch the action rather than play it. I’m pretty sure it would put me into a delighted trance. But until my clone reports in with her bottle of Tide so I can go see for myself, I’ll settle for Jessica’s report:

Where we went, and who was coerced into going:

Inside Chicago’s Museum of Science and Industry we found the Swiss Jollyball, the world’s largest pinball machine.  This isn’t one of those attractions that promise giant-ness just to lure visitors.  At 7 feet tall and 15 feet wide, the Swiss Jolly Ball earned a proper place in the Guinness Book of World Records in 1988.  Visiting was a family affair, including me and the mister and our four boys, ranging in age from 10 to 2.

This wasn't the type of pinball machine I envisioned...it's even better!

WHY did you go there, exactly?

All our traveling roads seem to lead to Chicago, as we have visited the Windy City ten times in ten years for a number of business and family obligations.  This trip was prompted by an airfare war that produced $100 roundtrip tickets. We just couldn’t pass it up!  Every trip to Chicago must include a trip to the Museum of Science and History and the Swiss Jollyball.

Okay, what was so cool about it? 

The countless bells, lights, and cleverly arranged movement triggered by the magic silver ball are enough to keep any mechanically-minded kid busy for a good while.  Adults and babies seem to be mesmerized by the motion, as well.  It’s also a great place to rest and recharge after touring the giant museum.  The area is never very crowded, and with tables and snack bars nearby, you can grab a quick snack while you watch the mechanical motion.

Can you imagine how much fun it was constructing this?! Love the cows!

How it rated on a scale of 1 to 10 (1 = snoozefest, 10 = add to your bucket list): ★★★★★★★★

I would give it an 8, especially in conjunction with the museum, which is a can’t-miss Chicago attraction. Even though the museum houses some amazing exhibits, this is the one thing my kids remember, and run to as soon as we enter the museum.

A little background info about the place:

Created as a travel advertisement for the Swiss Tourism Board, the Jollyball takes you on a tour of the Swiss countryside and tourism hot spots.  It was created by Charles Morgan, a British jeweler living in Switzerland, using parts salvaged from the junkyard.

Hey YOU! Go BIG!

Museum of Science and Industry

57th Street and Lake Shore Drive

Chicago, IL 60637

(773) 684-1414

One of my favorites, Chomsky the Garden Gnome!

Were you to look at high school photos of me and my misinformed fashion choices, your logical – and correct – assumption would be that I was not “popular.” I came through it just fine, pride intact, but in the event that I needed a little redemption and reassurance, I got some today.

This week, many of you voted for Go BIG or Go Home to make Christopher Elliott’s “12 travel bloggers you should read in 2012” list. And while I’m THRILLED to report that we’ve come in at #5 on that list (!!), I’m also deeply touched that hundreds of people who like this blog took the time to vote.

Thank you.

If you are finding us for the first time because of this list, thanks for stopping by!  You’ll learn more than you need to know in the About Us section, but here’s the gist: We’re a small-town family of four who visit places, attractions, and events which claim the title of world’s largest, longest or tallest. We share why we went, what was cool about it, and how we would rate it on a scale of one to ten!

Sometimes, the kids complain as if they’re being dragged along the world’s longest sidewalk under a scorching sun (well, actually, they were).

Other times, I get to be the Mom Who Makes Dreams Come True.

The Brick Kid makes his pilgrimage to the world's largest LEGOLAND

Usually, my husband Matt is totally on board, and more than willing to pack up the car with enough tech to launch a rocket.

Other times, he would rather stick a red hot poker into his eye.

I always find something to enjoy in our adventures. (Except maybe for South of the Border. That place is just creepy.) I revel in the unexpected moments, like:

Watching the kids take in nature, with nothing remotely virtual, electronic, or 4-D being offered.

The world’s second largest botanic garden, in Montreal, QC

Discovering that I kill at shuffleboard!

and…

Falling inappropriately in love with an oversized lawn ornament (see Chomsky, above).

Have you visited a “world’s largest?” We would love to hear about it!

I used Randomized.com to select the winners. Megan won the $50 Gift Certificate for Appalachian Outdoors, and Kerry won the BTB Sunglasses!

Thanks again, and stay tuned for more giveaways in the new year!