Jimmy Carter Peanut — Attraction in Americus

If you’re ever driving down a lonely road after sunset and see a massive peanut grinning at you from the side of the road, do yourself a favor: keep driving. Or don’t—if you’re up for a little horror and a side of southern charm.

The Smiling Peanut, a roadside tribute to Jimmy Carter, is a sight to behold in the daylight, all big-toothed and friendly, waving to passersby like it’s saying, “Hey y’all, welcome to peanut country!” But after dark? That’s a different story. I decided to stop by one evening, thinking it would be a cute, quirky little detour. Little did I know, I was about to have a close encounter with a giant nut from my nightmares.

There it stood, towering over me, that enormous peanut, smiling…no, grinning in the eerie glow of my headlights. Its cartoonishly large teeth seemed a little too sharp, like it had been waiting for someone to snack on. The wind rustled through the trees, and I could swear I heard faint whispering, like some old southern legend warning, “Not all peanuts are friendly.”

The worst part? The peanut seemed to follow me, even though it has no eyes. Everywhere I walked, that haunting grin seemed to stretch wider, almost like it knew something about me. I swear I heard someone—or something—murmur “Jimmy would approve,” in a deep southern drawl as I got back in my car and peeled out of there.

By day, The Smiling Peanut might be a harmless homage to Georgia’s peanut-loving roots. But after dark, it’s one part Jimmy Carter, one part Twilight Zone. Stop by if you dare—but don’t say I didn’t warn you. And if you start dreaming of giant grinning peanuts afterward, don’t...

I think what disturbs people, myself included, is that his existence mocks the human condition. It doesn't matter your age, religion, gender or sexuality. He mocks you. One day you will die, he will remain. He knows this. Long after our children's children have died and their bones reduced to dust, he will remain. Long after the nations have unleashed the power of the sun on one another, instantly turning their inhabitants to vapor, like spit on a hot skillet. Nothing remains but our shadows scorched ,onto the brick and mortar of the monuments we built to ourselves, the remains of all our dreams, loves, fears and ambitions etched into asphalt of the streets we paved. Yet he remains, he smiles. A bronze plaque rests at his feet, upon which these words appear; 'Look on my works, ye Mighty, and despair!’ Nothing beside remains. Round the decay of that colossal Nut, boundless and bare, the lone and level sands stretch far away. But that's just...

It is slightly difficult for me to review this as my wife and I have been desiring to see this for so long and and have been typing it up ourselves. And it did not disappoint to a certain extent certain extent regarding its weirdness but it is not the climax we had hope for.. The statue is much smaller smaller than all pictures I've seen make it out to be. Also looks like it could use some reinforcement repairs. And we thought it would be a whole event in destination however however it's legit right near a kind of shady gas station. We made it a point to travel off our beaten path from Atlanta to Florida to see this statue and I would not recommend it recommend it if you're doing a similar path.. However if you are in the area it's definitely one of those weirdest roadside attraction things that you would enjoy and is a couple cute gift shops that are a mile down the road as well as Jimmy Carter's house and and a very...