Is This Montana’s Most Iconic Roadside Attraction?

One of the best parts about road trips is getting into a vehicle with family and or friends, turning up the tunes, and hitting the highway.

Of course, one of the most interesting parts is all of the attractions that you see along the way. Some might be educational, while others are just plain odd, and here in Montana, we have a nice combination of both. We all know about the historical locations throughout the state. From battlefields to ghost towns, Montana has much to see.

There are several "must-see" places across The Treasure State like "Our Lady Of The Rockies" in Butte, "The Garden Of 1000 Buddas" near Arlee, and "Paul Bunyon's Frying Pan" in Libby. However, one of the most iconic roadside attractions just happens to be in a category of its own.

Get our free mobile app

The town of Cut Bank, Montana is located in the northwest part of the state and is only 30 miles from the Canadian border.  The town itself is small with a population of just over 3000 people, and is known for a few different things.

First, it's a railroad town that's well over 100 years old.  The Great Northern Railway came through the area back in 1891 and that's how Cut Bank came to be. Over the years it's also gained the reputation of being one of the coldest places in the United States.  Some claim Cut Bank to be the coldest town in the lower 48, although that seems to be up for debate.

However, what isn't up for debate is the fact that Cut Bank has one of the oddest roadside attractions not only in Montana but in the entire United States.

Just outside of town resided the largest penguin statue in the world. The statue, which stands at an impressive 27 feet and weighs 5 tons was created back in 1989 in honor of the claim that the town had the coldest recorded weather in continental United States.

To say it's a unique photo opp would be an understatement as thousands have taken their picture in front of the gigantic statue  Oh and did we mention that the penguin talks? If that isn't worth a road trip to Cut Bank, I don't know what is.