Wally Walleye
Garrison, North Dakota
The first time we stopped in Garrison, North Dakota, the shock of seeing we'd entered the "Walleye Capital of the World" was disorienting. A few years earlier, we'd steered into Garrison, Minnesota, under the presumption that was the "Walleye Capital of the World." And it was. Two towns with the same name in two different states -- both making the same goofy claim. Just a typical Roadside America fugue....
Both towns offer a prominent, giant walleye statue to bolster their legitimacy. Wally, "World's Largest Walleye," is the 26-ft. long fiberglass sculpture on the Main Street of Garrison, North Dakota. In a park and flanked by flag poles, opaque-eyed Wally propels himself above a "Walleye Capital of the World" sign.