The Land of the Giants Is a Must-Visit Stop on Tulsa’s Route 66

For 2,448 miles, Route 66 takes road-trippers through skyscrapers and canyons, petrified forests and gateway arches. But of all those miles, there’s one in particular that both exemplifies the roadside wonders of the Mother Road, while lending its own brand of Americana awe.

Of all the miles on Route 66 I’ve driven, there’s one that always inspires me to hit the brakes and linger at the magic of it all. Welcome to The Land of the Giants, a veritable canyon of fiberglass and art, located on a prime, neon-lit stretch of Route 66 in Tulsa. 

So named for the growing collection of super-sized Muffler Men along Route 66 in Tulsa’s Meadow Gold District, The Land of the Giants is one of the most unique—and striking—stops on the entire Mother Road. Located in a part of town with particular connection to Route 66 lore, where old service stations have been converted to curios shops, and the historic Meadow Gold sign has been revived and relit, The Land of the Giants got its start with a space cowboy. 

Muffler Men, those larger-than-life fiberglass sculptures that popped up in the ‘60s and ‘70s, have long symbolized the Golden Age of travel, and the heyday of Route 66. After the interstate system bypassed the iconic route, reducing some segments to the crumbling annals of history, the same bygone fate befell many of these curbside colossuses. 

In many ways, Buck Atom’s journey is representative of the rise and fall of Muffler Men (and their more recent revival, fueled in part by the Route 66 Centennial). Previously, Buck was hardly more than a heap of fiberglass, left forgotten in a junkyard in Calgary, Alberty. Until he was restored by fiberglass artist Mark Cline. Back in Tulsa, Mary Beth Babcock was looking to add some unique character to her newly opened Route 66 shop, Buck Atom’s Cosmic Curios. She commissioned Cline to transform the defunct Muffler Man into something original, and something truly Oklahoman. 

And so, in bringing Babcock’s vision to life, Cline created Buck Atom as a cowboy from Oklahoma, who was taken aboard a space ship for 66 years, until he came back down to Earth to help his home state bolster tourism for a waning Route 66. In 2019, he debuted in front of his namesake souvenir shop, complete with a cowboy hat atop a space visor. 

Buck Atom stood sentinel on Route 66 for five years before he was joined by lasso-toting Stella Atom, the space cowgirl, in 2024. A few months later, Meadow Gold Mack the Friendly Lumberjack joined the growing crew across the street, in front of his own namesake shop — a meandering wonderland of vintage clothes, books, and Route 66 merch galore. 

The following year, guitar-toting Cowboy Bob took shape next to Western-style Buck’s Vintage, followed down the street by Rosie the Riveter, based on Naomi Parker Fraley, the native Tulsan who inspired the "We Can Do It!" poster. 

Each one the vision of Babcock, and created by Mark Cline of Enchanted Castle Studios, the giants all stand between 19- and 21-feet, bursting with personality and singular style. For Tulsa, a city that was designated the official Capital of Route 66, and has long been known for its superhero-esque Golden Driller statue, The Land of the Giants is a lavish homage to yesteryear, when Muffler Men loomed over the Mother Road. 

For me, it exemplifies the kind of roadside splendor that made Route 66 the icon it is today, 100 years into its existence. Between my time living in Chicago and Oklahoma City, and road-tripping the country in my RV for two years, I’ve seen my fair share of Route 66 kitsch. But there’s nothing quite as marvelous as a space cowboy and his colorful crew.