Metropolis - city in Illinois, United States

Metropolis is a small city in Southern Illinois probably named out of wishful thinking which hasn't really been borne out. The town's current claim to fame is as the host for a floating riverboat casino run by the Harrah's casino chain of Reno, Nevada. The town has also capitalized on its name by erecting what is referred to on road signs as a Giant Statue of Superman of DC Comics fame. In fact though the statue is called giant it's less than half as tall as the statue of Big John the grocer which is found in front of the Big John's supermarket on the way into town.

Get in

By plane

• Metropolis Municipal Airport (__), 37.185833333333°, -88.750555555556°, +1 618 524-9976. A small, public, paved air strip 2 miles north west of town. It can be accessed by small planes. it has no control towers, there is no landing fee but there is an overnight tie down fee. There are dusk-dawn lights only.

The nearest airport with commercial flights is Barkley Regional Airport (IATA: PAH), which serves the larger city of Paducah across the river in Kentucky. However, most locals prefer to fly out of either Lambert-St. Louis International Airport or Nashville International Airport, both of which are roughly a three-hour drive.

Get around

See

• A total solar eclipse on Monday 8 April 2024 starts at 2PM local time and lasts 2 min 30 sec. The chances of a clear sky are 35%. The track of totality is northeast from Mexico, Texas, Arkansas and Missouri, then across the south tip of Illinois to Indiana and Ohio.
• The thing to see is the Super Museum, which houses an impressive collection of Superman memorabilia from comics, films, and television.

Do

The Americana Hollywood Museum is also located in Metropolis. It contains displays of items used in various movies, television shows, and live performances.

John Wayne, Pamela Anderson, Houdini, Lost in Space, various monster movies, Finding Nemo, and many other displays are set up.

• Fort Massac, 1308 E 5th St, 37.1439°, -88.6872°, +1 618-524-4712. A great historic location. It was built in 1757. This fort has been maintained since 1908 since it became a state park. Each year there is an encampment, a car show, and a run. 2020-11-08

Buy

Eat

• Fat Edd's Roadhouse, 323 Ferry St, +1 618-524-5525. Bar and grill known locally for large burgers and peel-and-eat shrimp. 2020-11-08

Drink

Sleep

• Baymont Inn (formerly the Amerihost Inn) - has a pool, hot tub, hot breakfast, and many other amenities.
• Harrah's, 100 E Front St, 37.146906°, -88.735112°, +1 618-524-2628. 2020-11-07
• Holiday Inn Express, 2179 E 5th St, +1 618-800-1111. Check-in: 3PM, check-out: 11AM. Indoor pool, breakfast, and WiFi included. 2021-12-09
• Amerihost Inn.
• Old Bethlehem School.

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