This roadside attraction is a bit….nutty.

“Jen, you gotta see the giant squirrel!”  While I was giving speeches at a conference at Hyatt Lost Pines in Bastrop, Texas, a friend from San Antonio drove up and that was the first thing he said.  I’m always down to see crazy roadside attractions like the Peachoid in Gaffney, South Carolina; Area 51 Alien Center, Amargosa, Nevada; and Gum Wall in Seattle, Washington – yes I’ve seen all of them.  So, I was all in to see this giant squirrel.

{“cameraType”:”Wide”,”macroEnabled”:false,”qualityMode”:2,”deviceTilt”:0.0082791288706918209,”customExposureMode”:0,”extendedExposure”:false,”whiteBalanceProgram”:0,”cameraPosition”:1,”focusMode”:0}

{“cameraType”:”Wide”,”macroEnabled”:false,”qualityMode”:2,”deviceTilt”:0.029289885363306567,”customExposureMode”:0,”extendedExposure”:false,”whiteBalanceProgram”:0,”cameraPosition”:1,”focusMode”:0}

You can’t miss Ms. Pearl the Squirrel on Highway 71 since she’s 14-feet tall, making her the largest squirrel statue in the world.  We got out of the car laughing and of course immediately went over to take pictures.

{“cameraType”:”Wide”,”macroEnabled”:false,”qualityMode”:2,”deviceTilt”:-0.033085183301244214,”customExposureMode”:0,”extendedExposure”:false,”whiteBalanceProgram”:0,”cameraPosition”:1,”focusMode”:0}

{“cameraType”:”Wide”,”macroEnabled”:false,”qualityMode”:2,”deviceTilt”:0.0034876306864877193,”customExposureMode”:0,”extendedExposure”:false,”whiteBalanceProgram”:0,”cameraPosition”:1,”focusMode”:0}

She’s the mascot for Berdoll Pecan Candy & Gift Company, a family-owned business.  I have to admit I snickered a bit at their slogan, “Come for the squirrel.  Stay for the pie.”  When you walk in the store, it’s almost overwhelming the sheer quantity of gift items and pecans.

{“cameraType”:”Wide”,”macroEnabled”:false,”qualityMode”:2,”deviceTilt”:-0.017309203743934631,”customExposureMode”:0,”extendedExposure”:false,”whiteBalanceProgram”:0,”cameraPosition”:1,”focusMode”:0}

From pecan pies to shelled pecans to even pecan oil they have anything pecan you can imagine.  They also have a ton of other goodies including tshirts, jewelry, jerky, and even coffee.  Plus, there are pecan treat samples everywhere!  Couple of my fav – chocolate covered pecan brittle, honey glazed pecans, and cinnamon sugar pecans.  Fair warning – these pecans are so good, don’t be surprised if you demolish a bag in a day or two!

As if a 14-foot squirrel isn’t enough, they have a 24-hour pecan vending machine and parking for nuts!