The Best 24 hours in Superman’s Hometown of Metropolis, Illinois

Where is Metropolis located?

Metropolis, Illinois is a small town that’s located in southern Illinois near the Kentucky border. It’s about 13 miles from Paducah, KY. If you are traveling on Interstate 24- take exit 37 to Highway 45 and you’ll run right into town. The Metropolis Visitors Guide sums it up best: “Metropolis, IL, where heroes and history meet on the shores of the majestic Ohio River.”

Metropolis became known as the adopted “Home of Superman” after being authorized by National Periodicals (D.C. Comics) in January of 1972.

5 Best Things to Do and See

  1. World’s Largest Superman Statue located at 611 Market St. in the center of town. You can’t miss it! It stands 15 feet tall and you can easily get close to it to take a picture.
  2. The Super Museum located down the block from the statue at 517 Market St. It’s family owned and operated and is home to one of the largest Superman collections in the world. It’s small and a bit cramped but has a LOT of memorabilia. I like Superman but don’t love Superman so yes, I thought it was cool but I didn’t stop to read every single thing. It took us about 1 hour to get through. One thing that was really fun was the telephone booth that we got to go into and take pictures. There are also a couple of Superman and Supergirl cutout statues in the front of the museum and a gift shop as you enter the museum.
  3. Noel Neill Statue- Lois Lane Statue located 2 blocks from the Superman statue at the corner of Market St. and 8th St. The “Metropolis Planet” Globe statue is in front of Lois Lane.
  4. Giant Kryptonite Rock located at 108 W. 3rd St. (SW corner of 3rd St. and Ferry St.)
  5. Metropolis Super Bowl located at 1107 E 8th St. You can bowl, play billiards, air hockey, slots and video poker. After you’ve worked up an appetite, you can order some food.
  6. The Metropolis Superman Celebration This year’s celebration is June 7-9 2024. If you don’t mind crowds and want to celebrate everything “Super”, then this would be the time to visit. You can find food, activities, and fun at the celebration.
The photo on the left is Dominic looking up at a 15 ft. Superman statue. The statue has a plaque on the front that states, "Truth-Justice-The American Way". The photo on the right is Angela inside a Superman telephone booth at the Superman Museum.
15 ft. Superman statue
Superman Telephone Booth


Where to Eat

  1. Sissy’s- A Sweet Shoppe located at 613 Market St. We ate in this cute and friendly place for breakfast. There are so many pastries and coffee creations to choose from. You can’t go wrong with anything you choose, but the cinnamon rolls were delicious. We grabbed some cookies and cupcakes to bring home too. You can also get wraps, paninis, salads, and more for lunch/ light dinner. Keep in mind they are closed on Sundays. Bonus: “Love from Metropolis” mural is on the side of Sissy’s building
  2. Fatt Edd’s Roadhouse located at 323 Ferry St. They’re known for their famous Peel & Eat Shrimp- their logo is even a cute shrimp. However, we had the burgers and they were really good. And unless you’re Superman or Kryptonian, you have to try the Kryptonite green drink (alcohol)! It was Super-man (I love a good pun :))

Where to Stay

We stayed in the Jones Building at 500 Market St., right across the street from the Superman statue in the heart of downtown. The Jones building was constructed in 1908 and was an old office complex. The 2nd floor was renovated into 4 industrial style suites/apartments that are rented out as a boutique type hotel and are very reasonably priced at about $125 per night. They have exposed brick and duct work making it feel very modern with a nod to Superman.

We stayed in the Superman suite- Apartment 2 which was Marvel-ous! (yeah, yeah I know Superman is DC, but I really couldn’t resist another pun:) ) It had a Superman theme but definitely not overdone and cheap looking. Check it out here on Airbnb!

The top left picture is the outside of the Jones Building in downtown Metropolis, IL, Superman's hometown. The top middle picture is the staircase leading up to our AirBnb inside of the Jones Building. The top right picture is the bedroom in the apartment with a Superman logo on the headboard, a blue comforter on the bed with a white accent pillow, and a Superman picture on the wall. The bottom picture is the living room with a blue velvet couch and Superman pillow. There is a barn door style door that leads to the bedroom.
Jones Building
Inside Jones Building
Superman Bedroom
Superman Living Room

There are also the Justice League suite – Apartment 1, Lois suite- Apartment 3, and Clark suite- Apartment 4.

Other Places to Stay

  1. Harrah’s Metropolis (casino/hotel)
  2. Riverview Mansion B & B (across the street from Harrah’s)
  3. Quality Inn and Suites
  4. Super 8
  5. Motel 6
  6. Holiday Inn Express
  7. Baymont Inn and Suites

Quick Links

Best Things to Do and See

  1. World’s Largest Superman Statue
  2. The Super Museum
  3. Noel Neill Statue- Lois Lane Statue
  4. Giant Kryptonite Rock
  5. Metropolis Super Bowl
  6. The Metropolis Superman Celebration

Where to Eat

  1. Sissy’s- A Sweet Shoppe
  2. Fatt Edd’s Roadhouse

Where to Stay

  1. Justice League suite – Apartment 1
  2. Superman suite- Apartment 2
  3. Lois suite- Apartment 3
  4. Clark suite- Apartment 4
  1. Harrah’s Metropolis (casino/hotel)
  2. Riverview Mansion B & B (across the street from Harrah’s)
  3. Quality Inn and Suites
  4. Super 8
  5. Motel 6
  6. Holiday Inn Express
  7. Baymont Inn and Suites

Road Trip Add On

After we explored Metropolis, we stopped in the small town of big things, Casey, IL which about 3 hours north. This historic small town is famous for the 12 World’s Largest and 24 big things. We saw the World’s Largest Mailbox that you can climb into, a big Mousetrap, the World’s Largest Rocking Chair, and so many more BIG things. A lot of them are within walking distance to each other in the historic downtown area.

Check out my blog post about our stop in Casey, IL to find out more details about what else there is to see and suggestions for places to eat. Maybe you want to see the World’s Largest Pitchfork– that’s at Richard’s Farm restaurant. It was a really cool town and we had a great day exploring and taking pictures.

Also check out my post about a Superhero themed restaurant in Machesney, IL.