Searching for Superman

If your adventure destination is Metropolis, you should spend some time searching for Superman. I can assure you it won’t take much effort to find The Man of Steel. There is a giant replica of him standing on the circle in the center of downtown. It is located across from the Superman Museum & Gift Store.

Rooster and I knew about the giant statue and the quirky store and museum from a motorcycle road trip we took in 2009?. On that particular Labor Day weekend, we headed for The Land Between the Lakes in western Kentucky. At the hotel in Paducah, where we stayed, People told us about the small city of Metropolis a few miles across the Ohio River. People said we didn’t want to miss seeing the Superman Statue.

Our experience searching for Superman

It wasn’t hard to locate the Man of Steel. It turns out all we needed to do was follow the signs. We turned the corner, and there he was, standing in the afternoon sun in all of his glory, posing for the perfect photo op. We snapped a few pictures before we made our way to The Superman Store & Museum. Updated occurred in the store since our last visit. The store section of the establishment had an amazing selection of Superman items available for purchase.

The small store held a wide variety of Superman stuff. In this area of the establishment, all of the items were for sale. If you are into all things Superman, this is the place to be. There is so much homage paid to the guy from Krypton you almost expect him to fly through the door with his red cape fluttering behind him. Of course, he would want to stay away from the barrels filled with Kryptonite near the front counter. Rooster bought a bobblehead Superman, and I purchased a refrigerator magnet. The nice lady who runs the store and museum took our picture. She says people come from all over the world searching for Superman in Metropolis.

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Visiting a tiny museum on our search for Superman

We paid a small fee to get into the museum section of the establishment. (Rooster and I got the senior discount because we are old.) We walked through the door and entered the museum, and entered the world of Superman.

Rooster and I discovered a plethora of Superman memorabilia in the museum. Every stage of the Man of Steel’s metamorphosis over the past forty years was on display. The items caused a strong nostalgic feeling inside of me. I couldn’t help but wonder if future generations will understand the significance of the phone booth or even a newspaper printed in black and white and done on paper.

Both Clark Kent and Lois Lane worked at The Daily Planet. Lois Lane has a strong presence in the exhibits. If you remember, she was Superman’s girlfriend. As Superman’s love interest, she played an important role in his metamorphosis over the years. The couple married. You can find her wedding dress displayed in the museum. A tribute to Supergirl can also be stumbled on in the back corner of the museum. Yay for the ladies who often get left out in the world of superheroes.

The highlight for me was the documentary playing on a flatscreen TV. It told the story of the transformation Superman made over the years. Rooster and I stood and watched the movie for a long time. The documentary brought back a lot of memories.

Searching for Superman comes to an end

Thus, our search for the Man of Steel came to an end, as all adventures tend to do. While the Superman story is as old as the Greek gods on Mount Olympus, it still rings true to modern hearts. In 2021, we need a hero to fly onto the scene and save us from a world gone mad. However, this hero should come armed with a microscope, and a lie detector focused on detecting falsehoods from the media and politicians. Enough opinion from this old blogger. If you ever find yourself driving through southern Illinois, make sure you pay a visit to the city of Metropolis and find Superman. A stop at this museum and store will be worth the time it takes to go out of your way to get there.

Who is Molly Shea?

Molly Shea is an accomplished fictional short story writer from Indiana who writes short stories and novels about a fictional town called Tecumseh.  To read more of her short stories and adventures, click here.

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