The World’s Largest Rocking Chair

Rocking chairs are usually cozy, human sized things. But in a small town in Illinois sits one so enormous it holds an official Guinness World Record and towers over five stories high. Meet the world’s largest rocking chair, a genuine roadside marvel. Here is the full story of where it is, who built it, and how they pulled it off.

Quick answer: The world’s largest rocking chair stands in Casey, Illinois, USA. It measures 56 feet 1 inch tall and 32 feet 10 inches wide, weighs about 46,200 pounds, and was created by Jim Bolin. Guinness World Records verified it on 20 October 2015. To earn the record it actually had to rock, which took ten strong men to accomplish. It is now fixed in place for safety, so you can admire and photograph it but not sit in it.

Where It Is and Just How Big

The record holder lives in the small town of Casey, Illinois, on East Main Street, easy to reach just off Interstate 70 between Indianapolis and St. Louis. According to Guinness World Records, it measures 56 feet 1 inch tall and 32 feet 10 inches wide, with each rocker stretching over 32 feet. It tips the scales at roughly 46,200 pounds, which is more than a loaded semi truck. Standing beneath it, a person barely reaches the bottom of the rockers. It dwarfs not just every other rocking chair but essentially every chair in America.

Who Built It

The giant rocker is the work of Jim Bolin, a local businessman who turned Casey into a destination with his project known as Big Things in a Small Town. Bolin and his team at Bolin Enterprises have built more than a dozen record holding giant objects around Casey, including the world’s largest wind chime, golf tee, mailbox, and knitting needles. The rocking chair is the crown jewel of the collection, and it has drawn visitors from across the country and around the world to a town that most people would otherwise drive straight past.

How They Built a Five Story Rocking Chair

The construction story is as impressive as the chair itself. It took about two years to complete, and it was made largely from recycled and salvaged materials, with wood reclaimed from old telephone poles and metal pipe that had once been used to transfer oil, all built around a welded steel frame. Remarkably, thanks to the recycled materials, the raw material cost was reported to be under a thousand dollars, though the labor and engineering were enormous.

The hardest part was the rule that makes a rocking chair a rocking chair. To claim the Guinness title, the chair could not just look the part, it had to genuinely rock. On the day the record was judged, it took ten strong men to push the mammoth chair into motion and prove it could rock. It did, and the record was secured.

The Details Up Close

For all its size, the chair is not just a plain slab of furniture. It features intricate carving, with a dove of peace on the center of the headrest and olive branches decorating the armrests, thoughtful touches that give the giant a bit of artistry and meaning.

Can You Sit in It?

Sadly, no. Although it was built to rock, the chair was firmly bolted in place soon after certification for safety reasons, and there is no stair access to climb up to the seat. That has not stopped visitors from wanting the photo, though. A local business set up a green screen so tourists can take souvenir pictures that make it look like they are perched high up on the giant chair, fooling friends and family back home. In person, you can walk right up to it, admire it, and photograph it for free.

The Battle for the Title

Casey’s chair is only the latest champion in a long, friendly rivalry between towns competing to build the biggest rocker. Before Casey took the crown in 2015, the title belonged to a 42 foot rocking chair in Fanning, Missouri, near Cuba on old Route 66, which was later repainted red and renamed the Route 66 Rocker after losing its record. Before that, the honor went to a roughly 34 foot rocker known as Big John outside a furniture store in Franklin, Indiana. Giant chairs as roadside attractions in America date all the way back to a big chair built in Gardner, Massachusetts, in 1905 to show off the town’s chair making trade.

Largest Rocking Chair vs Largest Chair

One point worth clarifying: the Casey chair is the world’s largest rocking chair, but not the largest chair of any kind. That separate title has been held by an enormous regular chair in St. Florian, Austria, standing around 98 feet tall. So Casey rules the rocking chair category specifically, which, given how much harder it is to make a giant chair that actually rocks, is arguably the more impressive feat.

Visiting Casey

If you love a good roadside attraction, Casey is worth the detour. The rocking chair sits in the walkable downtown near the world’s largest wind chime, and the town is packed with other giant record holders and oversized oddities, all free to see. It has become a genuine point of pride for the community and a fun, quirky stop on any Midwest road trip. To appreciate the humble origins of the chair being super sized here, see our piece on who invented the rocking chair, and for the many forms these chairs take, our guide to types of rocking chairs.

Frequently Asked Questions

Where is the world’s largest rocking chair?
In Casey, Illinois, USA, on East Main Street, just off Interstate 70. It is free to view and photograph.

How tall is the world’s largest rocking chair?
It stands 56 feet 1 inch tall and 32 feet 10 inches wide, and weighs about 46,200 pounds, as verified by Guinness World Records in 2015.

Can you sit in the world’s largest rocking chair?
No. It was bolted in place for safety and has no stair access, so you cannot climb up, though a local business offers green screen photos that make it look like you did.

Does the giant rocking chair actually rock?
It was built to rock, and it had to be pushed into motion by ten strong men to earn its Guinness record. It has since been fixed in place for safety.