A visit to the real-life Metropolis, home of Superman

Below is a guest blog from Sweetums about our trip to Metropolis, Ill. Don’t forget to check to be sure venues are open before traveling.

By Wil Elrick

Faster than a speeding bullet.

More powerful than a locomotive

Able to leap tall buildings in a single bound.

Look up in the sky – it’s a bird, it’s a plane, it’s Superman!

Yes, it’s Superman. Strange visitor from another planet who came to Earth with powers and abilities far beyond those of mortal men.

Superman who can change the course of mighty rivers, bend steel in his bare hands and who disguised as Clark Kent, mild-mannered reporter for a great metropolitan newspaper fights a never-ending battle for truth, justice and the American way.

And now another exciting episode in the adventures of Superman ….

For those too young to remember, this is the television introduction to “The Adventures of Superman” starring George Reeves. This was my first introduction to the character of Superman. Even though I was not alive when the show initially ran from September 1952 – April 1958, I was glued to the re-runs of it every afternoon when I would get home from school.

I am already assuming that you know the history Superman (for those who don’t, read about the birthplace of Superman here) and that he lives in the mythical city of Metropolis, a fictional city that has been made a reality. The city Metropolis, Ill., a river town of less than 10,000 people, celebrates Superman in a big way.

When you enter Massac County, you are greeted with Superman and when you get to the town itself, Superman is everywhere. Billboards, statues and even a museum dedicated to the alien visitor known as Kal-El on his home planet of Krypton. You can learn everything you could want to know with a visit to the Superman museum or take a selfie with the giant statue in the center of downtown, and you can’t forget to stop and visit the bronze statue of the ever-lovely Lois Lane. Superman has really helped this small-town bring tourists in.

In addition to the super attractions, you can visit the Ohio River and Fort Massac Sate Park which was the very first state park in Illinois. Fort Massac was originally constructed by the French in 1757 with the inspirational name Fort de L’Ascension but was abandoned at the end of the French Indian War eventually being taken over by the British and then the Americans. A reproduction of the fort stands in the state park today.