Frostop Drive-In giant root beer mug

Huntington, West Virginia, United States

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Listed, not yet checked · Oct 2026

This Big Thing is recorded as still being here.

A giant frosted root beer mug stands on the roof of the Frostop Drive-In at 1449 Hal Greer Boulevard, Huntington, West Virginia. Reported as 14 feet tall and about 3,000 pounds, it has topped the family-run drive-in since 1959 and was repaired and repainted in 2019 to 2020.

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Frostop Drive-In giant root beer mug

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Site-level location · 38.4075° N, 82.4281° W

FIELD GUIDE

The story

A giant root beer mug has been the sign for Huntington's Frostop Drive-In since the restaurant opened in 1959. It sits on the roof at 1449 Hal Greer Boulevard and, according to the Herald-Dispatch, has long been a prominent sight for drivers coming into town from the Hal Greer exit of Interstate 64. The Marshall University student paper The Parthenon reported in 2020 that it is a 14-foot spinning mug; the Herald-Dispatch gave its weight as approximately 3,000 pounds.

Frostop began as a national chain. The Parthenon says the first was opened in Springfield, Ohio, in 1926, and counted 13 locations left in the country in 2020. The Huntington Regional Chamber of Commerce said in June 2026 that this one opened in 1959, is still run by the founders' family, and is now one of only a handful left.

The mug has needed care. In 2019 it stopped spinning. The restaurant's manager put it down to ordinary wear and tear on the chain, gear and bearing, and the Herald-Dispatch reported that a crane lifted it off the roof on Sunday, 17 November 2019. It went to a Huntington machine shop, which took apart the drive mechanism and upgraded obsolete electrical contacts. The restaurant's owner told the paper the previous major repair was probably around 1991, though a repairer thought it was the mid-1980s. WSAZ reported that a crane set the mug back on the roof at about 8:30 a.m. on 30 June 2020, with new paint that the owner said restored its original look.

The chamber's 2026 profile credits the team with restoring the rooftop mug and lists hours of 11 a.m. to 9 p.m. Monday to Saturday.

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WHAT TO EXPECT

Working drive-in serving hot dogs, root beer and milkshakes; the Huntington chamber listed hours of 11 a.m. to 9 p.m. Monday to Saturday in June 2026. The mug is on the roof and is seen from the lot or Hal Greer Boulevard.

ACCESS

1449 Hal Greer Boulevard, Huntington: a business with a lot for drive-in service. The mug is mounted on the roof, so it is viewed from below.

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54 km away

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