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A 40-foot green dragon statue, built of rebar and fiberglass by artist Jim Cole in the late 1980s to advertise the now-defunct Thunder Mountain Fireworks store, still stands beside Interstate 75 (exit 134) in Caryville, Tennessee, now on property owned by a Dollar General. The dragon survived the fireworks store's fire and several changes of property ownership, and was restored by Cole himself in April 2022 after fire and graffiti damage.
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Thunder Mountain dragon
This pin marks the Big Thing itself. If stopping, choose a safe and legal place nearby.
Site-level location · 36.2931° N, 84.2139° W
FIELD GUIDE
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PRACTICAL
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WHAT TO EXPECT
A 40-foot roadside dragon statue visible from I-75, freely viewable from public areas near the Dollar General store.
ACCESS
306 John McGhee Boulevard, Caryville, Tennessee, near I-75 exit 134.
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