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Apple Valley Hillbilly Garden and Toyland, Kentucky

Apple Valley Hillbilly Garden and Toyland, Kentucky

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Nearly all of us played with toys as children, only to abandon them as we grew older. While most of these playthings end up in landfills, one passionate collector in Calvert City, KY, has amassed such an overwhelming trove that his chaotic jumble of toys has become a roadside attraction, one that defies all logic.

By: Hollis Davenport

Date: 15:48 29.03.25

Last Update: 15:48 29.03.25

Rural Sculpture Parks Unusual Museums Kentucky United States North America & The Caribbean

Roadside attractions across the U.S. often turn curiosity into a tale, and Kentucky has its share of oddities. From gravity-defying optical illusions to oddball museums with offbeat collections, the state is no stranger to eccentricity. Nestled just a short drive from Paducah, one peculiar site stands out for the sheer volume of its creative chaos: Apple Valley Hillbilly Garden and Toyland in Calvert City.

This unconventional roadside environment grew from what was once a modest apple orchard. Originally owned by Oral and Myrtle Wallace in the late 1920s, the land served as a local hub where travelers could pick up apples, sip cider, or even rent a room. The roadside stand, called “Shady Nock,” expanded over the years to include a barbershop, petting zoo, and small eatery. But the true transformation came decades later when their grandson, Keith Holt, returned to the property.

A former performer with a background in Los Angeles entertainment, Holt came to the family land with two trailer loads of toys and an eye for reinvention. Rather than restore Shady Nock to its former roadside commerce, he set about constructing something altogether different: a sprawling collection of found-object sculptures, visual puns, and chaotic nostalgia.

Nothing here is quite what it seems. A cluster of old chairs dangling from branches is titled “Hanging Out.” A rusted gas pump repurposed into a humanoid figure becomes “Gulfman.” A toilet seat affixed to a tree earns the name “Potty Mouth.” Holt’s humor leans on wordplay, and while the jokes might be groan-worthy, the sheer volume of them makes it impossible to ignore his commitment to the theme.

Visitors wandering through “The Throw Away Woods” will find paths lined with repurposed lawnmowers, rusted farm tools, and assorted debris, each integrated into tableaus that blur the line between art installation and scrapyard. The indoor spaces are no less overwhelming. One building, once a country store and later a barbershop, now houses thousands of vintage toys arranged in dense, overlapping displays. Another structure crams yet more knickknacks into every available inch, forming a chaotic yet deliberate archive of childhood ephemera.

Holt himself is a fixture of the attraction, often on hand to regale visitors with stories and continually add to the ever-growing collection. What began as an effort to keep his grandmother’s wish alive has become a full-fledged folk art project that operates on donations. Despite occasional pushback from locals or the challenges of maintaining such an unconventional space, Holt continues to build, repurpose, and reinterpret.

Apple Valley Hillbilly Garden and Toyland is open year-round from early morning to dusk, free of charge (though donations are encouraged). It resists easy classification—part sculpture park, part museum, part roadside curiosity, but for those willing to explore, it offers a singular mix of humor, nostalgia, and creative persistence.