Pink Elephant Antique Mall

What a unique and awesome experience! An absolute must stop place! So many interesting things to see, photo opportunities, super nice staff, and amazing fudge is a huge bonus! Seriously, plan a trip! Worth every moment driven to get there!

Area 66 has been a part of livingston, Illinois, since 2005. It is housed in the 1926 built Livingston high school! There's 30,000 square feet of antique mall named after its iconic pink elephant that is smack dab right in the front yard! They have a bunch of other fiberglass giant unique photo ops, too! People can see then right from the interstate as they're driving by, I think it's a great addition cause it makes people want to pull over and check it out. For years, we drove by this place wanting to stop but never had the time, but today, we finally made that stop! Inside, there is a 50s diner, ice cream, fudge & Candy Shop, antique mall, haunted school. There are also over 100 booths with a ton of antiques, collectibles, jewelry, home goods, Tupperware, metal signs, and a lot of nostalgic things that I remember from my childhood!

It was fantastic! We kept driving by on trips and finally stopped. It's huge! Has a Twistee Treat, even Had an Alien type con out back and live band. 3 levels of stuff in the huge building. We will b back!

This was such a fun place to visit. We always pass it on our way to and from Michigan and finally stopped in. Ate at the little diner there and it was amazing food. Can't wait to stop in again

This place is awesome. Definitely worth the stop and time. They have a haunted school during Halloween...we are gonna go check it out then! They have a store with tons of items, candies, cotton candy machine my daughter loved, plenty to choose from. Then it's connected to an antique mall ..it would take a couple hours to go thru this area. Then it goes into a cute diner/ice cream shop. Then they had statues and a UFO to climb in and more. Check them out!!

The Pink Elephant is one of the main attractions on the entire Route 66, definitively a must-stop place. Their antique mall has got many nice objects and memorabilia (you could spend there hours and hours) and the diner is literally a throwback in time with its cool and vintage design. We stopped to wander around, buy some vintage licence plates and get a burger & corn dog for lunch. An amazing place!

If you're looking for quality antiques, this isn't the place. There are lots of drinking glasses, and it feels like more garage sale stuff. Just junk to me. Don't know how other people are reviewing this place with 5 stars. Not worth it to me. Just my opinion today. Friendly staff. Fudge and chocolates are good. I bought pineapple gummy bears and 6 toffee crunch chocolate squares. Total $10.00.

Very fun time shopping here. The staff are very helpful and recognized me when I returned. Great deals compared to most antique malls. They aren't too strict either so it was fun to hang out with friends here. The statues outside are a little scary, but still a very fun atmosphere.

Walking through the doors of Pink Elephant is like taking a trip down memory lane, where the echoes of high school still resonate amidst the charming clutter of yesteryear. What was once the bustling heart of the old Livingston, IL high school now serves as a treasure trove of nostalgia and antiques galore. The original hardwood floors from the old gym creak underfoot, a reminder of the countless basketball games and pep rallies that once filled the space with energy. Each space is stocked by a different vendor so you can dig up unique vintage finds throughout the mall. The prices can be a bit high at some booth spaces, but others have their prices set fair. They have a plethora of funky statues to take photos with on the outside too, like the giant pink elephant statue! Whether you're a local looking to reminisce or a visitor seeking unique finds, this place is where you need to stop!

Review Visit: July 27th, 2014 Pop Quiz! You are driving down the road and you see a giant pink elephant. What do you do? So after driving by multiple times, some of my friends and I stopped by to see what the place is like. What a fun stop it was. Outside, they have the giant pink elephant. They have a shirtless statue eating an ice cream cone. There is an alien saucer. For the statues, there is a giant tricycle for them to ride. That might be for the giant lumberjack. If you are hungry, there is a Twistee Treat that serves up your typical ice cream shack favorites. Inside, there is a lot of stuff. Seriously. It seems to be an old school converted into an antique mall. Rows and shelves and aisles of old stuff. Some cool, some oddities. Personally, I am not much into antique stuff, so a lot of the stuff offered doesn't interest me. But it is cool to see stuff from the past... back before even my parents were alive. All-in-all, a pretty neat antique mall. Definitely worth a stop to get photos with the fun stuff outside.

This is a large antique shop right off Hwy 55. It's hard to miss with the huge pink elephant out front. Spend an hour or two browsing both levels and still not see it all. Enjoy lunch at the 50's style Cafe & ice-cream shop that has all the old fashioned favorites. The food is good, and it won't break the bank. Take pictures with the many statues outside and have a good time.

I have passed Pink Elephant Antique Mall once or twice on road trips and I've finally visited it now. Twice. Even more going on there than I expected. I could see it was large, had big... whatever you would call the elephant and the other stuff... and I assumed there were many antiques inside. There were many indeed. It's a proper antique mall w/ booths/areas and it isn't curated by the store staff. But most of the stuff was at least OK. This is NOT a place that says it's an antique mall but is full of home decor, black t-shirts w/ rhinestones, etc. And what else was there? A candy shop and an diner/ice cream shop! Yes, please! Good candy selection and food better than expected. Plus it's set in an old school building and that gave the place a fun feel.

Tons of stuff to look at two floors in excellent burger restaurant and a candy shop next door. I'm definitely going again .

Amazing so much to see. It is located in an old school. The main floor is the gymnasium next they have the stage area . There is also an upstairs and a downstairs. From toys I used to play with. To beautiful glass, records, vintage cameras, and Historical political items just to name a few . The staff is very friendly. There is a Twistee Treat Diner adjacent to it . As well as mother Road fudge Candy Store. It's on Historic Route 66. The photo opportunities are amazing from an old phone booth to Marilyn Monroe . Then takeoff in a spaceship or come ride a dinosaur. There is so much to see my grandchildren and I spent most of the day there . Finished it off with chicken strip baskets and ice cream I highly recommend it.

So I took my kids for an adventure on a Saturday. Something odd and different and it was exactly that. Crowded rows of junk. They had a decent time looking at the different booths but when I say junk I mean it and very expensive. There is one booth upstairs that had some cool metal signs that are appropriately priced. We then ate at the diner. Kids ate chicken strips and I had the burger. Frozen chicken tenders which is blah but the burger was delightful. Would I go again?? Probably not. Will I call and find out the info on the one booth with the metal signs?? Possibly. If you're close maybe check it out. If it's out of your way don't waste your time.

I had some friends in town (St. Louis) from New York. We spent a day in Springfield and saw Pink Elephant Antique Mall on the way there. They aren't used to Midwestern kitsch so they requested we stop there on the way back to take some photos of the various outdoor statues so we did. We also went in to use the restrooms and buy candy in the candy store. Great selection of penny candy and other hard to find items. I hadn't been here in quite a few years but of course, I'll be back.

The Pink Elephant is a large antique store located in the old high school in Livingston ,Illinois . It houses antiques from over 50 different vendors . There is a nice cafe with a cool 50's theme and a nice menu . It wasn't lunch time so I can't comment on the food but it looked inviting . The Pink Elephant also sells their own homemade fudge . I tried a sample and it was delicious and very affordable . One of the highlights of this place is the wonderful array of old outdoor artifacts such as a huge big boy restaurant big boy and yes a huge Pink Elephant . This is a fun stop if you are close to the St.Louis area or cruising down old Route 66 !

This place was so cool! There's aisle and aisles of antiques and super nostalgic items! It was so nice exploring. They had so much unique stuff and we ended up getting some books! The lady's there were so nice to us as well during check out. After we went and got some ice cream before we got back on the road. My wife got a kids banana split and I got a chocolate sundae with cookie dough crumbles on top! The girls that worked there were so sweet to us and the inside decorations was super neat! Definitely recommend stopping here when you're in the area!

Super fun stop, lots of things to look around at - found so much Pyrex. The antique mall is inside an old gymnasium, and is filled with all sorts of hidden treasures. The fudge and candy shop is very good, they alley you sample all the fudge and the staff is very kind. Lots of saltwater taffy available in a large variety of flavors. We stopped in for lunch at the diner attached and everything as delicious (and at a very low cost). It's simple American staples like hamburgers and hot dogs, but executed wonderfully with a 50s diner atmosphere.

The Pink Elephant sits about 45 minutes outside of St. Louis. It's definitely a fun place to stop by and visit. The whole place is filled to the brim with random Knick knacks. Attached to the antique mall is also a diner and a candy shop, so it's a convenient place to stop. I gave 4/5 because the prices are really high, almost unreasonable. Random empty soda bottles or mugs are priced outrageously. I've stopped in a few times in the past year and I feel prices have increased, even though it was expensive to begin with. So, I feel like this really deters you from purchasing anything. Nevertheless, I think it's worth while visit to just look around.

Lots of great things, there is so much to see and a Lil bit of everything to purchase. The people are very inviting, informative, and just all-around great!!! We love this place, don't miss out on this gem of a place!

Lots of stuff to look at, organized well enough, but many of the stands' pricing is absolutely ridiculous. Things a few years old being sold for more than brand new. Some great stuff but be ready to spend a decent amount of money for used goods.

For fun roadside attractions you can't go wrong here. It definitely has the vibe of old Route 66 to it, with kitschy statues outside AND a Twistee Treat where you can get a soft serve cone. The antique shop is actually quite good. It's inside of what was once a high school gymnasium and is large. In the past I've bought old radios, beer glasses, knives and various other items here. The folks working here are older and very kind.

Keep your friggin' politics to yourself! Driving up and seeing the giant Trump statue was almost enough to make us turn around and leave. If we hadn't driven as far as we did we would have just left. Why some business owners feel the need to shove this loser down their patron's throats is beyond me. As an antique mall it's a mixed bag. Some booths are organized and tidy, but most just have stacks of stuff just crammed into and onto shelves. There's no way on planet earth that most of this stuff will ever be sold, because most of it is impossible to see (unless you rummage through everything, and I'm not about to do that). It's almost as though some of the dealers would rather rent a booth instead of paying for a storage unit somewhere. Astonishingly, I did manage to find something, and it was reasonably priced. Still, if the owners had a policy that booths must be tidy, and items must be clearly seen, I've no doubt I would have found more. But I guess as long as dealers are paying the rent the owners don't care that they're making it nearly impossible to provide a good shopping experience to their customers. I will say, the lady at the candy store was very friendly. We actually spent more there than at the antique mall. In the end we were less than impressed, and don't really see a need to return.

Some of the items there were concerning. Mammy statues...confederate imagery... It surely left an certain impression.

Oh my goodness, what a fabulous place! Antiques, candy, fudge, ice cream, and darling diner. Absolutely will stop again

This place is fantastic in every way. You either get it or you don't. You either have a sense of whimsy, a curiosity about the world and all it's complexity, or you don't. If you are writing a review on the food, you've missed the point. If you don't like a bunch of "junk" crammed into an old school, then by all means don't come here. Maybe you're more of a JC Penney type? Everyone was super nice to us because we were nice to them. There IS Trump "statue" out front, it seems to be made of paper mache, and is hilariously disproportional. If you don't find the humor in it all I can't help you. Perhaps the world is too scary for you and you should stay home.

For this place, which is dedicated to attracting Route 66 and interstate travelers, I'm dividing it into three different ways: The outdoor statues (5/5) - the best photo opportunities lie here. Some may call this a tourist trap, as there really isn't a whole lot about this place. The statues are just random at its best. There is, of course, the pink elephant, but not much else. Sure, there are some cool statues here and there, like the modern Alvin and the Chipmunks. So, bring a camera! The antique mall (4/5) - as reviewers have pointed out, yes it is a year-round flea market and just about everything you might collect is found here. All sorts of stuff (or junk) for sale. It kind of brings in a musty smell, here and there. The restaurant (3/5) - It's a typical retro diner, complete with a jukebox (though its not real, just eye candy). They have specials every day at a reasonable price. The food is okay, and so is their ice cream. They do have lots of flavors and mixtures, but they don't have anything similar to a concrete or Blizzard. They just whip up a soft serve with the toppings on top. Nothing special, but definitely look around the diner. (It does connect to the mall, but until 5) Final thoughts...well there you have it. It's not really a historic Route 66 place, though it lies literally on the classic road. The place actually used to be a school, as you will sense that from the outside and inside. But check it out anyway.

The actual mall is chockfull of all kinds of things - old books, record albums, toys, etc. Some people would call it "junk" and they might be right. The diner part is great. How can we not love a corndog for $2, fries for $2 and a big root beer for $2. Really cheap prices and the food was quite good. Another thing I loved about this place is the jukebox, which plays late 50s and early 60s music. Fun, fun, fun.

Fun, eclectic and HUGE!! Be sure to make this a stop on your next road trip!! Something for everyone including yummy fudge and specialty sodas

My mom likes to stop in and get a bite on road trips. I had my new ESA (Emotional Support Animal) with me and she needed to cool down too so the ladies there hooked her up with a free ice cream. Her first taste. She didn't complain! I'm sure it won't be her last nor our last time stopping through! And the food is always good!

If you have traveled 55, you have probably seen the Pink Elephant Antique Mall. You probably said we should stop there someday. Well, stop! Make today the day that you go and visit the Pink Elephant. This place has a large assortment of different antiques. The Pink Elephant has old toys, dishes, books, and signs. There's a lot to see. The Pink Elephant also has an old fashion diner where you can grab a tasty bite to eat or treat yourself to some ice cream.

Stopped here to do a little walking while on a road trip. Lots and lots of fun things to see. We came home with a treasure or two.

Disappointing. They claimed to be handicap accessible, but many areas are separated by stairs and many of the booths are so crowded you cannot enter with a chair or walker. Very hot inside, the air conditioning was straining to keep it bearable. While they do have a lot of booths and good selection, prices for most items are a lot higher than at other antique stores in the area.

Heavens. To. Betsy. If you are looking for a photo op and lots of fantastic antique items, get your rear in gear and head to the Pink Elephant. This place is a tourist dream and not a shabby place for those who love nostalgia and deals. They even have a candy shop with delicious fudge and a diner. Not sure what more you could ask for while trudging through the flatlands of the state. Secure an hour or two to ensure that you can scan every nook and cranny of this place. Oh and they have a bathroom and it's clean which is always a rarity in antique stores. Both the availability and the cleanliness of course. Just go and check it out.

This serves 2 purposes: 1.) A tourist attraction for those on I-55, or doing a historic tour of Route 66. 2.) A flea market for stuff that people would have sold via garage sale - yet with dozens of times the amount of stuff. Gives a good sense of Americana before the freeways. It is an old high school that served the small town of Livingston, IL - right off the freeway. It has caught my attention several times as you can't miss it with the pink elephant statue and other major statues... Very large assortment of "antiques" - generally as if 100 people had gone in and cleaned out their grandparents' old house. Cool to find stuff that you may have grown up with (generally if you're over age 40) but has since been long gone. We spent 90 minutes looking at it all. Has a retro diner - average food but at a great price. They have lots of ice cream choices. Really feels like going back in time about 60 or 70 years. Nice stop to get out and stretch and do something different.

Listen, the store itself and the items are awesome. However, the group of people running/working there.. I won't go back. This poor older woman took about 40 min to wrap a couple of cups and check me out. There were 6 people standing around, eating, talking.. doing nothing to help her. I'm a patient person I have 2 younger kids. But when everyone is doing nothing and I'm just standing there.. I was so frustrated and almost walked out. If it wasn't for the woman checking me out being so kind.. I would have left.

mostly crap. tons of Chinese fake knock off stuff. tacky crafts. if you want fine art or cool mid-century modern furniture, you're out of luck. lots of smalls. personally, I like the antique malls that have investment-grade antiques with lots of stuff picked out by pickers with great taste... this isn't that place. think fake route 66 signs.

I don't recommend. Employees are incredibly rude. Prices are very high. Food? Meh. I wouldn't make the drive or stop if you're driving through the area. It's really gone downhill quick.

After many drives between St. Louis and Chicago, I would always see the Pink Elephant and thought it would be a cool place to stop and check out. So one day I did. I was so disappointed! The coolest, most interesting stuff they have is all outside and is visible from the interstate. Inside, its a high school gym jam packed with all kinds of crap. That's really the only word I can use to describe it. There's all kinds of old stuff, but not old enough to be antique. There's also a classic American diner there but I did not get anything to eat. But the "antique mall" is nothing more than a flea market with all kinds of old crap. I walked through almost the whole thing and can't recall seeing a single item I had even the slightest interest in buying. I will never go here again. Enjoy the view from the interstate, because that's as good as it gets.

This review is for the diner: The diner was an adorable 50s diner! The music, jukebox, booths, and counter seating were on point for the vibe! The waitress was friendly and welcoming. Like the menu says, all food is made to order so plan on a lounge lunch. Not that they were slow, just that we were served as soon as it was finished cooking. With multiple parties arriving at the same time, that did add some time to our wait. Cheeseburgers were good! Buns were greasy. Twist flavor ice cream cone was exactly what you'd expect. Definitely stop for the experience!

This place stressed me out. My husband and I love to tinker around antique malls when we travel. Gives us a place to get out of our car, walk around, see new things, etc. We have visited many throughout the country. This place is a MESS! It was almost impossible to walk around because the booths were literally crammed full, mostly with dirty junk. There was absolutely no flow, and very little difference from booth to booth (or case). Almost impossible to rummage though things because you were bound to knock something over. My husband said it was oversized thrift store. Agreed!

I LOVE this gem! It's right off of I-55 on my way back to KY from visiting family in Illinois. I literally just saw it on the side of the road and decided to pop in- best road trip decision I've ever made! Lots of aisles to explore and the staff is so friendly and ready to talk vintage with their customers. Fellow wheelchair users- many of the aisles are TINY and unreachable from my manual chair. Definitely a bummer as I wanted to see everything! I didn't check out the bathrooms, so I can't speak to them. However, the staff was very helpful when I needed to reach something or carry my purchases to the check out counter

What a hoot! We saw the giant ice cream cone from the highway and just HAD to loop around. I don't know what I expected. A hidden gem of an ice cream shop in the middle of cornfields, maybe. That would have been awesome. Well, after seeing some dude walk around swatting flies in the middle of the restaurant, waiting around for someone to take our order, being asked if we were helped yet by someone who simply ignored us right after, and waiting forever... The verdict is: nnnno. My homemade drumstick was pretty cute! But the ice cream tasted like almost nothing. The Smores something whatever my bf got tasted like chalk and sugar. Mostly chalk. And let's not even talk about the stares we got or the way the girl tried to ask me to repeat everything I said like she couldn't understand my English. Unfortunately the Christmas decorations shop next door was understandably closed for the summer. If only they posted a sign with hours... too bad! You should come for the novelty off I-55, but don't expect the service or ice cream/food to be good.

Amazing finds, nice employees and overall just a fun time! My only downside is it was too hot inside... not really a way to fix that though

This review is for the diner, not the actual shopping part. The diner does have slow service at times. So keep in mind if you are in a hurry, you may want to try somewhere else or perhaps call ahead. It's a cute diner with your diner type food. I think the prices are decent. The food isn't spectacular but it's never been gross either. The ice cream is always great! I love little places like this. The staff has always been nice and attentive. Slow at times but not slow enough where I have to walk out. The ice cream sundae is huge!!! Tried the bacon double cheeseburger....wow. Seriously the best burger I have ever had. Who knew a cute little diner like this would make the best burgers around? I wish I would have took a picture of it but I got so excited I ate it all too fast and forgot.

Stopped here on our drive to St. Louis with our kids. Fun little road side attraction. We took fun pictures outside with all the "statues" and went to the candy shop. The people working at the store, not sure if they were the owners, were incredibly friendly and helpful.

There's a lot of cool stuff, but it's extremely overpriced. The A/C is on the first floor and very lacking. We went on a day it was 86 outside and it felt like it hotter inside. When we were checking out the ladies felt unwelcoming, and it felt like it had something to do with the fact that my partner and I are part of the LGBTQ+ community. I would say go for the photo-ops, but be prepared for confederate flags on sale inside and a giant Donald Trump statue out front. Cute for your insta feed tho :P

This review totally depends on why you are here. If you are an avid Rout 66'er then you will find it useful. If you are an antique buff, then not so much. On the way back to Chicago from St. louis we found ourselves enjoying the sights of old Route 66. Next on the list, Giant Pink Elephant?! That's right. Just as we came around the curve we saw the huge elephant mocking motorists on I-55. Pulled in to also find an ice cream stand in the shape of a cone. They had some tasty treats, but no soft serve vanilla! What else was there....oh yeah, a huge 20 ft. fiberglass male swimmer holding an ice cream cone. Not to mention another one of Illinois famous "muffler men" wearing a Harley Davidson shirt. Antique mall was pretty good. Used to be a school or a gym with a stage. Tons of stuff but we couldn't stay all day. We still had about 250 miles to go. If you find yourself with highway hipnosis on your way down I-55, then this is a unique photo opportunity with plenty of charachter and Route 66 Americana charm!

There really isn't anything else to say that hasn't already been said in other reviews. Erin M. does a great job of describing all the awesome attractions they have here. I was driving to Peoria from Alton today when I noticed the large bearded statue and what looked to be an alien aircraft outside of a huge Antique store and I just had to stop. Inside I found a group of extremely friendly antique sellers siting around chatting it up and it was very welcoming and homey feeling. The store is absolutely huge with the types of antiques you would normally expect but there were also some high quality items. It was too much for me to even take in at the time but I plan on stopping by there again!

This is a really cool place to go antique/vintage shopping. The outside of the building is surrounded by so many cute things to see. The welder lt ladies behind the counter are extremely sweet and have a great sense to f humor. Had a good time here. You should check it out

We pulled off for a break in our road trip to visit this place as it certainly looks interesting from the outside. It's packed full of stuff on the inside. And I mean packed. Some booths you can't even tell what they have because there is so much stuff in them. Most of the items were priced high as well. If you need a few minutes to stretch your legs on your drive, go ahead and stop by. Otherwise, I'd keep going.

Don't waste your time Saw a pin cushion for $135 which should have been $5. Then the highlight was a case full of fake new Bakelite with insane high prices. As a collector I find this offensive and dishonest. Yucky place

A fun place along Historic Route 66 to take your kids. My son, who is four, still remembers this is place with "the big chipmunks out front." The food in the 50's Style Cafe was great diner-style food (hotdogs and hamburgers - nothing fancy). They make the beef patties on-site and they are great with a milkshake. They also have frozen shaved ice which my son liked as a dessert treat. After eating, we mosied over to the antique store. Tons and tons to look at - but lots of breakables so we didn't spend much time there. My kids loved to see the giant-sized space ship pre-fab home from the 60's out in the front lawn and the HUGE Santa statue. Great kitsch for kids that's something new and different and not just a quick burger through a drive thru along the highway.

The outside of this antique mall was really cool and posed for some great photo ops, but other than that, the shop inside were kind of a let down and a little overpriced.

Shopped and enjoyed lunch here. Fun photo ops out front. Decent prices on antiques but wasn't really happy that I couldn't haggle on the prices. I understand the concept of an antique mall but when trying to get a bit off the owners made it sound like it would be a hassle for them to call the booth owners of the items I was asking about and didn't really want to do it. So I took the items as priced. Aside from that, this is a huge, great place to browse for antiques and worth the drive if you're making it. The cafe was cute and waitresses were friendly and helpful. I'm vegetarian so ordered a grilled cheese with added onion & tomato and a side of cheese curds (can't eve have enough cheese!) the sandwiches are really inexpensive & satisfying. My family ordered fun shakes--marshmallow and banana--homemade, fresh, & delicious.

We stopped to check out the antiques and ate here as well. What a great place to look at antiques as well as eat some good diner food. Prices are reasonable, the food was very good, and the ice cream was incredible. Pork tenderloins were spot on and we tried the homemade drumsticks and frozen bananas, we will be back again. If your traveling through or looking for a day trip from St. Louis, you will find a days worth of looking and eating here that you will not regret. To top it off the folks and service here were wonderful.