Chasing Phantastic Phils, the Punxsutawney Phil Statues.
Have you heard about Phantastic Phils, the Punxsutawney Phil Statues?
When you drive through downtown Punxsutawney in western Pennsylvania, you will see groundhog statues in front of businesses or organizations’ buildings. Those are Phil’s statues, the most famous weather forecaster in the world.
Wait! What?
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You heard about Groundhog Day, right?
Every February 2nd on Groundhog Day, all eyes turn to Punxsutawney. People want to know if Punxsutawney Phil, the famous groundhog in the whole world, will see his shadow or not.
If he sees his shadow, we will have six more weeks of winter. If he doesn’t, we will have an early spring.
Whether you believe this furry forecaster or not, thousands of people from all over the world come every year to Punxsutawney to celebrate the event.
What if you can’t visit on the Groundhog Day?
You still can see Phil. Also, his statues are scattered all over town!
That’s what we did when visiting Punxsutawney between Christmas and New Year. After we saw Phil in his burrow, we drove around town to chase his statues, the Phantastic Phils.
Punxsutawney Phil Statues: Phantastic Phils
Phantastic Phils made his first debut on Groundhog Day 2004. Its name is “Phillage”, the only statue with a top hat.
A top hat is part of the traditional dress of the caretakers of Punxsutawney Phil, the Groundhog Club Inner Circle. The Groundhog Club sponsored this Phil. Local artist Kelly Porada painted the statue.
The idea of building Phantastic Phil statues came from other cities that have bigger-than-life-size fiberglass artist rendition statues. The town of Punxsutawney thought it would be a great idea to have that with their beloved groundhog, Phil.
After the first debut, the Punxsutawney Phil Statues popped up all over town. Businesses and civic groups adopted Phantastic Phils and put him on their front lawn to support their city.
You can drive around to find them or print the Punxsutawney Phil Statues Map before you leave for Punxsutawney.
How many Phil statues are in Punxsutawney?
As I write this article, there are 41 statues scattered around Punxsutawney. This information is based on the Punxsutawney Phil Statues map.
According to a local lady we met at the parking, “There are too many. You can find them everywhere in our town.”
I think it’s because they added a new statue all the time. Even locals lost track of how many Punxsutawney Phil Statues were there.
How tall is Punxsutawney Phil?
The colorful, whimsical, fiberglass Phils is 6-foot-tall.
Each statue is identical, with certain modifications depending on the businesses or organizations that sponsored him.
Which street has the most Phantastic Phils?
We entered the town from PA-36 S from Brookville direction. Google Maps made us turn to Walston Rd/N Findley St., which took us to downtown Punxsutawney.
It’s on N Findley St. I started spotting Phil’s statues.
Then we turned left to E Mahoning St. to Phil’s Burrow.
We were welcomed by Officer Phil & Fury when looking for a parking spot.
Outside Phil’s Burrow is where you will see Phillage, the first Phantastic Phils in town.
Adjunction to the burrow is Barclay Park. There are two more statues in this area: Freedom Phil and Fireman Phil.
You will walk to see these statues up close.
Mahoning St. is the main street in downtown Punxsutawney. You will see more of the statues along this street.
We didn’t have the Phantastic Phils Statues Map in hand. We drove by instinct along E and W Mahoning and made a few turns to find more statues.
I believe we saw around 20 statues, but we didn’t stop at each statue we saw.
Chasing Phantastic Phils was a fun thing to do in Punxsutawney when you only drive through town.
Visiting Gobbler’s Knob
When you are done with chasing Phantastic Phils, don’t forget to drive to the Gobbler’s Knob. It is where the Groundhog Day event takes place every year.
The Gobbler’s Knob is located about two miles southeast of downtown Punxsutawney.
You will get to stand on stage as if you are part of the Groundhog Club Inner Circle during Groundhog Day.
There’s a small burrow on stage where Phil came out during the event. But, of course, Phil doesn’t live there.
Across the state is the Gobbler’s Knob Visitor Center. You will learn everything you want to know about Groundhog Day, from its history to the last event. It is also a souvenir shop, so grab a souvenir to take home.
Who are the two groundhogs?
When looking for Phil in his burrow, you will see two groundhogs. Who are they?
One is the famous Punxsutawney Phil, and the other is his wife, Phyliss.
Where does Punxsutawney Phil actually live?
Punxsutawney Phil, or Punxsy Phil, lives in a burrow in the library with his wife, Phyliss. You can see it from outside, or go into the library.
My son and I went into the library to see them while my husband waited outside with our dog, Snoopy. Then we went to see them from the window.
We couldn’t tell which one was Phil or Phyliss, though. (Blink blink.) One was busy eating while the other one was giving us the eye. Lol.
Phil’s Burrow Address: 300 E Mahoning St., Punxsutawney, PA 15767. Phone: (814) 618-5591.
Hours: Monday to Saturday, usually from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. There are days when they close at 7 p.m. and open at noon.
How many groundhogs have been used for Groundhog Day?
Believe it or not, the original Phil reincarnated every 6-8 years since its first appearance in 1887. It gets a drink of magic elixir each year that gives him seven more years. Today, he is over 100!
Punxsy Phil has no known offspring. His favorite meal is dandelion leaves in early spring. He weighs about 18 lbs. in the fall and is 22 inches long.
Distance to Punxsutawney
It’s around an hour and thirty minutes drive to the northeast of Pittsburgh.
We were visiting family for Christmas in Pittsburgh, so it made a fun day trip.
This is the first time I have heard about them but these are really cute and adorable. My favorite is the police one. By the way, 41 statues is a big number but I hope they can add more. I think it’s very exciting. I am interested to find visit all of them when we get a chance to be in the area. I think it’s going to be a perfect activity to help drive tourism. 🙂
I love this unusual and funny topic for a blogpost! That is what blogging should be – introducing interesting off-beat sights. I reminded me of your post about the restaurant where they throw hot rolls at the customers. Here in Germany we do not have much of a groundhog tradition. I do know about it, because my birthday is on groundhog day. Love the cute Phil statues too.
Natascha, it was funny because it was the German settlers who brought this traditions and folklore to Punxsutawney. It derived from the Candlemas Day. Because there’s no hedgehog here, they found groundhog the closest hibernating animal. 🙂 I’m glad you still remember my post about the throw hot rolls in Lambert’s Cafe.
Had never heard about the Phil Statues and hence it was a great learning for me. Each of these statues look so cute. The journey of locating each one of these 41 statues around Punxsutawney sounds like a great adventure. The feel of the Groundhogs Phil and his wife Philiss in Gobbler’s Knob must be such a great experience.
Omg, this is something that’s right up my alley! It’s my first time hearing about Punxsutawney or the Groundhog Day to be honest, but I can seriously see myself visiting the place and dedicate the entire trip to finding all 41 statues (or maybe more)!
What an informative and fun blog post! I have not heard of Punxutawney or the Phil statues. I would love to visit this place some day and take a tour of viewing the statues. I will not miss Gobbler’s Knob when I visit Punxutawney. Love that image of Snoopy with the statue of Officer Phil and Fury! 🙂
It’s so funny that Punxsutawney has over 41 statues of Phil the groundhog. It actually reminded me of a story where the groundhog died a day before Groundhog day, but I think it must have been another animal somewhere else, as Phil seems to be alive and happy with his “wife”. I think visiting Punxsutawney on Groundhog Day must be a really special event.
Right? Phil lives a happily ever after life with his wife Phyliss. 😉
Wow, what a charming adventure through Punxsutawney Phil’s world! Your delightful journey, ‘Chasing Phantastic Phils, the Punxsutawney Phil Statues,’ brought a smile to my face. The vivid descriptions of the whimsical Phil statues scattered around town and the handy map for exploration made me feel like I was right there with you. Your personal touch, like the encounter with Phil and Phyliss in the library, adds such a warm and relatable aspect to the experience. And the practical tips for visiting Gobbler’s Knob and Phil’s burrow are super helpful for anyone planning a trip. Thanks for sharing this fun-filled escapade. It’s like you’ve invited us all to join in the joy of chasing Phantastic Phils!
I love groundhogs , they are adorable. I also love the idea of chasing Phil statues all over Punxsutawney. I just didn’t think that Phil actually exists today and with his wife no less ! Well long live Phil I say and what a fun day out!
As we approach Groundhog Day we are thinking about what the groundhog will see and how long winter will last. I am sure it would be fun to visit Punxsutawney and check out the Punxsutawney Phil Statues. So fun to see the traditional dress on the Phillage statue. And to see the variety in the 41 different statues scattered about. I guess we will see what this year’s groundhog visit brings.