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All the United States Florida Islamorada Betsy the Lobster

Betsy the Lobster

This spiny beast guards an artist's village while vying for the title of largest lobster in the world.

Islamorada, Florida

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Betsy the Lobster   Matt Kiefer on Flickr
Betsy the Lobster   delascabezas on Flickr
Betsy the Lobster   delascabezas on Flickr
  jlord7 / Atlas Obscura User
  Runawaydc / Atlas Obscura User
  Runawaydc / Atlas Obscura User
Betsy’s face   mosherhmh / Atlas Obscura User
  Zadigmathafack / Atlas Obscura User
  wisemand / Atlas Obscura User
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Betsy’s figure   mosherhmh / Atlas Obscura User
Posing in front of Betsy is our Thing… creepier still is the red shack selling amazing lobster rolls, about 100 yards away from Betsy’s butt.   kellykarsnerclarke / Atlas Obscura User
Betsy the Lobster looms over the parking lot.   Linda Seid Frembes
November 2025   DMStephenson / Atlas Obscura User
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Because nothing is too terrifying to create a giant novelty version of, the Rain Barrel artist's village in Islamorada, Florida is home to "Betsy," a massive roadside lobster statue the is a serious contender for the title of the world's largest lobster.

Modeled in eerily life-like detail, Betsy is a huge spiny lobster that was originally created in the 1980s to celebrate the species which is native to the Florida Keys. Unlike many of its brethren, spiny lobster do not have claws, but as Betsy shows in massive detail, they don't need them to be alien and frightening. The lobsters' carapace is covered in sharp spikes and it features a handful of long antennae which are probably not used as whips... but could be.

Betsy's original home was in the south Florida Keys in front of a different shopping center where she became a popular photo destination rivaled only by the tip soft the Keys themselves. In 2009, the old shopping center wall was converted to a Montessori school and so the monster crustacean was moved to a new location in front of the Rain Barrel Artisans' Village in Islamorada.

At around 40 feet long and nearly 30 feet tall, Betsy is not just a living nightmare, but may also be the largest lobster in the world despite some vocal opposition from a fiberglass creature in Canada.       

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Published

March 26, 2015

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  • http://www.examiner.com/article/betsy-the-lobster-spawns-more-great-art-the-keys
  • http://www.roadsideamerica.com/tip/251
  • http://www.fla-keys.com/news/news.cfm?sid=7383
  • http://www.floridarambler.com/florida-getaways/florida-keys-roadtrip-mile-marker-guide/attachment/lobster-in-keys/

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Animals World's Largest Roadside Attractions
Betsy the Lobster
86700 Overseas Highway
Islamorada, Florida
United States
24.959352, -80.571269
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