museum

Visiting the Idaho Potato Museum

Travel
Baked Potato with Butter…Yum!

Road trips are a great way to learn and experience new things. One can come across some pretty interesting places on the road. One such place is the Idaho Potato Museum in Blackfoot, Idaho.

On our recent road trip, I happened by the sign for the Idaho Potato Museum. Oh boy! I REALLY wanted to stop, however, it was not on the schedule and stop we did not. I was disappointed but knew we had to pass the museum again on our way back. My group, however, was not promising anything.

I checked out the museum’s website and found out that they served potatoes. I absolutely HAD to eat an Idaho potato in Idaho. My group thought that eating an Idaho potato in another state would do. After all they said, ” You probably eat Idaho potatoes all the time”. That was not the point, I wanted to eat the Idaho potato in Idaho, plus I love this kind of museum.

Idaho Potato shed

I am happy to say that we finished sight-seeing early and were actually able to go to the Idaho Potato Museum. On our way there, I called ahead to reserve our potatoes. When we arrived we toured the museum, which was very educational, and learned the history of the potato and the potato industry. There are exhibits that go into detail about planting, irrigation, harvesting, and processing potatoes. The world’s largest Pringles Potato Chip is on display. Also on display are potato peelers and nails (which were used by cooks hoping to speed up the cooking process). Movies about potatoes were also available to watch. Outside the museum is a nice display of equipment used in the potato planting and harvesting process.

As I mentioned before, you can order a baked potato to eat in the museum’s cafe. The cafe also offers french fries, potato salad, potato bread, potato soup, potato cupcakes, potato ice cream, etc… The cafe is a nice, comfortable spot to enjoy a little something after the museum tour and refresh before hitting the road again.

potato doll

There is also a gift shop at the museum. They sell cookbooks, postcards, t-shirts, magnets, potato dolls, patches, pins, etc… They had a wide variety of reasonably priced items. I was even given a free bag of Idaho Spuds instant potatoes with my purchase. Bonus!

I enjoyed my visit to the Idaho Potato Museum. If you ever find yourself in Idaho, perhaps you too will make a stop in Blackfoot to eat a potato and enjoy a little history about the potato. I am glad I did.

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The Salton Sea

Travel

Planning a day trip in Southern California? The Salton Sea may be a destination to consider if you enjoy photography, bananas, and don’t mind the smell of rotting fish.

Actually, I rather enjoyed my trip to the Salton Sea, which was a resort town in the 50’s but was basically deserted because of the condition of the sea. I was skeptical considering what I had read about walking on fish bones and the polluted water. However, I really enjoyed the sea, which was quite beautiful. It was sort of like a treasure hunt. What would be found at the next location? The run down, deserted graffiti filled buildings, the skeleton of a ship, a lounge chair, fish bones, birds nesting in trees in the water….. I did not run out of subjects for my photographs.

Another surprise was the International Banana Museum. Apparently, they are in the Guiness Book of World Records. It is a tiny little building loaded with banana memoribilla. My kids enjoyed it and as I collect banana stickers, I found it amusing. They do make and sell banana drinks there as well.

A bit of advice if you are planning to go…there are not a lot of places to eat so you may want to pack a lunch. There are picnic tables at the Yaht Club that made for a nice place to stop and look around as well as have lunch. Go with an open mind and you will return with a new appreciation for a place abandoned by many.