The City I Most Want to Visit in Each State, Part 2: Colorado to Georgia

This is the second post in a series. I recommend reading the introductory post first. Today I'll be picking the city in Colorado, Connecticut, Delaware, Florida, and Georgia that I most want to visit, then listing my top 2 attractions in each location. 

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The City I Most Want to Visit in Each State, Part 2: Colorado to Georgia

 

I would love to travel to Colorado Springs, Colorado. Olympic City USA is home to the Olympic and Paralympic Training Center and the Olympic committee headquarters, more than 20 national Olympic governing bodies, dozens of national sports organizations, and my top pick for attractions, the US Olympic and Paralympic Museum. I would also love to take the cog railway to Pikes Peak. 

The city I'd most like to visit in Connecticut is New Haven. I'd start my time at Yale University, specifically at the Peabody Museum. It looks incredible. I would also like to check out Lost in New Haven, which looks really unique and would be a good introduction to the area. 

On my next trip to Delaware, I'd most like to visit Wilmington. The are six units of First State National Historic Park; Wilmington is home to three of them. I'd start my visit at Fort Christina. I'd also plan to visit the small but charming Brandywine Zoo. 

It should be no surprise that the city I most want to visit in Florida is its capital, Tallahassee. We have been to 45 of the 50 state capitals and I'd love to see the rest. My priority would be the Florida Capitol and the Museum of Florida History. 

My top choice for a city to visit in Georgia is beautiful and historic Savannah. I would start by riding a full loop on Old Town Trolley Tours; we've taken Old Town Trolley Tours in multiple cities and always found them to provide an excellent overview to a city. After learning all about the city and seeing its most famous sites from the trolley, I would check out the American Prohibition Museum. 

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Did I miss any must-do attractions in these cities? Let me know in the comments what else I should do when I make it to these cities!

State Name Art: Kansas, Delaware, Iowa, and Nevada

I finished a second batch of State Name Art. This time, I made Kansas, Nevada, Delaware, and Iowa. I love how they're completely different from each other and from the four I previously made. Affiliate links below. 

 

State Name Art

Materials:

• Bristol vellum
• Flair pens
• colored pencils
• white Posca pen (Nevada)
• microtip scissors
• colored cardstock
• glue stick

Steps: 

Print or trace the outline of a state onto paper. (Bristol vellum is my favorite when working with colored pencils.) I made the outlines using the graphics on PicMonkey, but there are plenty of places to find outlines. Students can draw their own outlines or use pre-prepared tracers. 

Use a pencil to very lightly sketch in the letters of the state. Make adjustments until you are happy with the letters. Some letters may be distorted or have missing parts; that's perfectly fine as long as the state name is legible. Outline the letters with a Flair pen, then color in all spaces that aren't part of the name.  

Lightly sketch a scene across the white space of the letters that represents the state. When you are happy with what you've sketched, fill it in with colored pencils. I did sunflowers for Kansas...

... the beach for Delaware...

... a cornfield for Iowa...

... and a night sky in Nevada. After coloring this scene with colored pencils, I used a Posca pen to add the stars. 

Cut out the state and glue it to colored construction paper. 

I had a lot of fun with this latest batch of states. Figuring out each one is very satisfying. As I said before, I have no intention of doing all 50, but I'll keep going for now! 

Crayon-Resist Swallowtail Butterfly

I liked the results of my wax-resist Colorado hairstreak butterfly so much that I used the same technique to make a different butterfly. This time, I chose the Eastern tiger swallowtail. It is the state insect of Virginia, the state butterfly of Delaware, Georgia, North Carolina, and South Carolina, and both the state butterfly and mascot of Alabama. Affiliate links below. 

Wax-Resist Swallowtail Butterfly

Materials: 

• watercolor paper
• crayons
• black paint
• microtip scissors
• colored pencil

Steps: 

Because I wanted my Eastern tiger swallowtail to be accurate, I printed out a picture first at the size I wanted my finished project to be. Then I used the window to trace the butterfly onto watercolor paper. 

Next, I used yellow, orange, black, blue, and white crayons to color in the butterfly. Since this is a wax-resist project, press hard and leave a thick layer of wax where you want the paint to resist; color lightly in the areas where you want black to cover most of your crayon marks. 

Create a wash by mixing a few drops of black acrylic paint into some water. Brush the wash over the butterfly. The paint will resist the areas with crayon. When the paint is dry, cut out the butterfly. 

The wash dried a little lighter than I wanted, but it was an easy fix. I used a black colored pencil to darken the areas that needed to pop. Here you can see the difference between the right side that I've colored and the left side that has just the wash. 

Here is is with both sides colored. 

The Eastern tiger swallowtail is such a pretty butterfly! I'm really happy with how my project turned out. 

Tomato and Strawberry Easter Eggs

Today's Easter eggs based on state symbols are so easy to make that you get two-for-one. First up is a tomato, the state fruit of Arkansas, Ohio, and Tennessee. Second is the strawberry, the state fruit of Delaware, Louisiana, North Carolina, and Oklahoma. Affiliate links below. 

 

Tomato Easter Egg

Materials:

• egg (raw, hardboiled, or empty)
• acrylic paint (red)
• felt (green)
• scissors
• craft glue

Steps: 

Paint the egg red. While it is drying, cut out a multi-pointed star shape from felt for the tomato's leaves. Cut a thin strip for the stem. When the paint is dry, glue the leaves to the side of the egg and the stem on top of the leaves. 

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Strawberry Easter Egg

Materials:

• egg (raw, hardboiled, or empty)
• acrylic paint (red, yellow)
• felt (green)
• scissors
• plastic fork
• craft glue

Steps: 

Paint the egg red. While the paint is drying, cut out a multi-pointed star shape from felt for the strawberry's leaves. Cut a thin strip for the stem. 

When the red paint is dry, use a plastic fork to apply yellow dots to the egg to mimic the strawberry's seeds. 

When the yellow paint is dry, glue the leaves to the rounded end of the egg. Glue the stem onto the leaves. 

The Best and the Worst of the 50 State Seals, Part 1

I had a lot of fun ranking the 50 state flags and then the 50 state quarters. Now it's time to tackle the state seals! 

The design of a state seal serves a completely different purpose than state flags or state quarters do. Unlike a state flag (which is usually viewed outdoors, at a distance, and thus should be simple in design, completely unique, and readily identifiable in all weather conditions) or a state quarter (always viewed up close, with the reverse design serving no real purpose other than to delight collectors and thus make money for the government), a state seal is used to authenticate official documents, government buildings, and other state property. It is not nearly as important that the design be unique or readily identifiable. 

State seals typically include images, symbols, and mottos that represent the history, identity, and values of that state. Most states have have official full-color and single-color versions. Variations of the seal are used for different governmental departments or positions. Some states have updated their seals multiple times over the course of their history; others are using the same seal as when they received statehood (or earlier). 

I will be grading each seal on scale of 0-10. I am considering two factors: 

• Does the seal have an aesthetically pleasing design that makes good use of the space? (5 points)
• Does the seal's design represent the history, identity, and values of the state? (5 points)

I'll be looking at the states alphabetically, so let's get started with Alabama. 

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Rating the State Seals: Alabama through Georgia

Alabama's seal was adopted in 1939. It features one of Alabama's most important resources, its major rivers, presented in a map of the state. I like that. I'm not particularly fond of anything else about the seal. I don't love the colors. It seems really weird to include other states in your state seal (although I'm amused that the Gulf of Mexico is labeled). I was not able to find any meaning the six stars; I assume they're just decorative. I'd rather see 11 smaller stars on each side, representing that Alabama is the 22nd state. 

Design 2, Representation 1 = 3

Alaska's state seal has been in use since 1910, long before statehood in 1959. The seal features the natural beauty of Alaska (the Northern Lights, mountains, forests, and waterways) and its industry (mining, railroads, shipping, timber, agriculture, and fishing). Overall, I like the design and the colors are nice. It represents the state very well. I question including train tracks that extend onto a short wooden pier (that doesn't seem safe) and I'm not sure why the close ship is entirely in silhouette. I wish the seal and fish were a little clearer on the dark blue background. While I'm fine with the font, the spacing of the words and the inconsistent kerning are pretty bad.  

Design 3, Representation 5 = 8

Arizona adopted its state seal at the time of statehood in 1912. I'm impressed; it looks surprisingly modern. I love the colors and how well they represent Arizona. The overall design is interesting and very well well-balanced. The design features each of Arizona's "Five C's" - copper, cattle, cotton, citrus, and climate, as well as the state motto and the date of admission. If I have to criticize anything, I would tweak the font slightly since some letters are heavier than others (compare the O and N in Arizona). But that is such a small detail that you can go ahead and forget that I even mentioned it. I love this seal. 

Design 5, Representation 5 = 10 

The state seal of Arkansas was adopted in 1907. It features an eagle with a scroll, arrows, and an olive branch (just like the Great Seal of the US), both an angel and a goddess, a circle of rays, a sword, and a shield with a steamboat, beehive, plow, and wheat. That is a lot of elements. And unfortunately, they don't say "Arkansas" to me. The design doesn't feel relevant to the state today, nor does it convey much about the state's history. I don't love the colors, nor the empty spot at the bottom of the text, where the date of admission would fit perfectly. The more I look at this seal, the less I like it. 

Design 1, Representation 0.5 = 1.5 

California's seal was adopted in 1849, with several minor changes since then. The seal features a grizzly bear (California's state animal), grapevines (representing the wine industry), grain (representing agriculture), a minor (representing the Gold Rush), and sailing ships (representing economic power). The goddess Athena is there because she was born an adult, just like California became a state without being a territory first. The seal shows the state motto and 31 stars, representing its admission as the 31st state. There's no question that the seal represents the state well. Overall, I like the design, the colors, and the decorative border. 

Design 4.5, Representation 5 = 9.5

The Colorado state seal was adopted in 1861 when Colorado was a territory; after statehood in 1876, they changed the text to "State" and added the date. The design features the Eye of Providence (just like the dollar bill), a Roman fasces (used to inflict punishment, symbolizing strength and authority), a shield with mountains and miner's tools, and a scroll with the state motto. The design of the seal is very well balanced and aesthetically pleasing, but I'd like it a lot better with more emphasis on the mountains and other natural beauty of the state and less on the Eye and the weapon. 

Design 4, Representation 3 = 7

The state seal of Connecticut has been unchanged since 1784 and is the only non-circular seal among the 50 states. It features three grapevines, thought to represent the first settlements in Connecticut. The large text translates to "Seal of the Republic of Connecticut." The text on the banner is the state motto, which means "He who transplanted sustains." While I appreciate the unique shape, that's about all I like about this seal. It's not particularly attractive and the colors are uninspired. Other than the state motto, it doesn't particularly represent Connecticut which, incidentally, is not a Republic. 

Design 0.5, Representation 0.5 = 1

Delaware's state seal has been modified four times in its nearly 250-year history, most recently in 2004. The wheat, corn, ox, and farmer represent the importance of agriculture and animal husbandry in Delaware. The blue stripe represents the Delaware River; together with the ship, it highlights the importance of the ship-building industry and coastal commerce. The rifleman acknowledges the critical role of citizens to maintain liberty, which is echoed in the state motto that appears below their feet. The three dates are the most significant in Delaware history: when the First General Assembly was established (1704); when Delaware joined the other colonies in declaring independence from Great Britain (1776); and when Delaware became the first state to ratify the US Constitution (1787). I don't love the design (particularly the floating ship, the river placed above the ox's head, and the not-attractive color choices), but I love how much symbolism there is and how well it represents so many facets of the state. 

Design - 2.5, Representation 5 = 7.5

The current version of the Florida state seal was adopted in 1985. It features a Seminole woman, a steamboat, a sabal palm (the state tree), and the state motto. This version fixed errors that were present in previous versions of the seal. While I don't hate the design, I don't especially like it either. Although, that might be largely due to the color palette and the horizontal lines throughout the design. 

Design 3, Representation 3.5 = 6.5

The state seal of Georgia was adopted in 1798; since then, the only modification that has been made is changing the date on the seal from 1799 to 1776. The design features an arch (representing the Georgia State Constitution), supported by pillars of Wisdom, Justice, and Moderation (representing the three branches of government). The militiaman shows that Georgia is ready to defend these principles. Georgia's state seal is one of very few that is 2-sided, but for this series I'm only grading the side that is most commonly used. The design is not terrible, but it's not in any way unique to Georgia (all states have a constitution and three branches of government, and 1776 relates to American Independence). Blue and gold are a classic pairing, but they're not the state colors. 

Design: 2.5, Representation 0.5 = 3

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So in order, we have Arizona (10), California (9.5), Alaska (8), Delaware (7.5), Colorado (7), Florida (6.5), Alabama (3), Georgia (3), Arkansas (1.5), and Connecticut (1). Let me know in the comments if you agree with my rankings. Tomorrow I'll look at the next ten seals. 

The Best Tour in Every State, Part 1

Yelp recently published an article called The Best Tour in Every State. To find their winners, they identified businesses in the Tours category, then ranked them based on the total volume and ratings of reviews. The list is interesting and there are plenty of tours on it that I would enjoy. Others, not so much. (There are three alligator tours on the list and two of them mention "hold" or "hands-on" which are major red flags.) Boats are a common theme, but there are plenty of tours for those who want to stay on dry land. Almost every tour is guided, but they did include a self-guided tour on the list. A few are seasonal - you won't be taking a snowmobile tour in the summer, nor doing whitewater trips in snowy states in the winter. Anyway, it's an interesting list.

One of the neatest things about having been to all 50 states is that I can make lists like this too. But first I had to decide what the definition of a tour is. Obviously, when you get onto a bus, boat, train, wagon, etc. and someone drives you around telling you about stuff, that's a tour. If you're on a Segway (ugh), bike, scooter, or just walking and there's someone leading the way and telling you about stuff, that's a tour. If you put on headphones and move from one location to another as directed by the narration, that's a tour. It's still a tour if the narration starts when you press a button, or if you just read signs that take you from the first stop to the next. Basically, a tour involves being told where to start and where to go next, with factual information conveyed along the way. If you can wander around and look at what interests you with no obligatory path, maybe skipping some items, maybe returning to something... that's not a tour. So I don't consider most museum visits to be tours. Likewise, a bus, boat, or train ride is not a tour if there isn't a narration component along the way. 

With my definition in place, let's look at the first ten states. If you click on the name of the state at the beginning of each entry, it will take you to a list of all the activities we've done in that state. The link within the text will take you to the narrative about the specific tour I've named the best. 

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Alabama

The best tour that Steve, Trevor, and I took in Alabama was at Oak Mountain State Park. It was absolutely fantastic. Oak Mountain is gorgeous, even in the middle of the winter. I can only imagine it would be stunning in other seasons. You can find ranger-guided tours and educational programs at the Treetop Nature Trail, the Alabama Wildlife Center, the Oak Mountain Interpretative Center, and more. 

Alaska

We've done so many incredible tours in Alaska that it's really hard to pick a favorite. But I'm going to give that honor to the Musher's Camp Tour and Sled Dog Experience that we did in Skagway. It was so much fun and such an iconic Alaska experience. That was before I was blogging about travel, so there's no post to link to. But here's a picture of us with one of the dogs who pulled our sled.

Arizona

The best tour I've taken in Arizona was by Rising Phoenix Tours. I learned so much about the past and present of Phoenix and what makes it unique. In addition to seeing the sights, we also stopped at a bunch of creative businesses. (It was during an AFCI-sponsored trip, so Steve and Trevor weren't with me for this tour.)

Arkansas

The best tour we took in Arkansas was at Little Rock Central High School National Historic Site. Actually, it is one of the best tours I've taken anywhere, in my entire life. Ranger Rebecca did an amazing job bringing the history to life. This tour was one of the highlights not only of this particular trip, but of our entire time visiting all 50 states. 

California

This one is really tough. I've taken dozens, if not hundreds, of tours during my 53 years in California. I've done city tours, food tours, gold mine tours, boat tours (traveling on rivers, lakes, and the ocean, as well as tours of stationary historic boats), cave tours, redwoods tours, butterfly tours... the list goes on and on. I've toured the Jelly Belly Factory at least a dozen times. There are so many outstanding tours I could name and I hate picking one since it means leaving others out. But pick I must. Probably due to the recency effect, I'm going to select the Warner Bros Studio Tour as the best tour I've taken in California. 

Colorado

This is an easy one. The best tour I've taken in Colorado is the Celestial Seasonings Tea Tour. I've taken the tour twice and loved it both times. It is so interesting seeing all the raw ingredients and learning how they are transformed into products ready to ship. My favorite part of the tour is the Mint Room, where mint explodes at your senses in the very best of ways.

Connecticut

We spent a full day in Connecticut doing a lot of fun things... but none of them were tours. My favorite non-tour activity was going to the Pez Visitor Center. 

Delaware

The best (only) tour we took in Delaware was a docent-guided tour of the Old State House. We enjoy taking guided tours of current and former Capitol buildings when we can, but the timing doesn't always work out. Fortunately, it did in Delaware. 

Florida

I've been to Florida at least 7 times, but I can only remember a single tour I've taken there. I was about 13 when we took a bus tour at Kennedy Space Center. On account of it being the only tour I've taken in Florida, it is now officially my favorite. I don't have a photo from our visit, so I'm using one of the media photos from their website. I don't remember it looking like this in the mid-80's, but it might have. I really don't remember much about it at all. 

Georgia

My favorite tour in Georgia was the 5-hour Atlanta City Bus Tour. Our guide was fantastic and we learned so much about the history and culture of Atlanta. Highlights of the tour included Martin Luther King Jr. National Historic Park, the Atlanta Beltline, Ponce City Market, and much more. 

That's the end of Part 1, Alabama through Georgia. I'll be back tomorrow with Part 2, Hawaii through Maryland!

Crayon Melt State Fruits: Pear, Peach, Strawberry, Watermelon, and Tomato

It's been almost four years since I've pulled out the warming tray to do a crayon melt project. I'm surprised it's been that long, since it's one of my favorite techniques. I love the painterly effect it gives on these, each of which is an official state fruit.  

Pears are the state fruit of Oregon. 

Peaches are the state fruit of Alabama, Georgia and South Carolina. (Technically, peaches are Alabama's state tree fruit.)

Strawberries are the state fruit of Delaware, Louisiana, North Carolina (technically, the state red berry), and Oklahoma.

Tomatoes are the state fruit of Arkansas, Ohio, and Tennessee.

OK, I lied. Watermelon is not a state fruit. It is the state vegetable of Oklahoma. If you think a tomato should be considered a vegetable and watermelon a fruit, don't take it up with me. Botanically, tomatoes are fruit and so are watermelons, but Oklahoma has valid arguments for considering watermelon a vegetable. 

I didn't make crayon melts of all of the state fruits. Others include oranges, apples, huckleberries, blackberries, plums, blueberries, grapes, cranberries, chokecherries, grapefruit, cherries, and pawpaws. Feel free to make those, or anything else, using the technique below. The materials list includes affiliate links. 

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Crayon Melt State Fruits

Materials:

• warming tray
• white paper
• crayons
• microtip scissors
• craft glue

Steps:

Plug in the warming tray. and put a sheet of paper on top. Scraps are perfectly ok. Use crayons to color in the fruits you'll be making. You can blend and layer colors as much as you want. 

I recommend removing the wrappers from the crayons and laying them on their sides for faster, more even coverage. When you do that, you're going to get wax that transfers to the crayon, but that's not a problem. Here you can see that I put the white crayon into an area I'd colored dark green, which blended and transferred to the crayon. To clean it off, just color on a clean area of paper. 

You have two choices when adding details to your project. For the watermelon seeds, I just dotted black crayon directly onto the hot red wax. Since the black shows up really well on red, this is a good option. 

If I'd tried to add the yellow strawberry seeds on top of the red wax while it was hot, they would have blended in too much. Instead, I removed the strawberry, let it cool completely, cut out my shape, then returned it to the warming tray for just long enough to warm up. Then I was able dot on little bits of yellow. 

Don't forget to color the stems and leaves that you'll be using on your fruits. When you've colored everything, unplug the warming tray and let the wax set. Then cut out the shapes using scissors. Glue the leaves and stems to the appropriate fruit. Have fun!

50 State Quarters: Coloring Pages Using Flair Pens

I just finished two more coloring pages featuring the 50 State Quarters. I've previously shared the first four (Nevada, New Jersey, Oregon, and Wisconsin) that I colored with Ohuhu Kaala markers and the next four (Connecticut, Idaho, Missouri, and Montana) where I used inks as a base and layered colored pencil on top. Can you guess what I used for the Indiana and Delaware coloring pages? 

If you guessed Flair pens, I'm impressed! (Affiliate link here and below.) Specifically, I used this 12-pack of 0.7 mm tip pens. 

I printed the images as 7" circles, which is a ridiculous amount of surface area to fill with a fine tip pen. If I'd colored them in using just the 0.7 mm pens, I would have: 

• run out of ink partway through and had to buy more pens
• wrecked my hand
• lost my mind

Instead, I took advantage of a fun characteristic of Flair pens: they are water-based. By using a moist brush, you can drag the pigment beyond the place where you colored. Look at the tires below. For each tire, I colored part of it solid black, then drew horizontal lines on the remainder. Then I used my brush to blend them out. You can see the difference between the ones I've moistened (left) and the ones I haven't (right). 

Compare the blue outline of Indiana above with the finished project. See the way I dragged the blue in toward the center? I did the same thing with the black outline around the entire design. I really like the effect. And this technique lets you add color to large areas and still save your pen, hand, and sanity. 

A few precautions before you try coloring pages with Flair pens and water. First, print or copy the image onto watercolor paper for the best results. I did a trial run using printer paper and, as expected, it was a disaster. I ended up using Neenah Bristol Vellum because it was the best option that works in my printer. It didn't allow for as much blending as a watercolor paper would, but it didn't fall apart like the printer paper. 

Second, expect to have a lot of drying time. You can't apply Flair pens over moist areas, plus if you moisten two adjacent colors at once, the colors will run. Instead, work on one section at a time and then wait for it to dry before going on to the next area. I worked on both Indiana and Delaware simultaneously so that one could dry while I was working on the other. 

 

To cover a large space with visible texture (like the grass on the Delaware quarter), you can draw lots of little lines. I wasn't consistent in blending it out, but it doesn't bother me that the grass looks inconsistent. What does bother me are the lines on the horse. The 12-pack of Flair pens doesn't have a brown, so I had to use the black pen in different ways on the horse, the tack, and the boot. I suppose I could have used the purple and embraced a horse of a different color. 

I'm looking forward to coloring my next batch of State Quarters using a different method. I've printed out the designs; now I just need to pick my next medium and get started!