The City I Most Want to Visit in Each State, Part 4: Kansas to Maryland

This is the fourth post in a series. I recommend reading the first, second, and third posts before this one. Today I'll be picking the city in Kansas, Kentucky, Louisiana, Maine, and Maryland 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 4: Kansas to Maryland

 

The city I'd most like to visit in Kansas is Wichita. Quite a few celebrities grew up in Wichita, including Mars, the pygmy hippo who stole the internet's heart. Mars lives at Tanganyika Wildlife Park, which is my top attraction in the Wichita area. The next place I'd visit is the Museum of World Treasures. 

Paducah is the city I'd most like to visit in Kentucky. Paducah looks like such a charming town. It is one of 10 cities in the US that have been designated a UNESCO Creative City (I've been to 8 of the 10 and I very much want to finish that list.) I most want to visit the National Quilt Museum. Now that I'm a (novice) quilter, I am especially interested in spending time there. Steve and I watched Chef Sara Bradley cook during the Tournament of Champions All-Star Christmas and would really enjoy eating at Freight House, her restaurant in Paducah. 

Before visiting Natchitoches, I need to practice pronouncing it. It's NACK-uh-tish. I can pronounce it just fine until I see the word again and my brain goes to to Spanish. Anyway, Natchitoches is the city in Louisiana I would most like to visit. While there, I would go to Cane River Creole National Historic Park and the Louisiana Sports Hall of Fame and Northwest Louisiana History Museum.

The city I most want to visit in Maine is Augusta, the state capital. When there, I'll visit the Maine State Capitol, as well as the Maine State Museum. Of the 5 remaining state capitals we haven't visited, this will probably be the last, as it is the farthest from us and not close to any of our other remaining must-see destinations. Fun fact: Augusta, Maine (which is obviously part of the contiguous United States) is significantly farther from us here in California than either Juneau, Alaska or Honolulu, Hawaii. 

This may be a bit of a surprise since I'm not a beach person, but the next time I visit Maryland I would most like to go to Ocean City. My highest priority would be taking a boat tour from Ocean City to Assateague Island. The other thing I'd most like to visit is Ocean City Life-Saving Museum. 

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Are there any other must-visit places I need to know about? Please let me know in the comments!

The Best and the Worst of the 50 State Seals, Part 2

This is the second post (of five) rating the designs of each of the 50 state seals. I suggest starting with the first post, which gives the background and explains the criteria I'm using for grading. 

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Rating the State Seals: Hawaii through Maryland

Hawaii's state seal was adopted at statehood in 1959. It features King Hamehameha, the goddess Liberty holding the Hawaiian flag, a rising sun, a phoenix, 8 taro leaves representing the 8 main islands, banana leaves, ferns, a kapu stick, and more. The state motto, written in Hawaiian, translates to “The life of the land is perpetuated in righteousness.” There is no question that this seal represents the state well with all those elements, but the resulting design is very crowded. It would be a much better design with just half the elements. 

Design 2.5, Representation 5 = 7.5

The state seal of Idaho was updated in 1957 to highlight Idaho’s main industries (mining, agriculture, and forestry) and the state’s natural beauty. The woman symbolizes justice and the virgin land of Idaho and the man is a miner; together, they protect the items shown in the shield. Idaho's state flower (syringa) is represented, as is the state motto. It represents the state well and is nicely balanced, if a bit crowded. I'd change the colors to be more harmonious. (Fun fact: Idaho has the only state seal designed by a woman.)

Design 3, Representation 5 = 8

The state seal of Illinois was most recently updated in 1869, replacing the original seal that was nearly identical to the seal of the United States. The design features a bald eagle in profile, on a rock, holding a shield, with a banner in its beak proclaiming the state motto (State Sovereignty, National Union) reading from bottom to top, with a twist in the banner that makes word Sovereignty upside-down. There is an oddly-shaped sunrise over water. I am not a fan of this design. While it no longer looks like the seal of the US, it still has many of the same elements, including a shield with 13 stars and stripes. Illinois is the 21st state, not one of the original 13 Colonies. The statehood date (1818) appears twice, which is unnecessary. There is no reason for 1868, the year the seal was redesigned (before being adopted in 1869), to appear on the seal. I hate the spacing / kerning of the text. 

Design 1.5, Representation 1 = 2.5

The most recent version of the state seal of Indiana is from 1963. It features a forest with a man felling a sycamore tree, a bison running away, and the sun setting behind some hills. The designs in blue on either side of the date are the leaves of the tulip tree (the state tree), with dots and diamonds in between them for no apparent reason. (Am I the only one who sees a chicken?) There are 14 rays on the sun (Indiana is the 19th state, so this is not symbolic). I don't hate the seal, but I don't like it either. Without the text and the date, I would have never known this was supposed to be Indiana. Many states have (or had) bison, forests, and hills. 

Design 2.5, Representation 1.5 = 4

The state seal of Iowa was created in 1847, a year after statehood. It includes a soldier in a wheat field (the predominant crop of 1840's Iowa vs. the corn and soybeans that dominate now). He is holding a gun and the US flag topped with a liberty cap. He is surrounded by symbols of farming, mining, and transportation. The ship is the Steamboat Iowa, famous for holding the speed record on the Mississippi from 1843 to 1849. An eagle at the top of the seal holds the state motto. (Fun fact: The wording describing the seal is controversial, but it remains unchanged as of January 2026.) The design of this seal isn't terrible and it represents 1840's Iowa decently. The scale of the items is weird, unless that's a child's dollhouse with a working chimney. The motto is hard to read, since you have to start with the bottom left, move above it, then across, then down. I'd like this seal more without the soldier, US flag, and (especially) the gun.

Design 2.5, Representation 3 = 5.5 

The state seal of Kansas, adopted in 1861, focuses on the history of the state. It includes a sun rising in the east, a river and steamboat (representing commerce), a man plowing (representing agriculture), a settler's cabin plus covered wagons heading west (representing pioneer life and Westward Expansion), indigenous people on horseback hunting bison, the state motto ("To the stars through difficulties") and 34 stars representing Kansas' admission as the 34th state. This is a well-balanced design that represents the state very well. I appreciate that the original inhabitants are acknowledged (and not in an adversarial way). 

Design 4, Representation 4.5 = 8.5

The state seal of Kentucky was originally designed in 1792, then simplified 170 years later to portray "a pioneer meeting a gentleman in a swallowtail coat." Many believe the man in buckskin is Daniel Boone (a pioneer in the exploration of Kentucky) and the man in the suit is Henry Clay (Kentucky senator and eventual Secretary of State), but officially they are not specific people and instead represent all frontiersmen and statesmen. The seal also includes the state motto and goldenrod, the state flower. This seal could be so much better, but at least it's not too busy. 

Design 1.5, Representation 2.5 = 4

The state seal of Louisiana was most recently revised in 2006. The seal is very distinctive, featuring a pelican in her piety, traditionally a Christian symbol of self-sacrifice. The state motto (Union, Justice and Confidence) appears prominently. While the pelican might have first been chosen to honor the state's Catholic heritage during a time of anti-Catholicism elsewhere, I'd rather see the Pelican State design a more secular seal with a pelican that isn't actively bleeding. It's not the Self-Sacrifice State, after all. 

Design: 2, Representation 2 = 4

The state seal of Maine was adopted in 1820. In the center is a shield featuring a moose, resting in front of a pine tree, between the water and the woods. Two men (a farmer with a scythe and a sailor with an anchor) stand on top of a banner, on either side of the shield. The top of the seal has the state motto ("I direct") and the North Star. This design isn't particularly attractive, but it could be dramatically improved with just a few changes. I would expand the scene in the shield to fill the entire background of the seal, then move DIRIGO to where MAINE is located and write STATE OF MAINE in large letters across the top. Right now, the red DIRIGO banner looks like a brand name on a package of pasta sauce. 

Design 2, Representation 4 = 6

The state seal of Maryland is two-sided, but since the front was never cut and thus not used as a seal, I'll be focusing on the reverse. It was updated in 1959. It features the Calvert coat of arms being held by a farmer (holding a spade) and a fisherman (holding a fish). Behind them is ermine fur and at the top is a crest with two pennants. Below is the state motto. The literal translation is "Deeds are males, words are females" but in 2017 they changed the official translation to "Strong deeds, gentle words." The poorly-spaced text around the seal translates to "With favor wilt thou compass us as with a shield" and 1632 is the date Maryland was established. This design represents the origin of the (province then colony then) state well enough, but I think there is too much emphasis given to the founder. I'd like to see more of the natural resources, industry, or something else. 

Design 3, Representation 3 = 6

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So far, we have Arizona (10), California (9.5), Kansas (8.5), Alaska (8), Idaho (8), Delaware (7.5), Hawaii (7.5), Colorado (7), Florida (6.5), Maine (6), Maryland (6), Iowa (5.5), Kentucky (4), Louisiana (4), Indiana (4), Alabama (3), Georgia (3), Illinois (2.5), 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. 

Standing Horse Craft for Kids

Did you know that there are 17 states which have named a horse as one of their state symbols? Thirteen states have an official state horse, including: Alabama (Racking Horse); Florida (Florida Cracker Horse); Idaho (Appaloosa); Kentucky (Thoroughbred); Maryland (Thoroughbred): Massachusetts (Morgan); Mississippi (American Quarter Horse); Missouri (Missouri Fox Trotter); North Carolina (Colonial Spanish Mustang), Oklahoma (American Quarter Horse); South Carolina (Carolina Marshy Tacky); Tennessee (Tennessee Walking Horse); and Texas (American Quarter Horse). Two more states have named a horse as their state animal, including: New Jersey (Horse) and Vermont (Morgan). Virginia has a state pony (Chincoteague). North Dakota has an honorary equine (Nokota). With so many state honoring this animal, it was the obvious choice for my next craft. 

In order to represent multiple breeds of horses for this blog post, I made my craft two sided. You can opt to make yours the same on both sides (like a normal horse) or different (like mine). Affiliate links below. 

Standing Horse Craft

Materials: 

• chipboard
• microtip scissors
• Folk Art paint
• embroidery floss
• craft glue
• binder clips

Steps: 

Create a pattern for your horse. You can draw a horse or find a photograph you like and cut that out. Trace the pattern twice onto chipboard. Cut out both horses. Paint each horse with a base coat of paint. (Remember, I made my horse two different colors intentionally.) Let the paint dry. 

Finish painting the horses. For my brown horse, that meant giving it a second coat and adding dark brown for the hooves. For the spotted horse, I added the spots and the striped hooves that are characteristic of an Appaloosa. 

Wrap embroidery floss around the four fingers of your non-dominant hand, going around 12 times. 

Use the scissors to snip below your pinkie to make 24 strands that form a tail. Glue the hair in place on ONE of the two horse pieces. 

Wrap embroidery floss around two fingers, going around 12 times. Snip that to make the mane. You'll be gluing it along the back, then folding it over toward the front. Start by putting a line of glue on the back of the horse, then lay the mane in place. Repeat as necessary until the mane and forelock are as full as you want. Let the glue dry. At this point, the mane will be sticking up. To make it lay flat, spread glue along the front side and press the mane into it. Trim as needed. Repeat the process for the second side of the horse, as desired.  

To make the horse stand, spread glue on the back side of the body, neck, and head of one horse. Do not put glue on the legs. Press the two sides together, then secure them with binder clips. (I took the picture before adding the rest of the clips. You'll want one by the throat and one over the tail. 

When the glue is dry, remove the clips and you'll have a horse that stands. I opted not to add facial features, but that's a personal choice. 

12 of the Most Memorable Local and Regional Desserts Across the US

I'm a firm believer in trying the local specialties whenever we travel. And of course that includes dessert! Below are 12 of the most memorable local and regional desserts we've tried during our travels across the US. Most of these are not available anywhere else (except by mail order) and some of these are so good that it's well-worth a visit just to try them! 

Maple Creemee - Vermont; Kringle - Wisconsin; Smith Island Cake - Maryland  

Huckleberry Cheesecake - Montana; Gooey Butter Cake - Missouri; Derby Pie - Kentucky

Hoosier Pie - Indiana; Bourbon Balls - Kentucky; Chicago-Style Popcorn - Illinois

Biscochitos - New Mexico; Buffalo Berry Candy - North Dakota; Water Ice - Pennsylvania

I would happily eat any of those right now, but the two that I think about the most are Derby Pie and the maple creemee. They're soooo good! Are there any other local or regional desserts from where you live or that you've discovered during your travels? Let me know in the comments!

Design a Square Dance Outfit Coloring Page

There are a whopping 24 states that have named square dance as their official state dance (or folk dance). These include: Alabama, Arkansas, California, Colorado, Connecticut, Georgia, Idaho, Illinois, Louisiana, Maryland, Massachusetts, Mississippi, Missouri, Nebraska, New Jersey, North Dakota, Oklahoma, Oregon, South Carolina, Tennessee, Texas, Utah, Virginia, and Washington. The point of state symbols is supposed to be to highlight what sets one state apart from the other 49, so I'm not crazy about the fact that 24 states share a state symbol. But it's not a coincidence: starting in the 1960's, square dancers across the country petitioned to make their hobby the official national dance. Despite many attempts, it never passed (the story is fascinating) and square dancers turned their attention to state legislatures. Obviously, that was far more successful. 

Because of the popularity of square dancing throughout American history and its status as a state symbol for so many, I wanted to design a craft inspired by it. I settled on the most iconic aspect: the outfits. Students can use my coloring page to design clothing for a square dance couple standing in promenade. I opted not to add faces or hair, as if the clothes were on mannequins. Feel free to add in whatever features you'd like.  

Square Dance Outfit Coloring Page

The first thing I did before making my coloring page was to research square dance outfits. Square Up Fashions gave me a good idea of what's popular amongst square dancers. Check out some of the dresses and skirts they currently have for sale: 

I used the basic shape of the outfits to draw a very simplified couple.

I scanned and copied my drawing. I put two couples on one page (so I could try different designs) and printed it out. 

I colored in both images with my Ohuhu Honolulus, then added details with a black fineliner. The first design (purple and black) is at the top of the post. Here's one in shades of blue. 

I tried to make the two couples look as different from each other as possible, while still staying true to what square dancers might actually wear. It was a lot of fun. As is square dancing! The last time I did square dancing was at Trevor's 4th grade Gold Rush camp in 2016. I'm overdue to do some square dancing again!

The Best Tour in Every State, Part 2

This is the second part in my series about the best tour I've taken in every state. I recommend starting with the first post, which provides important background information, including my definition of a tour. 

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Hawaii

The best tour I've taken in Hawaii was The Best of Hilo. Highlights of the tour included the Tropical Botanical Garden, Rainbow Falls, Mauna Loa Macadamia Nut factory, Volcanoes National Park, and walking through a lava tube. It was fantastic.

Idaho

I've been to Idaho seven times in the last ten years to visit my family, so you'd think I would have taken at least one tour. Nope. While we've done a lot of fun activities in Idaho, none of them were tours. The closest to a tour would be the World Center for Birds of Prey, where we watched docents and staff give presentations. 

Illinois

The best tour I've taken in Illinois was by the Chicago Trolley and Double Decker Co. We had a fantastic guide who took us to all the best places in Chicago and taught us so much about the history, geography, and culture of the city. 

Indiana

The best tour we took in Indiana was Indy Fun Trolley Tours. Our guide went above and beyond, teaching us everything there is to know about Indianapolis - not just the history and points of interest, but restaurant recommendations, great stores, and even where to get the best donuts in each side of town. 

Iowa

The best tour I've taken in Iowa was a guided tour of the State Capitol. By being with a guide, we were able to go places that self-guided visitors can't go, including up a circular staircase to the dome. We had a great guide who told us so much about both the building itself and those who have worked there over the years. 

Kansas

The best tour I've taken in Kansas was the Dome Tour of the Capitol building in Topeka. Not only was it interesting and informative, but it was quite a workout!

Kentucky

It was really, really hard to pick a favorite tour in Kentucky, as we have taken quite a few excellent ones. Ultimately, I had to pick the guided tour of Churchill Downs as the best. We learned all about the history of the track, the Derby race itself, and the various winners. The highlight was going onto the track and standing in the winner's circle.  

Louisiana

Picking the best tour in Louisiana was very difficult. We had several outstanding tours, but I think I have to pick the guided tour at Mardi Gras World as my favorite. I loved the behind-the-scenes look at everything that goes into making all the incredible Mardi Gras floats, and particularly enjoyed seeing the artists at work. Trying authentic King Cake for the first time made the tour even more fun and memorable.

Maine

The best tour I've taken in Maine was a guided walk at Acadia National Park and Cadillac Mountain. It was absolutely beautiful and our guide was excellent. It was exciting seeing a variety of animals and experiencing multiple biomes during a relatively short walk at Acadia. The views from Cadillac Mountain were stunning. 

Maryland

The best tour we took in Maryland was the guided walking tour at the United States Naval Academy. We learned so much about the Academy and what student life is like. So interesting and a really different college experience than the one I had!

I'll be back on Monday with the best tours I've taken in the next ten states. 

50 State Quarters: Coloring Pages Using Crayola Crayons

I've finished four more 50 State Quarter coloring pages: Vermont, Maryland, South Dakota, and Florida. I went back to basics, as these are all done with Crayola crayons.

 

There's something relaxing and fun about coloring with crayons (good quality crayons, that is), but crayons are not the best choice for these specific coloring pages. It is really difficult to get into the small spaces, particularly the letters. Crayons don't blend well, so I struggled with trying to use the limited colors I have to create textures and shadows.  

Curious to see how other art materials have behaved on these coloring pages? So far, I've used: 

• Ohuhu Kaala markers (Nevada, New Jersey, Oregon, Wisconsin)
• ink and Prismacolor colored pencils (Connecticut, Idaho, Missouri, Montana)
• Flair pens (Delaware, Indiana)
• Sharpies (Maine, South Carolina)
• Stabilo Woody 3-in-1 (Colorado, New Hampshire)
• Folk Art acrylic paint (Wyoming, Rhode Island, Mississippi, Michigan)

 It's been so interesting trying out different materials. I have some clear favorites, but I'm going to wait until I finish all 50 coloring pages before ranking my choices. It feels like I've been working on this for a long time (because I have) and I'm not even halfway through!

State Flowers Made from Perler Beads

When Jonna finished making her Perler bead anchor, I was less than a quarter of the way done with my Michigan logo. So she started making state flowers. Aren't they pretty?!?

These small designs work up quickly. They would make a great project for students learning more about their home states, or fifth graders working on state reports.  

This is a forget-me-not, the state flower of Alaska. 

This is a Black-Eyed Susan, the state flower of Maryland. 

This is an Indian blanket, the state wildflower of Oklahoma. 

And this is a violet, the state flower of Illinois, New Jersey, Rhode Island, and Wisconsin. 

You can find Perler beads and boards on Amazon and at Michaels (affiliate links). Happy beading!

More Nests: Northern Mockingbird, Western Meadowlark, and Baltimore Oriole

I liked the American Robin nest craft so much I made three more! To make your own, follow the directions for the robin nest, with the following small modifications. 

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You will need a 13/16" template for the eggs of the Northern Mockingbird. Paint them a very pale greenish to bluish grey. When the paint is dry, use a stiff brush to pounce a bit of cinnamon colored paint on the eggs. The blotches should be very light at the pointy end and heavier on the rounded end.  

The Northern Mockingbird is the state bird of Arkansas, Florida, Mississippi, Tennessee, and Texas. 

 

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You will need a 1-3/16" template for the eggs of the Western Meadowlark. Paint them a creamy off-white. When the paint is dry, put brown paint on a stiff brush, then run your thumb across the bristles to splatter the brown paint onto the eggs. (Do this somewhere that brown paint splatters won't matter.) The splatters should be a bit heavier toward the rounded end. 

The Western Meadowlark is the state bird of Kansas, Montana, Nebraska, North Dakota, Oregon, and Wyoming. 

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You will need a 5/8" template for the eggs of the Baltimore Oriole. Paint the eggs a very pale grey. When the paint is dry, use a sharp brown colored pencil to draw squiggles onto the eggs as shown. The squiggly lines are more concentrated toward the rounded end. 

The Baltimore Oriole is the state bird of Maryland. 

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While doing my research on state birds, I came across an awesome shop that sells State Pride t-shirts that feature birds (affiliate link). That link goes to my state bird, the California Quail. I chose random states for each of the four birds' nests I made to feature below; if you don't see your state, follow this link to check yours out!