9 of the Most Unique State Symbols: A Quiz

I am really interested in state symbols. I find it fascinating to see what each state considers important enough officially designate it as something that represents them. I'm particularly interested in the more obscure state symbols, which are the subject of today's quiz.

Unique State Symbols Quiz

1. This state named Pluto as its state planet. 

2. This state selected jumping jacks as its state exercise. 

3. This state designated the teddy bear as its state toy. 

4. This state named 'Make Way for Ducklings' as its state children's book. 

5. This state named jousting as its state sport. 

6. This state has chosen a state red wine grape and a state white wine grape. 

7. This state has an official state groundhog. 

8. This state designated the lollipop as its state candy. 

9. This state chose pickleball as its state sport. 

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1. Pluto is the state planet of Arizona. Pluto was discovered in Flagstaff in 1930, the only planet discovered in the US. It wasn't named as the state planet until after it was reclassified as a dwarf planet. 

2. Jumping jacks are the state exercise of Missouri. Jumping jacks were invented by a Missouri-born general as a drill for cadets. 

3. The teddy bear is the state toy of Mississippi. In 1902, Teddy Roosevelt was on a hunting expedition in Mississippi and refused to shoot an exhausted baby bear, which led to his becoming the namesake of the stuffed toy.  

4. 'Make Way for Ducklings' is the state children's book of Massachusetts. It's based on the true story of a pair of mallards that raised their family in Boston Public Garden. Be sure to see the sculpture the next time you're in Boston. 

5. Jousting is the state sport of Maryland. It was selected in 1962, making it the first official state sport in the US.

6. Chambourcin is the state red wine grape and Vignoles is the state white wine grape of Kansas. Kansas was one of the leading wine producers in the country until a statewide ban on alcohol in the 1880's. 

7. Buckeye Chuck is the state groundhog of Ohio. He lives at the Cleveland Museum of Natural History and predicts the arrival of spring each February 2. 

8. The lollipop is the state candy of Connecticut. "Lolly Pops" were invented in New Haven in 1908.

9. Pickleball is the state sport of Washington. Pickleball was invented in Bainbridge Island in 1965. 

Disney Adventure

One of the many highlights of the Southern California trip that Steve and I took in January was visiting Disneyland and California Adventure. We went almost every year when Trevor was little, but that stopped when we shifted our focus to visiting all 50 states. A lot had changed in the 10 years since we'd been there, so it was a lot of fun seeing the new things and enjoying our old favorites. We loved all the Lunar New Year theming at California Adventure and at the Grand Californian. 

Disney Adventure (affiliate link)

I love having detailed blog posts about our trips, because that reduces the pressure to tell the whole story on the scrapbook layout. I chose six pictures to sum up the trip: one of each of us; the castle (from our spot in line at Astro Blasters); the new World of Color show; the Lunar New Year parade; and the Year of the Snake centerpiece at our hotel. I'm happy with this layout and had a lot of fun making it. 

Rainbow Heart Sun Catcher

Check out my latest tissue paper project! This sun catcher really brightens a room and it makes me smile with all the little patterned hearts sprinkled on the larger heart. And because I used Mod Podge Gloss, it has a delightful shine when it catches the light. Affiliate links below. 

Rainbow Heart Sun Catcher

Materials: 

• 12"x12" white cardstock (65 lb. is best so sunlight shines through)
• tissue paper
• ruler
• Mod Podge
• flat brush
• scissors
• patterned paper
• 5/8" heart punch

Steps: 

Cut a large heart from scratch paper, then use it as a tracer to draw a heart on a piece of 12x12 cardstock. Set it aside. 

Choose your colors of tissue paper, then tear a small corner of each piece. Tissue paper has a grain, so you'll notice that one direction tears cleanly and one direction tears with lots of jagged bits. 

Use a ruler to help you tear straight pieces of tissue paper, making sure the grain is going the correct direction. The edges will be a bit ragged, but that's not a problem. . 

When all the strips are ready, apply a thin coat of Mod Podge to the cardstock and lay the strips in place. I chose to overlap them slightly. When all the strips are in place, paint another coat of Mod Podge over the top to seal them. 

When the Mod Podge is dry, it will look like this. 

Punch tiny hearts from the patterned paper. Add another coat of Mod Podge to the base heart and arrange the tiny hearts on top. Place them strategically to cover any particularly jagged edges, or scatter them randomly. Seal the hearts with a final coat of Mod Podge. 

Hang your sun catcher in the window and enjoy the beautiful color and patterns of the rainbow heart.

The Strangest Museum in Every State, Part 2

This is Part 2 of my thoughts on the Reader's Digest article about the strangest museum in every state. I love museums of all kinds and have a special place in my heart for quirky museums, so let's see if there are any on the list that I've visited or hope to visit. 

Pennsylvania

Mister Ed's Elephant Museum & Candy Emporium is definitely a place I would go out of my way to visit. It's very smart combining the museum with the candy emporium; so often, these "strange" museums are small and out of the way and don't get the attendance they deserve. I love that Mister Ed's offers so much to do, including fudge-making classes and Miss Pat's Teapot Museum!

South Carolina

I must visit the Kazoo Museum and Factory! I absolutely love factory tours and having an excellent museum to enjoy after a factory tour is the icing on the cake. The exhibits look really interesting and professionally done. And it's such a good idea to offer a make-your-own kazoo souvenir. 

 

The Kazoo Museum is midway between Savannah and Charleston, both of which are on my future travels short list. I'm confident I'll make it to the Kazoo Museum eventually. 

South Dakota

Based on the name, the International Vinegar Museum sounds like a place I would enjoy, but looking at the pictures on the website I'm concerned that it's more of a small store that happens to display some vinegar than a proper museum. I'm not seeing much in terms of educational content or cohesive displays. If there's more to it, they really need to update their website to highlight what makes the place special. The International Vinegar Museum is in Roslyn, SD. The nearest major city, Fargo, is 2 hours away. 

Tennessee

The Salt and Pepper Museum Shaker Museum is a no-brainer: I definitely want to go! My mom had a good sized salt and pepper shaker collection that I loved looked at as a kid. I think it would be so much fun seeing more than 20,000 pairs in one place. I love all the photos on the website and seeing the breadth of their collection. 

Texas

I've tried to make the Dr. Pepper Museum fit into every trip we've taken to Texas, but it's never worked out for us to visit. We've been to many of the cities surrounding Waco (including Austin,  Fort Worth, Dallas, Fredericksburg and San Antonio), but it's never made sense to make a 2+ hour drive (each way) to see the Dr. Pepper Museum. Someday. 

Virginia

I enjoy a good cave tour, but if it also showcases retired parade floats? All the better! I would definitely enjoy a visit to Shenandoah Caverns. I loved learning about how parade floats are made for Mardi Gras, so seeing other impressive floats up close appeals to me. 

Wisconsin

I'm pleased to see that the National Mustard Museum made the list. It's such a cool museum!

It's in Madison, but Milwaukee has its own strange museum that deserves a mention: The National Bobblehead Museum. It is fabulous. 

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Have you been to any of these strange museums? Are there any that you'd like to visit? Maybe you've been to a museum that's stranger than these and think it should be on the list. Let me know in the comments!

The Strangest Museum in Every State, Part 1

Can you imagine how excited I was when I came across a Reader's Digest article about the strangest museum in every state?! I love museums and strange museums are some of my favorites. Here are some thoughts about some of the museums in the article. 

California

The article was (allegedly) updated in 2023, but it includes the permanently-closed International Banana Museum. It never reopened after COVID. Rest in peace, Banana Museum. 

Obviously, we need a to name another museum as the strangest in California. Any nominations? All of the museums I've been to in California that I can think of are either A) not strange; or B) permanently closed. 

Georgia

The link in the article is broken, but I did find a proper link for the Vidalia Onion Museum, which I think I would really enjoy. I love that they have an onion field at the museum. That's a nice touch. 

Savannah is on my must-visit list, so hopefully when I make it there eventually, I can add in a detour to the Vidalia Onion Museum. 

Idaho

The Idaho Potato Museum is awesome. I suppose it's also strange. The singing potato family in the cellar is definitely strange. But awesome. If you haven't been to the Idaho Potato Museum, I highly recommend a visit. Be sure to eat in the cafe.

Iowa

Oh my gosh, I want to drop everything and go to Matchstick Marvels! I've read about artist Patrick Acton, but I didn't realize there was a museum displaying his pieces. I would love to see these models in person. Be sure to check out the photos on the In The Works page - wow!

Unfortunately, visiting Matchstick Marvels is going to take a dedicated effort. It's not near any of my planned future destinations. 

Massachusetts

I've been following the Museum of Bad Art for years and thought about visiting when we were in Boston in 2023. But our time was limited and the museum is not in the area where we were staying. Fortunately, I can enjoy the collection online. 

This is the painting that started it all: Lucy in the Field with Flowers. 

Minnesota

I've had the SPAM Museum on my must-visit list for years. I don't like SPAM, but I know I would like this museum. Actually, I haven't eaten SPAM since I was a teenager at summer camp, so maybe I would like it now. But probably not. 

The SPAM Museum is a two-hour drive from Matchstick Marvels. If I ever make it to one, I'm going to visit the other on the same trip. 

Ohio

The story of the Paul A. Johnson Pencil Sharpener Museum is charming. I would definitely enjoy seeing the collections of both Paul and of Frank Parades. 

Both Cincinnati and Pittsburgh are on my list for future travels and the Pencil Sharpener Museum is located halfway between the two. I think a visit is actually in my future!

Oklahoma

The American Banjo Museum isn't strange. As I mentioned in a post about quirky museums, it's just specific. It's an excellent museum that I consider one of my all-time favorites. 

The American Pigeon Museum, also located in Oklahoma City, is a far better candidate for this list of strange museums. We loved it. It was delightfully quirky in the best possible way. 

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I'll be back tomorrow with Part 2 of my thoughts about The Strangest Museum in Every State.