Blackfoot, Idaho: Idaho Potato Museum

Giant baked potato out front. World's Largest Pringle inside.

This museum does a great job displaying everything potato (I loved the Mr Potato Head display), including exhibits about dehydrating, agriculture, cooking, and other uses of the potato. The collections of mashers and peelers were well done, and they are currently giving out free cartons of dehydrated potatoes to make hash browns. The gift store is a hoot and I love the sacks that they use! Well worth the hour side trip for a great feel of the agricultural surroundings.

How big would that Pringles can have to be to hold this giant chip? Inside the museum is the World's Largest Potato Chip. It appears to be sort of formed and fried from mashed taters, but still is worth the stop as a photo op!

At the Idaho Potato Museum the world's largest baked potato stands in front of the museum.

This roadside attraction was just what I'd hoped for -- one of those small town, earnest, lovable places that's a tribute to something ordinary that makes America great. A sweet, friendly lady greeted us at the front desk/gift shop and was impressed we were all the way from Rhode Island. Inside was the story of Idaho potatoes, told in a low-tech way with lots of folk-arty paintings and exhibits.

The gift shop was a vast array of great, goofy souvenirs... who wouldn't want a memento from such a fabulous place? And, true to their slogan ("We give taters to Out-Of-Staters") we received a box of yummy hash browns to take home with us! You can't beat that.