BLACKFOOT, Idaho — As Idaho News 6 celebrates the 250th birthday of our nation, we are shining a spotlight on something uniquely Idaho, like the Idaho Potato Museum in downtown Blackfoot.
Located inside the old railroad station, museum visitors can learn where the potato came from, where it's headed, and even sample different varieties. Inside, you'll find more than 300 potato mashers, video games for kids and adults, and over 100 Mr. Potato Head figures.
WATCH | Get an inside look at Idaho's famous potato museum—
Senior Reporter Don Nelson asked Museum Director Anna Summers what makes Idaho's potatoes so famous.
"They’re just fantastic. You know, it's people's groceries. It's a cheap, easy thing to make and pick up at the grocery store, but there's so much more to it, and obviously, that's why we exist to help showcase the history of this county, and we love seeing people's excitement, and we try to keep it updated for that reason.”
Potatoes are a big deal in Bingham County.
"Farming is, I mean, really what is the backbone of America, you know, if we didn't have that food supply, there would be a lot of issues, and so that's why we're here to help spread that history and maintain that history.”
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At the museum, Nelson met a couple from Montana and asked them what compelled them to make a stop.
"I have driven by this thing a thousand times in the last fifty years, and I’ve never stopped. And today we thought we ought to see that potato museum. So, we stopped to see it and we, and we got the uh Marilyn Monroe poster, very cool.”
Museum visitors can also get a glimpse of the Potato Hall of Fame. The list of inductees dates back to 1996, and among the 1997 class is Mr. J.R. Simplot.
If you work up an appetite at the end of the tour, there is the Potato Station Cafe where they serve... potatoes, of course. They have french fries, sweet potatoes, waffle fries, wedges, tater tots, jalapeño tots, sweet potatoes, and more.
If you find yourself near Blackfoot and are looking to learn about the history of potatoes, do yourself and family a favor: stop and let Mr. Bud the Spud and his family teach you all about Idaho’s famous potatoes.
The Idaho Potato Museum gets between 40,000 and 50,000 visitors every year, and if you're an out-of-stater, you can get free taters.
