Penny Press #11 - Caldwell Zoo

  Penny Press #10 - - Penny Press #9 - -  Penny Press #8 - -  Penny Press #7 - - Penny Press #6

 Penny Press #5  - - Penny Press #4
Penny Press #3  - - Penny Press #2 - - Penny Press #1

 

 

I don't ask a lot from zoos.  A good view of a couple of exotic animals, maybe a creepy reptile house and, of course, a penny smasher.  I got all of those from a recent trip to the Caldwell Zoo in Tyler, TX.   I'll talk about the animals elsewhere but of the two penny smashers (two!!! awesome!!!) available, I went to the "Big Wheel" version:

 

As usual we have four options.  This time we get: elephant, rhino, cheetah and giraffe.  I let my daughter pick and she chose the cheetah.  (If it was up to me it would have been the rhino...maybe next time.)

And here we have the output:

Penny Press #9 - Charlotte, NC

 Penny Press #8 - -  Penny Press #7 - - Penny Press #6

 Penny Press #5  - - Penny Press #4
Penny Press #3  - - Penny Press #2 - - Penny Press #1

 Our recent trip to Charlotte, NC was yet another opportunity to smash a penny.  This smash happened at the Discovery Place kid's science museum.

The options included Einstein, some sharks (I think), the Charlotte skyline and a parrot:

Normally I'd go for something that specifically relates to the place where I smash but this time I went for the skyline.  I'm not sure if I'll see another penny smasher while I'm here so that should cover me for my whole Charlotte stay.

Penny Press #8 - Great Wolf Lodge

Penny Press #7 - - Penny Press #6 - - Penny Press #5
Penny Press #4
Penny Press #3  - - Penny Press #2 - - Penny Press #1

A weekend trip to the Great Wolf Lodge in Grapevine, TXbrought about another penny smashing opportunity.  This one even has its own penny pinching mascot:

As far as design choices go, we have a couple of the GWL characters, a magic dragon and what looks like a grazing longhorn.  Maybe just as a Texas thing?

We went with Violet:

Penny Press #7 - Soudan Underground Mine

Penny Press #6 - - Penny Press #5 - - Penny Press #4
Penny Press #3  - - Penny Press #2 - - Penny Press #1

It's always a good idea to take some change with you when you travel.  You never know when a penny smashing opportunity will present itself.  A recent trip to Minnesota provided some squashed penny goodness.

This beauty was waiting for me at the Soudan Underground Mine State Park.  Even if you aren't looking for a new flattened penny, I still recommend stopping by and taking the tour.  

Options include a generic Minnesota State Park campfire, the mine elevator and a bat.  I went with the location specific elevator design: