Every New Year’s Eve, the Anderson family gathers around the kitchen table, excited to count the collection of state quarters they’ve been saving throughout the year.
For the family of five, the coins aren’t just spare change—they’re the key to their next adventure.
Since 2021, Grand Marais residents Amanda and Lance Anderson and their three children have followed a unique tradition: whichever U.S. state quarter appears most in their coin jar becomes their summer vacation destination.
“We dump out our jar of quarters and filter through all the state quarters,” Amanda said. “And the state that has the most quarters collected, we pick for our trip.”
After tallying the state quarters and discovering which state they will be visiting in June or August, the family gets busy researching the state and various activities to do. Depending on the distance and schedule, the family plans a road trip or flies to the state and rents a car.
The clever vacation idea began in 2020 when the family of five couldn’t decide which state to visit for their upcoming summer vacation.
“We had gone to Florida for a trip, and the following year, I wanted to go back there. So, I surprised the family,” Amanda said. “And nobody was excited to go back to Florida.”
Soon after, a coin jar was placed in the living room, and the year-long collaborative family project of collecting state quarters began.
Since adopting the fun vacation idea, the family has traveled to Alabama, Virginia, and New York.
However, while the ultimate goal is to visit and explore the chosen state, Amanda said the family vacation is also about seeing as many neighboring states as possible, with the ultimate goal of seeing all 50 states in the near future.
“When we go to the chosen state, we usually hit more than one. We want to try to hit all 50. Or at least 48,” she said.
And in three years, the family has made some significant progress.
The family took a road trip to Virginia, checking off numerous Midwest states along the way. Then, for the New York trip, the family flew to Maine, rented a car, and visited all the northeastern states before flying out of New York.
“I think we’re at more than 25 states we’ve visited with just those three vacations,” she said.
Not only do the spare quarters come in handy for deciding the family vacation, but Amanda said the family saves the quarters and loose change to plan a special family activity on each trip.
“It’s usually a couple hundred dollars that we save, and it goes toward some sort of activity we want to do as a family,” Amanda said. “Like a nice restaurant, fun place, or something that we normally wouldn’t be able to do. But we have the extra money now.”
Amanda said the entire process of saving spare state quarters, spending New Year’s Eve together choosing a trip, and then months afterward planning is a valuable learning and educational opportunity for her children and family.
Furthermore, she said that traveling to a new state, meeting new people, and seeing big cities is a “really great learning thing for all of us.”
“We love the unfamiliar,” Amanda said. “I want my kids to be okay with moving away when they become adults. Not be scared of the country, not be scared of different types of travel.”
In a few months, the Anderson family will depart on their next summer vacation, this time heading to the Lone Star State.
The family plans to road trip to Texas, visiting nearly half a dozen states along the way. Throughout the winter, they have been busy mapping out their route and researching activities and sights to explore.
“I usually make a document and then share it with the kids and with Lance,” Amanda said. “We add stuff to it collectively.”
While the final Texas destination hasn’t been chosen yet, Amanda said they are considering the San Antonio area. “We’ve heard a lot of great things.”
As the family continues planning for Texas and future state trips, Amanda said there is one final rule the family follows each year.
“We cannot go back to a state we’ve already gone to,” she said.
Until the 50-state goal is reached, the family must creatively and strategically plan their vacation and route.
“There’s so much more thought that goes into our trip,” she said.
During their vacation, the family keeps records of where they stayed, restaurants they visited, and unique activities they participated in. At the end of each trip, Amanda said she typically has a handful of souvenirs or ticket stubs that are displayed in a shadow box frame as a keepsake.
“It’s great to have that log and to be able to go back years later and reflect on the trip,” she said. “I like having that for our family.”
