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Beth, have you ever wanted to take a trip to hunt down Bigfoot or encounter a frogman while today's episode is for you? Welcome to pop culture passport, your ultimate guide to quirky and cool destinations across the US. I'm your host. Beth Schillaci, aka the Roman Yeti, here to help you dive into the world of theme parks, uncover film and TV locations, and explore quirky museums, roadside attractions and legendary venues that capture the heart and soul of this unique country. So grab your pop culture passport, and let's discover destinations that resonate with your interest, not just with what's trending on social media. Are you ready? Let's Roam. Welcome back today. We're diving into the world of cryptids. Over the next two episodes, we're traveling coast to coast to explore 10 quirky cryptid locations that'll make you want to grab your camera and hope for a glimpse of the unknown. Now, at this point, you may be asking yourself, what is Beth talking about? What is a cryptid? A cryptid is a creature whose experience is rumored or claimed but without scientific proof. So think of creatures like Bigfoot, the Loch Ness Monster, or the Mothman. Cryptids can be anything from large, undiscovered animals to beings that seem almost supernatural. The term itself comes from the field of cryptozoology, which is the study of hidden or unknown animals. So why do these stories resonate with us? After all, science hasn't proved exactly confirmed, that these things even exist out there. But maybe that's part of the fun, right? I mean, our fascination with cryptids seem to tap into some deep part of human nature. For one, cryptids represent the unknown, the idea that there's still mystery in the world that even in our modern age, we haven't discovered everything. Maybe Bigfoot is out there, maybe just beyond that necklace Ridge, we don't know. There's also something thrilling about the possibility that legends could be real. Cryptids blend folklore science and storytelling, which makes them irresistible to many of us. They represent a world that is both familiar and magical, where ordinary people might encounter something extraordinary when it comes to travel, these stories bring a sense of adventure to everyday places, even as a skeptic, hunting for cryptids makes a trip a little more exciting, plus cryptids have a way of bringing communities together. Many towns, like Point Pleasant with the Mothman, or Loveland with the Frogman, they embrace these creatures as part of their identity. Festivals, museums and quirky roadside attractions pop up not just celebrating the cryptids, but just the mystery that they bring. So today we're beginning our trip across the US. We're going to explore the first five legends and the places they've made famous, from a museum in Maine to a frogman in Ohio. Cryptids are everywhere, if you know where to look. So let's get started up north in Portland Maine at the International cryptozoology Museum. Now this museum is the brain child of cryptozoologist Lauren Coleman, who was one of the world's leading expert on cryptids. The Museum, which opened in 2003 is dedicated to the study of mysterious and often unproven creatures like Bigfoot and the Lochness Monster. The museum houses a variety of artifacts, including footprint cast hair samples and sculptures of famous cryptids. It's the only museum of its kind in the world, and it draws enthusiasts from all over. A little background on Portland. Portland was founded in 1632 as Casco Bay and grew into the major trading port it is today, and it's known for its vibrant art scene, historic architecture and culinary excellence, especially at seafood. Portland is Maine's largest city and one of New England's most popular tourist destinations. So while we have had Bigfoot sightings in just about every state in this country, we are going to now talk about one in New York, in Whitehall, New York. So Whitehall, New York has become one of the most famous Bigfoot sighting hotspots in the Northeastern US. The most significant sighting occurred in 1976 when several police officers reported seeing a large, hairy. A human like creature walking near the road just outside of town. Their accounts sparked a wave of Bigfoot sightings in the region, with dozens of locals claiming to have seen the creature. Over the years, Whitehall has fully embraced its Sasquatch heritage and with some residents believing that the dense forest and rugged terrain of the Adirondacks provide the perfect hiding spot for the elusive cryptid. Now, like I said, Whitehall, New York, is located near the Adirondack Mountains which and it was founded in 1759 and it was one of the first settlements in the Lake Champlain area. So the town played a major role in American Revolutionary War and is sometimes called the birthplace of the US Navy. But in recent years, Whitehall has become synonymous, synonymous with Bigfoot sightings and attracting cryptid hunters and enthusiasts from all around now, while you're there, you can attend the annual Whitehall Sasquatch festival and calling contest. They take place in September, and the festival features entertainment Bigfoot researchers, and, of course, food and drink and so much more. And also, while you're there, you can always hike into the Adirondacks, where many Bigfoot sightings have been reported, the vast wilderness offers miles of trails through dense forests, and it's ideal for those hoping to catch a glimpse of the creature. If you are heading to the Adirondacks, please check out our my episode 33 about other abandoned locations within the Adirondacks that you might be interested in. So now we're gonna head southwest from New York to the Mothman of Point Pleasant in West Virginia. Now we first discussed the Mothman in Episode 73 on quirky festivals, but it's worth discussing again. So the Mothman became legend in 1966 when two couples were driving near an abandoned TNT plant just outside of Point Pleasant they reported seeing a large winged creature with glowing red eyes that followed their car at high speeds. Over the next year, dozens of others claimed to have seen the creature. The sightings were often accompanied by strange lights in the sky and other unusual occurrences. Some believe the Mothman was a harbinger of doom, as his final sighting occurred just before the collapse of the Silver Bridge in December of 1967 which killed 46 people. Theories about mothman's identity range from cryptid or alien to misidentified large bird. Now Point Pleasant is a town on the Ohio River in West Virginia, and it was founded in 1794 and it's also known for its role in early frontier history. It was the site of the 1774 battle of Point Pleasant, which was considered by some historians to be the first battle of the American Revolutionary War. But now again, this war, this town is famous for its Mothman legend and annual festival. So things to do in Point Pleasant, you have to check out the Mothman museum. It's packed with local artifacts, eyewitness accounts and a detailed history of all the Mothman sightings. You can check out the 12 foot tall Mothman statue, and it's this striking and shining, metallic sculpture that has become one of the town's most iconic features. If you can't see it in real life, Google it. It's worth the time. It's worth the time and again, you can attend the Mothman festival. Takes place every September, draws 1000s of fans, includes guest speaker vendor booths and even a 5k race for you sporty, sporty listeners out there. So for our next stop, we will stay in the state of West Virginia, but we're going to now check out the Flatwoods Monster in Flatwoods, West Virginia. So in september of 1952 a group of boys in the small town of flatwoods saw a glowing object streak across the sky and land in a nearby field they went to investigate, accompanied by some local adults, and they encountered a terrifying figure. The creature stood 10 feet tall with a spade shaped head, glowing green eyes and a metallic dress like body, it appeared to be. Marine above the ground. Obviously, the group fled, and the story quickly spread, even making national headlines after the account counter, several of the witnesses reported being sick, experienced symptoms such as nausea, vomiting and even throat or irritation, and their symptoms persisted for days and were attributed to a strange odor that lingered in the area. The incident was later attributed to a meteor and a misidentified owl, but the legend of the Flatwoods Monster indoors. So flatwoods was founded in 1902 and was a small farming community in Braxton County, West Virginia, and it remains a quiet town, but the Flatwoods Monster has become its most famous resident, and the town has embraced that, and it's turned into a tourist attraction because of it. So flatwoods is about two hours from Point Pleasant West Virginia, so you can definitely make a little road trip to see both the Flatwoods Monster and Mothman. So while you're in Flatwoods, you can visit the Flatwoods Monster Museum, which features exhibits on the 1952 sighting and also some UFO related memorabilia. You can take a photo with the Flatwoods Monster chairs, which are oversized, colorful chairs shaped like the creature's distinctive spade shaped head, and they're scattered throughout the town, and you can also just explore the beautiful countryside, which is where the creature was first seen. I know just to check out the area. Now, from West Virginia, we're gonna head west for about four hours to learn about the Loveland frogman of Loveland, Ohio. So the first sighting of the Loveland frogman was in May of 1955 when a businessman driving along a rural road claimed to see three frog like creatures standing upright on their hind legs, and each was about three to four feet tall. He said they had leathery skin, webbed hands and feet and frog like faces. The creatures reportedly held some kind of wand that emitted sparks. And the second and more famous sighting occurred in March of 1972 when a Loveland police officer reported seeing a large frog like creature jump over a guardrail and disappear into the little Miami River, the officer's description closely matched the original 1955 sighting. So Loveland, Ohio is located just outside of Cincinnati, and was founded in 1795 as a small Trading Post along the little Miami River, and due to its location on the railroad line, it became a prominent town heading west in the 19th century. So if you find yourself in Loveland looking for the Loveland frog you can explore parts of the little Miami River, which is where the frogmen sightings take place. It's very popular for kayaking, fishing and hiking. You can take a walk or bike ride. I love along the Loveland Bike Trail, which is a really scenic route that winds through the lush Ohio countryside. And there's actually frogman festival and events that take place throughout the year. And I'm also going to throw in there, because we just got back go to Loveland castle. It has its own little nod to the Frogman, and I will get into more details in a future episode, but definitely worth, worth the trip. So with that, that's going to be all those are the five locations we're going to visit this week. Next week, we'll continue on our trip with five more locations. So definitely stay tuned for that. In the meantime, I have this week's yetis pop pics, and I have some Muppet news for you, but not the news we have been waiting for about Muppet vision at Hollywood Studios. This one's actually about Jim Henson studios in California. And this is sort of a crazy one to me. It was first reported by deadline, and deadline magazine is saying, despite recent rumors, the iconic La Brea Avenue studio lot, which was once known as the Charlie Chaplin Studio. Videos is not being sold to the Church of Scientology. So this rumor started going around that Jim Henson Company was looking to sell their studios, and the rumor is that the Church of Scientology was going to buy it. So it has come out. It's not being sold to them. A spokesman for the Henson family confirmed that while they plan to locate the Jim Henson Company and Jim Henson Creature Shop to a new shared space, they are current. There's currently no business dealings with or any agreements with the Church of Scientology. So it looks like this, you know, building is going to be in the family for now, it'll be interesting to see what's going on. It was just one of those things that popped up in the news, and it just boggled my mind, like it just it was crazy. So I just had to share with you guys, in case you haven't seen it. Now, you know, and with that, we add another stamp to our pop culture passport. I hope that this episode inspires you to get out and explore all that is quirky and cool, even in your own backyard. Follow, download and subscribe so you don't miss future episodes. Tell a friend and leave a review if you like what we're doing. You can also follow me on Instagram or Facebook. Just search for the Roman Yeti and as always, guys, keep roaming you.