WhippleTree Junction

Entrance to the Town Square

Today we had a nice little trip upisland to check out antiques shops and little second hand stores. We finally had a Saturday off together and wanted to do something fun. We didnt get too far upisland until we arrived at Whippletree Junction. It is sort of like a strip mall on the side of the highway. Doesnt really look like much but it is a historical place and has a lot of cute 'n' quirkly little stores. We wandered thru the antique mall section. Saw lots of interesting pieces of local history there. I love old glassware, especially those from the depression era. I used to collect several pieces once upon a time in a relationship from long ago. I still remember some of the stuff I used to have and every once in awhile I will find a piece that I would like to purchase. My collection from those days long ago is gone and what I have now is small in comparison to the old collection. I wont ever have it again but that is fine. Those days are gone. 

Town Square

Behind the antiques mall there is a little area called the Town Square. As you can see in the picture it was pretty quiet today. Typical cloudy day in the winter time. I can imagine what it would be like on a sunny day in the spring or summer. It would probably be hoping with tourists and locals checking things out. Most of these shops were closed as the tourist season wont start for several more months. It was nice to just wander around and look at the buildings and layout.

Neat little houses around the Square

Each one of the buildings has its own little color and style with a quirky touch. In the purple/lavender colored one to the right you can sort of see little dolls in the windows above the door. In a close up they look almost like cabbage patch dolls but are a bit more freaky looking. Dan and I were looking around and thinking it would be neat to live in a little house like one of these. Neither of us feels the need for large spaces. Especially when the great outdoors is but a few steps away. We like cozy places. One like these would definitely work for us.

Quirky little stores. Teapots in the garden

Of course there are also little cottages there that would be perfect for an eccentric individual or two. You can see in the Spinning/Weaving shop there are teapots in the garden space. "Me and You, Tea for Two or Two Dozen" LOL. It is one of the many cute little shops there but this one seems to have some of its own type of charm. It is set off to the side away from the majority of the shops and isnt directly on the Square. It is at the beginning of the walkway that takes you to Town Square. So you end up checking this one out first.

Exceptional food.

After we had finished walking around we decided that it was a good time to eat. We both were extremely hungry. Neither of us had eaten all day. At one end of the strip mall area is a log house restaurant called the Pioneer House. It is a true log  house style building in and out. It has a real fireplace with a buffalo head above the mantel.  Dan has been here before but I had only ever driven past so it was a new experience for me. I am glad we went there. The food was fresh made, nothing processed. Salads had homemade dressings. The desserts were better than any bakery. I had the deep dish apple and Dan got the strawberry-rhubarb. Other than the pies my mom/grandmother's made, nothing else was better than this pie! The atmosphere was comfortable and quiet. The people talking in the room kept it down so you could actually have a nice conversation with your table companions. The hostess and waitress both were quite nice and provided great service. It wasnt overly busy there and we didnt have long to wait for our meal. Prices were good too.

If you ever drive up that way and are feeling a little peckish then I would suggest you give it a try. I believe you will truly enjoy it.

Overall it was a good Saturday afternoon even if the weather was crap. We did something new and we did it together. That is the best part.