A few weeks back we packed up the car, went over a few rivers, and through a bunch of woods to go see my 89-year-old grandmother (aka Granny) in Huntington, WV. It was primarily a weekend of eating and baby holding (is there anything better?) because we were joined by my parents, my cousin Erin, and her 2-month-old son Finn. But we managed to squeeze in a few side adventures that we thought you all might enjoy… which we would’ve shared sooner if most of the pictures weren’t stuck in photo purgatory on our old point-and-shoot camera (we finally found the camera cord that we lost during the move this weekend).
Here’s the obligatory “Clara with her great-Granny” shot. Aren’t they cute and purple-tastic?
We were only there for around 36 hours, meaning that Saturday was our big day packed full of stuff – like walking around town, shopping, going to the park, and getting ice cream. We even got Clara a new friend at a fun gift store called Mug and Pia after finally stumbling upon the giraffe Jellycat that we’d been looking for, oh, only the last ten months. As you can tell, Clara was super excited about it.
Mug and Pia also had these cool frames made from recycled tires where you could see all of the scratches and imperfections from their previous days on the road. The matte finish was actually really great.
Perhaps the most interesting adventure of the day was hitting up an area of town called Old Central City that’s bursting at the seams with antique and vintage shops.
And even though the outside makes it look kinda like an old western ghost town, the shops are crammed with cool stuff (and even the occasional person).
There were a bunch of beautiful / weird / quirky things that caught our eye in the half dozen or so antique shops that we popped into. For example, we thought these ornate white candle sconces were fun (and could probably rock a bold color like teal or plum).
And of course Sherry was attracted to just about every ceramic / glass / metal animal that she spotted, including this open-mouthed horse head (she finally proclaimed it “too grinny” and moved on)…
…and this big iron alligator (which was the favorite by far, but at nearly $30 it just wasn’t priced to come home with us).
I was more into things like these old books, which managed to look graphic and cool even when they were about boring topics like concrete. These could almost be mounted right to the wall (or popped into a shadow box) as art. Actually blowing up those covers and framing them or even getting them made into oversized canvases would be amazing. Boo on me for not buying them.
I’m also a sucker for old bottles and retro packaging, so this shelf of old timey toiletries and “snake oils” caught my eye. Although I was a bit grossed out that the Grenadine Syrup was still full of thick gloppy liquid. Nasty.
And of course, how could I not gravitate toward oversized typography like this art deco sign. It reminded us a lot of the letters in Chuck’s studio from this house crashing (second pic from the bottom). If the letters A, B, O or T had any special meaning to us I seriously would’ve tried to cram one into the car.
The one purchase we did make was this set of oversized decorative keys. They were 8 bucks for the whole set, and once Sherry gets out the ol’ white paint we hope to work them into our hallway frame gallery (pics when we do).
And no trip to an antique store is complete without seeking out those weird and wonderfully quirky items too. Like this beer sign that we laughed about hanging over Burger’s crate. It reads “You’ll like Burger: the beer you can stay with.” I don’t know why Clara wasn’t cracking up too. Probably because she can’t read.
One shopkeeper turned a vintage cheese grater into a light source by just stuffing some Christmas lights inside. Not a bad look, actually (we could picture a string of them placed down the center of a rustic old farm table).
And if you want to relive some political campaigns of yesteryear, these retro buttons have you covered – especially if you were a Carter / Mondale fan (there were TONS of those). So funny and random.
If trophies with chickens on them is more your speed, I left these two behind for ya. I liked pretending that someone won them in a series of weird competitions like “Most Chickens Carried During The 400-Yard Dash” and “Rooster Relay Semifinalist.”
My favorite discovery in the weird category was actually this blast-from-the-past sign that hung at the register of one of the shops. It’s a flyer from Yellowstone National Park warning visitors about buffalo attacks. My family actually got one of these when we visited Yellowstone in 1998. I thought it was so hilarious (maybe inappropriately so) that I saved it and hung it on my dorm room door in college. For some reason I was extremely entertained by the idea of my friends being warned that in my dorm room “many visitors have been gored by buffalo.”
I no longer have my copy (and this one was sadly not for sale) so if you ever come over to our house and are gored by a buffalo, my apologies that you were not adequately warned.
We continued the weird theme into lunch when we opted to grab lunch at Hillbilly Hot Dogs (not to perpetuate any West Virginia stereotypes or anything).
They were quite creative with the hillbilly theme – so if you’re going for that vibe in your house, start taking notes. Some of their more unique table options included one where you sat in a bathtub with a shower curtain around you (the fold-down table was even supported by a plunger). Another was an outhouse where your seats were – well, I’m sure you can guess what you’d sit on in an outhouse. On the right you can see my mom modeling the outhouse with baby Finn:
Oh, and if the decor isn’t enough of a reason to go, the hot dogs were definitely worth the trip. They’ve got a menu full of different options and toppings like pepperoni, eggs, bacon, slaw and salsa. Insane. But better than they looked (because we can admit that this picture might not convey the level of deliciousness that was enjoyed by all).
Now that we’ve shared photos of meat garnished with meat, we oughta wrap this up. Oh, and if anyone was wondering how Clara did during two 6.5-hour car rides just days apart – she was a champ. There was far less sleeping than the last time that we did the drive (back when she was 2.5 months old) but she managed to entertain herself for most of the trip. And we listened to her favorite CD (from baby music class) whenever she got grumpy. Let’s just say “She’ll Be Coming ‘Round The Mountain,” while appropriate for the scenery, got old. But Clara was happy, so all was well.
Actually, the only “rough” part of the trip was when Sherry accidentally sprayed the inside of the car with a must-have-previously-been-shaken can of Fresca from Granny. I was a case of Grandma sabotage I tell ya. Just kidding, it was most definitely an accident. Lucky for the rest of us, Sherry’s pants bared the brunt of the assault. Gotta love Señorita Sticky Legs for taking one for the team like that.
So that’s the latest on our travels. Have you guys been anywhere fun? We’re always looking for new places to check out so we’d love any and all suggestions. Especially if they’re within driving distance. You know we love a good road trip…
Psst- Check out our favorite road trip ever here.
You two found some cool stuff. I luv antique shopping and I could use some of the items you found in my home. Hope you bought the sconce. It’s a lovely piece. Can I have a bite of your hotdog. Yum Yummy!Hehe…
Haha, we left the sconce behind for you! All we got were those keys. We’re cheap and we like traveling light. Haha.
xo,
s
I love the keys! Can’t wait to see them in white.
I love them too – came to comment on that, but Funny! I was thinking how much I liked the worn look and aged patina. In the picture, the color looks like it would look great au naturel on their gallery wall!
Is Clara wearing baby jeggings? Haha I love it! However, I bought myself a pair of jeggings last week, they are definitely being returned….way cuter on Clara.
Oh yes, they’re her favorite. She has three pairs. They match everything and they show off her assets (like her big cloth diaper, haha).
xo,
s
love it!
Hahaha too cute!
The baby jeggings are killing me. So cute.
Love the keys too! Great find.
Burger totally looks like he’s smoking a cigarette in that last shot.
Haha, that’s the tab on his collar. Too funny though- you’re right from the top it looks like a ciggy. We have a strict no smoking policy for Burger, not to worry. Haha.
xo,
s
I noticed that, too! Too funny!
I was going to say the same exact thing. Glad you guys had a great trip!
I don’t usually comment but read your blog daily but I couldn’t help myself when I saw the letters in the store. All of the letters have meaning to me. My maiden name is Abbott and it became my first borns middle name. I wonder where the letters came from? So cool.
Wow- that’s amazing! A lot of the things in the store were locally found (or donated or purchased at estate sales, etc). I wonder if there was an Abbott business back in the day and those were the signage from the front. So cool.
xo,
s
Abbott labs make healthcare products like Pedialyte, Similac and Glucerna. They’ve been around since the late 1880s so I wonder if it belonged to them?
That could totally be the origin! Love it.
xo,
s
Abbott is my last name, too! Not for long though so buying something like that might be a little silly…but I loved the letters! I’m sure it was for Abbott Labs…who I oh so dearly wish was my real family, and then I could afford that alligator.
My son’s name is Abbott as well, and I just grinned when I saw those letters! Wish I was closer so I could go snap them up for his room.
Those letters came from the Abbott hotel that was in the Huntington area long ago. My wife and I live a couple blocks from that particular antiques store, and that sign has a pretty significant history for the shop owner, if I recall correctly.
Neat to see our home town through someone elses’ lens!
GRANDMA is SO ADORABLE!!!!
And I love to see you guys going antique shopping! Such a great way to personalize and find unique things.
Did Burger get sprayed by the Fresca too? I love his expression in that last photo!
He didn’t really get much (he was probably just alarmed by mom’s shrieks). Haha.
xo,
s
Love Hillbilly Hotdogs! We stopped there on a road trip once. We’re suckers for any place featured on The Food Network. The owners were so nice!
No way it was on The Food Network?! That’s so funny. It was actually really delicious.
xo,
s
Yes, it was on Diners, Drive ins, and Dives.
That’s amazing. Go them.
xo,
s
It looks like you guys had a great time!!! I love road trips. : ) I live in the Shenandoah Valley. The Valley has tons a great things for you to see. Lots of great old stores (everywhere) to fun local restaurants (my fav is Jesse’s Quick Lunch in Downtown Harrisonburg) to a great bookfair with dicounted books.
I can’t wait to read about your next trip. : )
Harrisonburg is a great day/weekend trip! I went to JMU so I enjoyed many great days just piddling around the old shops in downtown Hburg and then driving out into the country for some beautiful scenery. One of my favorite trips was to the Rt 11 Potato chip factory…they actually sell the chips at places like Martins and other local places. You can watch how they make the chips and try many samples! (not in Hburg, but about 45 min out rt11!). Nearby Harrisonburg is Natural Chimney, Reddish Knob, Dayton’s Farmer’s market and many great parks -all great places to check out!! Not to mention you gotta try Kline’s ice cream when you visit. Overall wonderful getaway day trip!
My husband and I visited the quaint town of New Bern, NC last year. We had a great time walking around town. We even did the obligatory stop at the birthplace of Pepsi for a drink. I’m not sure how close it is for you, but it was a seven hour drive from southern PA.
Okay. With April Fool’s Day just-around-the-corner, you guys could have had some serious fun with us. If any of those quirky items were priced dirt-cheap, well, you could have got one. For fun. A Look what we got! spoof. ;)
I was going to ask about the baby jeggings, too! That was the first thing I noticed. Oh, they make me want to make a baby girl….
I looked at the last photo before reading the paragraph above and thought, “Ohhhh no, I guess Burger didn’t quite make it to the rest stop!” So glad it was just soda ;-)
Oh man, that would have been infinitely worse than Fresca. Haha.
xo,
s
Yeah…I definitely thought Burger peed on Sherry from the look on his face haha. When our older yellow lab was about 6 months old I got home from a business trip, the fiance had her in the car waiting for me, so when I sat down she got so excited she definitely peed on me a little. Perfect ending to 12 hours of travel and flying.
Then again, nothing solves anything like a happy puppy full of kisses and love.
I was thinking the same thing! When I scrolled down to that photo I was thinking, “Ewwwwww!”
I thought the same thing!
I thought the same thing!
Oh my word, I can’t believe ya’ll were here! Those are some of my favorite places, too- love that you guys highlighted them! Crazy crazy :) I wish I coulda met ya’ll for a great picture or autograph, lol I don’t know. Glad you enjoyed your trip and had fun with granny!
Aw so sorry we didn’t bump into you Kalyn! We usually visit Granny at least twice a year so there’s still time for us to run into each other sometime. Haha.
xo,
s
You guy’s would probably like Berkeley Springs, WV. They have lots of Antique stores and cute shops. They also two really nice state parks, one is historical and houses one of the Spa’s. The other Cacapon is large with a lodge and rental cabins. It has a swimming lake, hiking trails, golf and Horseback-riding. Berkeley Springs also has a bunch of nice restaurants including Tari’s Cafe which is one of my favorites. Nearby across the river in MD is the C&O canal and the Western Maryland Rail Trail for biking/walking.
My parents own a small cabin there in Coolfont! Sherry and John would definitely love Berkley Springs. I’m headed there at the end of April with my fiance and we plan to eat at Tari’s actually. Sherry and John, let me know if you have any interest in staying at my parents place!
Thanks for the suggestions and info guys. Will do!
xo,
s
Awww, I think the only people who can pull off jeggings are babies!
Now Pajama Jeans on the other hand…
Looks like Clara is rocking the skinny jean. She is so adorable! I’m a sucker for thumb suckers. (Haha!) :)
oh your trip are always so nice and funny!
Next time I want to come with you ;-D
(just tell me a couple of days in advance so that I can book the intercontinental flight ;-)
p.s.= those keys in white will come out very nice!
HEY! I live just down the river from Huntington near Ashland KY! So neat to see you guys visited Huntington. I do lots of shopping in the Huntington Mall area and just love the down town area too! So cool!!
My best friend has a goal of eating a hot dog in every state… I will have to let her know I’ve found her West Virginia hot dog location!
Ha! That’s a hilarious goal. She should write a book when she’s done!
-John
Sounds like a great trip! I love meandering through antique stores.. I finally got around to stopping by one near my job, and I’m so glad I did. It was HUGE on the inside, and I scooped up an adorable antique wooden train set to help decorate my due-in-May son’s nursery.. the room has a vintage theme, so the train fits in great.
You know what’s funny? When you look at the picture of Senorita Sticky Legs, yesterday’s “Nice Legs” headline is visible. :)
Haha, that wasn’t planned but we’ll take it.
xo,
s
That sweet girl, Clara! Does she ever NOT smile? Your antique/thrift shop adventures remind me of the perfect Saturday in our world, too. My husband and I love to roam through shops like that and we’re fortunate there are a few near us. If you ever find yourself on the Gulf Coast in Texas, you’ll find some good antique/thrift/junk shoppping in Alvin, Angleton, and Bay City, Texas! :)
What a nice little surprise this morning! I’m from the area (actually south of Huntington, out “in the sticks”) and got a little teary seeing your pictures.
The next time you’re in Central City, make sure to eat at Central City Cafe (on the main little shopping street there). It’s comfort food at its finest.
Also, Hattie and Nan’s antique store there is a jewel. The only downside is that they keep limited hours and tend to not be open during the times that I’m there.
Thanks for the Huntington love! It’s really a cute little town.
PS. Please tell me that you’ve eaten at Jim’s (Spaghetti) during your travels to Huntington. It is home to, oddly enough, the world’s greatest cheeseburger. (We take our eating pretty seriously, if you can’t tell.)
Yes! We ate at Jim’s on Friday night after we arrived. Delicious! And I loved how the servers wear those charming retro outfits. So much fun.
xo,
s
I live a couple hours north of Huntington–I never had any idea there were such quaint and quirky little places there. Tell me, did you all have any pepperoni rolls while you were in town?
Oh man we missed out on those.
xo,
s
Kid travel tip: We got our little guy an iPod Nano for his first birthday (we like to think that makes us the coolest parents ever; his cousins were so jealous) and loaded it with all sorts of kid songs. We use it in the house and the car for trips. It’s a total life saver!
Those vintage books are amazing! They would’ve come home with me.
I have to give a shout out to Greensboro, NC. It’s just a short-ish drive from the Richmond area at about 3.5 hours. Elm Street is Greensboro is just packed with amazing antique and thrift shops, great restaurants, and cool boutiques for home goods. I live about 30 minutes away and it’s my favorite way to spend a Saturday.
Asheville NC is another absolutely amazing city. Probably about 6 hours for you guys, but an inspirational paradise. It’s like a mini-Portland tucked into the Blue Ridge mountains.
yay for a huntington shoutout! i am a marshall grad and current resident :-)
so fun to see some local places highlighted, thanks guys!
I may actually have to trek down to West Virginia now to eat at Hillbilly Hot Dogs. And do some shopping of course! My step-dad is frequently out in that area for work, so I’ll try to get him to go along with me!
The Short North district here in Columbus is pretty interesting, and there are tons of little shops and vintage places. If you travel further north of the city to Delaware and other random towns along the way, the antique places become more numerous. Alliance, OH has some pretty cool shops too in the center of town! While you up this way, swing by Cedar Point too and take me with you please!
Wow! Great trip! If you ever head north, stop by Old Ellicott City, MD. Great antique stores all along main street, but the whole town is built into the side of a hill. Its really fun and there are good restaurants too! The whole town is apparently haunted and they do great ghost tours. http://www.ellicottcity.net/index.html
I live in Huntington, WV, so I was so excited to read your post! I love Mug and Pia, too! They actually designed and printed my wedding invitations. Glad you got to experience Huntington!
Love this post! The baby jeggings crack me up too! ;)
I just found your blog last week, but I’m completely hooked!
Thank you for a great blog!
I can’t believe you didn’t pick up the alligator! You could have put him in your yard and started a new collection of animals outside. :)
And I love the book about concrete! As an architect, I would have definitely picked that up.
Can I just say that Great-Granny looks great for her age?!!! what a fun trip!!!
She does, doesn’t she? And you should see her move! The woman can pick up a dropped toy from the ground faster than I can!
xo,
s
Burger looks guilty in that last picture. Hmm..
You guys should head up to Downtown Fredericksburg once the weather decides to stay decent. LOTS of cool history plus antique shops as far as the eye can see. Tons of great places to eat too..plus the WORLD FAMOUS Carl’s Ice Cream (seriously..look it up on Wikipedia!) is here!
We’re only about an hour from you guys!
I work at the National Register of Historic Places and we just made a new program brochure – which features photos of listed properties submitted to our flickr account. Carl’s in the Fred is one of them! Yeah! Look here: http://www.nps.gov/history/nr/. Also, the National Register is part of the National Park Service – a co-worker has a small version of the buffalo goring sign on her cube. So, John, I’m sure you can download it from somewhere to display prominently in your lovely home (sorry Sherry).
I know that someone already commented on this – but how could I not? I adore Clara’s baby jeggings. What a trendsetter.
:)
I’m not really a kid person, but you seriously have the cutest baby ever…and the jeggings don’t hurt anything! I bought a pair for my niece this past Christmas. Too cute!
I want to go to a proper american vintage shop!!!
You would love to goto a place called camden market in london its really vintage and totoally quirky!
Go check out Eataly in NYC, co-owned by Mario Batali himself. It is an amazing 50,000 sq ft Italian marketplace right on 5th Ave with 4 restaurants and even cooking classes by Lidia Bastianich. Sherry, your Italian mother would be very proud.
http://www.mysocalledhome.com/2011/03/italy-is-eataly.html
Okay, so your photos have SO INSPIRED our future kitchen!! As a cook, I definately want some quirky vintage kitchen items in our future home. I LOVE that lit up cheese grater… what do you think about a slew of vintage box graters with bulbs insides, lined up and suspended above the dining table???? Any ideas?
Already online looking for old box graters…
That would look awesome! Post pics on our Facebook page for sure when you whip those up. Love it!
xo,
s
you should come to Annapolis!! we’re coming up on the MOST amazing season around here- it’s a beautiful town with lots to see & do ;) it’s only about a 2hr drive for you, which is very tempting, no??
also, thanks for the travel post busting at the seams with good ol’ WV authenticity!! i attended WVU & we used to do a lot of fun, random road trips, so it was great to take a little virtual walk down memory lane with you guys. looks like you had perfect weather, too~ bonus!!
thanks again P-Fam!
OMG!! That giraffe is the CUTEST! I have a “slight” thing for giraffes…I went to the zoo for my bday this past year just so I could feed a one! Pics of that amazing adventure below :)
http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=81427&id=1552080001&l=8eb1d74e70
Wow- that looks like so much fun! Clara’s jealous.
xo,
s
Is Clara wearing JEGGINGS??? How freaking cute is that!!! Love hearing about your trip to this quirky little town. I wish we had something like that in South Florida!
Very cool. I have never, ever been in an antique store. I always thought they were full of $300 vases and candlesticks. Are they all that cool?
PS- I lived in Huntington for a year. Go Herd!
Some are very snooty and pricey (aka: too fancy for us) but many of them have awesome under ten dollar finds like our keys!
xo,
s
Fun post! I love those letters, totally would have snagged one too. And the B does have special meaning. BURGER!
How about a roadtrip to Boston?! If you like the hillbilly thing, we could serve you lunch in our bathtub! Glad you guys had a great trip to Granny’s. And love the new antique keys.