Lets Play Explorer...

The hubs & I took off Friday to go explore a little town just a hop, skip & jump down the road from us...

Like most mountain towns, its heyday was decades & decades ago.  Still, it was sweet & cute & ripe for exploration.

The downtown was about 4 blocks all told & down the road there is a fish hatchery & museum, but that is literally all there is to the town.  Maps & brochures aren't really necessary...still, can't deny the optimistic spirit behind the sidewalk sign~*


The first place we looked at was...odd?  Surreal?  Definitely musty, at any rate.  They had a train set up that took up a full 1/4 of the store {the town grew up around a railroad, so it wasn't completely random}.  It was very detailed in a wonky sort of way~*

Right...

They had a restaurant & there were a smattering of diners dining...but there was also a pronounced moldy smell that made us a little leery of trying the fare.  Besides, everything in the joint was obscenely over priced {though we didn't see a menu so the food cost might not have been as inflated}

There was a true "junk" shops next in line, so we gave it our due diligence.  There was happy collection of  local old timers manning the shop, all smoking cigarettes, drinking sweet tea & reminiscing while we browsed-- it gave everything a smashingly nostalgic atmosphere.

The next shop we hit was an eclectic collection of randomness-- some great pieces, handmade vintage clothing, a bit of cliche kitsch, & some refurbished furniture.  

I am totally stealing the mason-jar-glued-to-candlestick idea, only I'll use it as a vase instead of stemware {or maybe a cotton ball holder, wee fish bowl lol...I'll post it when I do it~*}

In the corner was a book nook with a collection of old posters.  The books, for the most part, weren't anything exciting, but the posters were cool.  We ended up buying a museum replica of a WWI military poster identifying enemy aircraft that will get framed for my hubby's home office for $4.

Next in line was a pottery shop with an in-house potter-- some real works of art mingled in with more touristy pieces.  We will definitely be coming back to this one when holiday shopping comes around.  

The shopkeeper/potter was very sweet & suggested a lunch spot that was 'bout a block from her shop.  On the strength of her recommendation {& feeling a bit peckish} we headed over to the Hawg -n- Dawg for some barbecue.

Now getting barbecue is always a bit of a gamble.  My husband is a born & bred Tennessean, & Tennesseans pride themselves on knowing barbecue.  He knows what he likes & is most definitely opinionated on the topic.

They mixed their own sauces-- I went with #2, the hubs with #4-- we both got pork with beans & slaw.  We were both very, very happy.  It was wonderfully delicious, & the sides were lip-smacking.  We intend to come back with the Things asap.

By the time we finished it had gotten incredibly hot {in the high 80's & climbing fast} with summer thunder clouds riding in on the breeze.  We jumped in the car & headed over to the wee local museum...but our tour will have to wait for another post!

Its amazing the adventures that wait just a few miles out of our front door.  Do you do any local exploration?