Last weekend we took a short day trip to Farmville, a small town about an hour from Richmond that sits in the heart of rural Central Virginia.
Our main reason for the outing was a family bike ride on the newly opened High Bridge Trail State Park, a rails-to-trails conversion near Farmville that offers a scenic and family-friendly route.
If you follow our social feeds, you might have already seen photos of that very high bridge. The highlight for me was convincing Sherry to ride across the long steel-and-wood skyway — an achievement that thrilled me and produced a very different reaction from her.
Sherry, meanwhile, was most excited to visit Green Front Furniture, which we last checked out nearly four years ago. Green Front is a sprawling warehouse-style destination known locally for deep discounts and an enormous inventory. While many items are priced out of our reach even after discounts, the store is a great place to find inspiration — patterns, silhouettes, and trends you don’t often see elsewhere.
One standout was a snakeskin-esque sofa that was marked down to $3,639. Up close it had a thick, understated fabric and clean lines. It felt plush and comfortable, and although such a bold pattern might not be a forever piece for us, it was exciting to try it out for a minute before Clara pressed us to keep moving.
Mirrors also caught Sherry’s eye — one priced at $900 and another at $460. Side-by-side they shared similar shapes and finishes; the left one was our favorite for its presence and detailing.
We found a decorative piece reminiscent of our headboard — a more ornate, orbed version — and admired its craftsmanship even though ours came from a clearance find.
A leather chair priced at $1,491 stopped us in our tracks. If budget weren’t a concern it would have been an immediate winner: a statement piece with real character that would anchor a room.
Another chair drew attention for its clever mix of fabric pattern and a painted edge — a simple detail that could inspire an easy DIY refresh on a thrifted find, combining paint and upholstery for a fresh look.
We admired a chair that paired classic unpainted wood with modern, graphic fabric. It reinforced that you don’t always need to paint wood to modernize a piece; sometimes the right upholstery does the job beautifully.
Sherry loved a floral bench for its lines, even though florals aren’t my taste. The proportions and structure made it stand out.
One inventive coffee table sparked a bunch of DIY ideas: an ottoman-style inset with a removable wooden tray inside a leather-upholstered shell. You could recreate the look by modifying a thrifted rectangular coffee table with a built-up wooden frame, upholstery, and a tray fitted into the opening.
The store even had quirky finds like a monkey chandelier priced at $399. The fixture featured one monkey attached to the ceiling, holding four other monkeys by their tails — bizarre but oddly brilliant. Painted white and used in a playful kids’ room, it could be fantastic.
Nearby we stopped into The Sleeping Bee and spotted versatile shelving that could work in a kitchen for dishes or in a sunroom for plants and garden items.
Not all the finds were high-end. We also discovered budget-friendly items that still felt high quality: bone-look knobs for $1.99 each, a cute blue stool for $40, and a large mirror priced at $129 that was more impressive in person than photos conveyed.
Our favorite bargain was a giant glass lantern about three feet tall, reduced from $99 to $49. Sherry imagined a pair of them on a porch with large candles — a dramatic and affordable update. We didn’t buy it, mostly because we were enjoying the browsing and Clara needed a snack before we headed home.
Back to the outdoors: the High Bridge Trail is a converted railroad bridge originally built in the 1850s. It played a role toward the end of the Civil War, and the stone piers were later replaced with steel in the early 1900s. The bridge spans the Appomattox River and stretches nearly a half mile, with a height that feels like a twelve-story drop — enough to quicken your pulse and make you appreciate the skill of the people who engineered it.
Despite the sweaty palms, the ride was wonderful. We covered about nine miles round-trip — a comfortable distance with our two-year-old riding in the iBert child seat up front. The seat makes it easy to interact with her: she can “help” steer, sing along, and play I-spy as we go. The trail itself is mostly crushed gravel and very flat, with restrooms and picnic benches along the route, making it an ideal family outing.
We’re already planning a return trip in the fall when the foliage changes and temperatures cool. It’s the perfect combo of outdoor activity and treasure-hunting at Green Front. Have you taken a similar bike-and-shop day trip? Do you carry your toddler on the front of the bike or use other tricks to keep little ones entertained while you explore?
P.S. We also shared the outtakes from Clara’s monthly photos recently — my favorite one involves a very politician-like gesture.