A few weeks ago we loaded the car and drove over rivers and through the woods to visit my 89-year-old grandmother in Huntington, WV. The weekend was mostly about eating and holding the newest family member—my cousin Erin’s two-month-old son, Finn—but we also squeezed in a few little outings that were too fun not to share. (We would’ve posted sooner, but most photos were trapped on our old point-and-shoot until we finally found the camera cord after our move.)
Here’s the obligatory photo of Clara with her great-grandmother—aren’t they adorable in their matching purple?
We were only in town about 36 hours, so Saturday was our big day of neighborhood strolls, shopping, park time and ice cream. We finally found the giraffe Jellycat we’d been hunting for the past ten months at a cute gift shop called Mug and Pia, and Clara was thrilled with her new friend.
Mug and Pia also carried handmade frames made from recycled tires where the wear and scrape marks were part of the charm. The matte finish really worked with the rustic look.
The most interesting stop was Old Central City, a neighborhood overflowing with antique and vintage shops.
From the outside it almost looks like an old western ghost town, but inside the shops were full of curious finds and the occasional local chatting with shoppers.
We popped into about half a dozen shops and noticed plenty of beautiful, odd, and quirky pieces. These ornate white candle sconces stood out—they would look great painted a bold color like teal or plum.
Sherry gravitated toward nearly every ceramic, glass, or metal animal she saw, including this open-mouthed horse head (she declared it “too grinny” and kept looking)…
…and this large iron alligator, which was a favorite but priced a bit higher than we wanted to bring home.
I was drawn to vintage books—their graphic covers made even technical topics like concrete look interesting. Those covers would be perfect mounted or reproduced as oversized art, and I regretted not buying them.
Old bottles and retro packaging are irresistible, too. A shelf of vintage toiletries and “snake oils” caught my eye—though the Grenadine Syrup still full of thick, gloopy liquid was a little gross.
Oversized typography is another weakness of mine—this art deco sign especially reminded us of large letters we’ve seen in other studios. If any of the letters had meant something to us, we might’ve tried to squeeze one into the car.
Our one purchase was a set of oversized decorative keys for eight dollars. Once Sherry gives them a coat of white paint, we plan to add them to our hallway frame gallery.
No antique outing is complete without oddball items. We laughed at this beer sign that reads “You’ll like Burger: the beer you can stay with.” Clara didn’t crack up—probably because she can’t read yet.
One shopkeeper repurposed a vintage cheese grater into a lamp by stuffing it with Christmas lights. It actually looked great—imagine a string of them down the center of a rustic farm table.
If you’re nostalgic for old political campaigns, there were plenty of retro buttons—especially Carter/Mondale ones. Random and delightful.
And if poultry trophies are your thing, I left these behind for you. I imagined winners of competitions like “Most Chickens Carried During the 400-Yard Dash.”
My favorite quirky find was a vintage Yellowstone National Park flyer warning visitors about buffalo attacks. My family picked one up in 1998 and I kept it on my dorm door—there’s something darkly funny about a sign that says many visitors have been gored by buffalo. This one at the shop wasn’t for sale, so I’ll have to rely on my old memory if a buffalo ever charges at our house guests.
We carried the quirky theme into lunch at Hillbilly Hot Dogs, which fully leaned into novelty dining. Tables included a bathtub with a shower curtain and an outhouse-style booth—my mom even modeled the outhouse with baby Finn.
The hot dogs were surprisingly good, with toppings like pepperoni, eggs, bacon, slaw and salsa. The menu sounded crazy, but the food tasted great—better than the photos might suggest.
That’s the latest from our short trip. Clara handled the drives like a trooper—she slept less than on our previous trip when she was younger but mostly entertained herself, and we kept her happy with her favorite CD from baby music class, even if “She’ll Be Coming ‘Round The Mountain” got a little overplayed.
Our only mishap was when Sherry accidentally sprayed the car interior with a can of Fresca that had clearly been shaken—Granny’s drink prank, if you will. It was an accident, and Sherry’s pants took most of the sticky fallout like a champ.
Have you been anywhere fun lately? We’re always hunting for new road trip ideas, especially spots within driving distance. Share your favorites—we love a good adventure.
Psst—check out our favorite road trip ever.