Road Trip... Pendleton

Being the contrarians that we are, while the rest of the world traveled towards Indianapolis this weekend, we traveled away from it. Just a short little jaunt down Pendleton Pike to Pendleton (oh, that's why they call it...). A left on IN-38 led us right to the historic downtown area, passing some really adorable homes on the way. That road becomes State St. and it is the main drag for the shops. We easily found free parking and made Arts-Antiques our first stop. It is a good sized antique shop and we have to brag about our purchase, which is pictured above, the book Tawny. It turns out to be a scandalously fun read from 1936 but, even if the story wasn't good, the gorgeous cover is worth way more than the modest $3 that we paid for it. We continued down the street browsing at Burmeister's Antiques, Evey's (where we were pleasantly shocked to see that they carry Teavana tea), Crafts From the Heart, and then to the wonderful Word for Word bookstore. We love an independent bookseller, especially one who sells used books (and at such great prices). It is a big, well-organized store with some great art adding a lot of punch to the walls. We happily gave these nice merchants some business and then crossed the street to visit Finders Keepers where we found some highly aromatic soy candles. We then crossed Main St. to find another source for old fashioned candy, aptly called the Old Fashion Candy Shoppe. Then, it was time for lunch at The Cabbage Rose. Having never been to Pendleton before, we chose this based on the fact that the shopkeeper at Gaia Natural Foods recommended it and it is in a Victorian house. It is a gorgeous spot and while they have some innovative dishes to please diners looking for a lighter, healthier lunch (such as the Veggie Lover's Club) they please the heartier eaters with selections such as the amazing hand breaded tenderloin pictured here. Plus, most excitingly, they offer tater tots as a side option. THAT'S RIGHT- TATER TOTS! You might not have had them since elementary school and, believe us, these are way better than the ones the cafeteria ladies were dishing out back in the day. We tried to grab a menu for you but the carry-out menus were gone; undoubtedly a sign of this great restaurant's popularity.

We then decided to walk off lunch at the nearby Falls Park (pictured here). It's a pretty spot and we were amazed at how far back we kept walking and finding more trails. We saw many savvy bikers who already know about the trails that you can check out here.

As you look for fun closer to home this summer, put Pendleton near the top of the list.