MORE FROM PENNSYLVANIA

Continuing our mini road trip into Pennsylvania, we drove four hours until we reached Peddler's Village.  I have Debbie to thank for this trip, from It's All About Purple.  I have been looking at her interesting posts whenever she and her husband have visited.  We were ready for a mini-road trip and Gregg gave me the choice of where we should go, and I was always curious about Peddler's Village.  

We generally take it in turns deciding on our destination, and for us the journey is part of the enjoyment.  We knew we would be going through some beautiful countryside.

When we arrived at Peddler's Village it was lunchtime.  We saw a restaurant and pulled into the parking lot of the Buttonwood Grill, not realizing that this place was attached to a hotel.  I noticed people walking into the dining room from a hallway and on a little investigation found the inn. After we finished our meal we made a reservation for the night.  We would be staying at the Golden Plough Inn.

The staff was friendly and our room was very comfortable.  The great part about this hotel was that it was a short walk to Peddler's Village, and we didn't have to move our car until we left the next day.

We spent the rest of the afternoon looking around the village.  There are a lot of shops to browse around, also restaurants.  

I read online that Peddler's Village has 65 shops and 6 restaurants, all on 42 acres of landscaped gardens and brick pathways.  It also hosts 12 festivals and events at various times of the year.

I also read with great interest that its founder was a man called Earl Jamison who opened the village in 1962.  Earl got his start in 1953 when, at the age of 19, he opened his own farm stand in Holicong, Pennsylvania called Bountiful Acres.

In the late 1950s and early 1960s Earl traveled to the town of Carmel in California.  It inspired him to recreate a specialty shopping village in his home town.  

I am very familiar with Carmel as we lived in the next town over back in the early 80s, and have revisited several times since on our trips out west.  I feel like I have just encountered the 'six-degrees-of-separation' territory.

Loved the gazebo.

We sat for a while and talked, and watched people come and go.

There are weddings held here also.

This small circular building was nearby.  It had a window where you could read about various goings-on in the village.

I was delighted to find at its peak, a circular birdhouse with several 'apartments'.  A bird condominium?

A short walk away I found a 'condo' on the roof of another building.

We came across The Lucky Cupcake and decided to pop in for a treat.

Gregg had a cheesecake and I had, well I don't know what it was called.  Let's just say it was chocolate-peanut-butter-and-lots-of-lovely-nuts-on-the-outside and creamy goodness on the inside, a powerhouse of deliciousness.  

He thought so too.  As it was such a nice day we decided to eat outside and waspy was attracted to the chocolate-covered utensil.  Fascinating little thing but I didn't like the idea of that sting.  Thankfully he left soon after.  I let him enjoy his feast on the plastic knife until I had taken my photos, and then he got tired of me shooing him away with a napkin.  I certainly wasn't asking  him to share dessert!

More goodies for the birds.

And pretty garden ornaments.

This one was a favorite and wish I had bought him but there you go, there's always a reason to go back.

It wasn't long before it was time to make our way to the hotel, and after resting up a bit we decided to go down to the bar for a cocktail.  We got into a conversation with a couple, and the lady was celebrating her birthday.  I forgot to mention that it was Halloween and she was dressed for the season.  No, there are no photos but it was very pleasant and we enjoyed our conversation.  Soon it was time for sleeps after our long day.  We would be on the road early the following morning.

Thank you Debbie for telling us about Peddler's Village in your blog.  We had a great time.