A trip to Grabill

I got off work early the other day and decided to take a trip to Grabill, Indiana to spend the afternoon perusing the giant antique shop and to get a little fresh country air.

Although it's only a few minutes outside of Indiana's second largest city, Fort Wayne, you would never know it. Grabill is a small town known for it's large Amish community. It's main street is home to The Country Shops of Grabill and Souder's General Store. It's like stepping back in time, especially when the horse and buggies clop by.

I've been going to Grabill as long as I can remember with my parents and I just love it. Although the shops aren't the same country shops they used to be filled with everything Amish and country ~ baskets, dried flowers, and potpourri, they still have the same strange little rooms and faux rug flooring that take me back to when my brother and I would wander through the maze of rooms and get lost. The inventory may not be the same, but the memories are still there.

Now that it's an antique store and flea market, the style of what's for sale in the rooms varies from vintage to rustic farmhouse and anything else you'd find at a typical antique shop ~ books, paintings, furniture, clothes, and toys.

I'm always looking for my holy grail of cheap jadeite and a decent copy of Julia Child's Mastering the Art of French Cooking. I've yet to find either, but I keep looking!

I'm so very lucky that I live in an area where one direction leads me to a big city with skyscrapers and a booming urban landscape, while the other leads me to a vast expanse of fields, farm animals, barns, and dirt roads. It's really the best of both worlds.

Springtime is a gorgeous time to take a drive in the country with all the trees flowering and spring flowers blooming. It was a bit of an overcast day, but that didn't stop me from enjoying the trip! I can't wait to go back and go to Schmucker's Farm and get some flowers for myself!

Welcome to Grabill, Indiana! Every time I come here there is a little horse and buggy parked here!

Inside Souder's General Store. It's like stepping back in time to Ike Godsey's store from the Walton's. They have classic candies along with homemade soaps and great rustic farmhouse home decor.

The Country Shops of Grabill. I believe at one time this was a hotel and restaurant. It has a very old west look to it and it's very easy to imagine how it was back when it was first built!

This is just one of the many little obscure rooms inside the Country Shops. There are so many different items in these shops. You never know what you will come across!

I love this idea! Flowers inside a teapot. I also just like this enamelware teapot by itself!

Deck chairs from the Titanic?

My mom had this book when I was little! It was filled with all these majorly seventies photos of glam people at cocktail parties eating various jello molds. I used to flip through it all the time dreaming of the day when I too would get to go to a glamorous cocktail party and eat jello! Honestly, it was really the first cookbook I ever read.

After leaving the antique store, I took a drive around the country. Amish don't believe in getting their pictures taken, so I really didn't want to take any pictures of them and upset them, so this is all you get. They don't even have to get their picture taken for their state I.D.'s ~ it says photo exempt where the picture should be.

One of my favorite barns!

Although, this farm was really giving the one above a run for it's money!

This is an Amish graveyard.

Hi horse!

There were a lot of curious animals out the other day.

I love this farm! It's seems like such a typical farm scene with the windmill and the silo full of corn!

I drove by this barn on the way home. It's such a cool, old barn and guess what? It's not even in Grabill. It's inside the Fort Wayne city limits! That's Indiana for you! A surprise around every corner!

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