It’s the most wonderful time of the year

It’s fall y’all ! Not only am I excited to eat and drink all things pumpkin spice but also to start holiday shopping !! This year we decided to do a short day trip to West Virginia to begin our holiday cheer. It’s the most wonderful time of the year!!

We figured we couldn’t *possibly* start our day without fuel so we went on the hunt for a new coffee shop. We stumbled upon a hidden gem called The Black Dog Coffee Company

8001 Charles Town Rd, Shenandoah Junction West Virginia

This a-ma-zing little coffee shop and roastery was only 20 minutes from our house and I was appalled we have been missing out on it all this time. We got our normal caramel macchiato ( in the small cup) and also went out on a limb and tried a medium roast with coconut. I thought I had a coffee addition before this day pshhhhh… I’m NOW literally HOOKED! I thought the coconut coffee was to die for and then I tried the caramel macchiato. I immediately melted into my chair and was instantly mentally on a vacation. Relaxation in a cup is a true understatement on these two special treats. Not only does Black Dog offer locally made sweet treats such as scones, coffee cake and jams but they offer dairy, meats AND have events! Taco Tuesday, yoga, and live music are all on the calendar EVERY. SINGLE. MONTH. It was a shame we started our day off here because I almost didn’t want to leave. See you next time Black Dog, you will be on my mind 🙂

What else do you do during the most wonderful time of the year? EAT!!!!

After we fueled up on 3, yes 3 cups of Joe we headed to see what we could find to munch on.

Located in the heart of Charles Town is Paddy’s Bar and Grill

Nice bar selection

We started out with Pot-O-Fritters, cheesy bacony deliciousness!

We both decided on fish and chips and it was to die for! Very crispy and flavorful.

We were FINALLY ready to start shopping, which is what we set out to do in the early morning! We walked down the street and stumbled across B. Vintage

The outside is very cute and welcoming!

The shop is cozy and has a wonderful variety of gifts and displays. We each bought a pair of fun socks and little stocking stuffers for the kids. I got a bunch of ideas for table displays and bought a huge wooden holiday sign for a family member.

I’m excited to see what they offer during the off-season and will be back as soon as the holidays are over to take a look.

We are IN LOVE with old houses. On the way home, we got to tour the town and see a couple of aged, ginormous beautiful homes. This one was our favorite so we drove by it 3 times LOL.

We finished off the evening thinking we would do Thai from our favorite local place Thaiverse but they didn’t answer the phone. We got on our go to, Yelp, and low and behold there was a quick and easy stop literally at our doorstep.

The Guide House Grill is minutes from us down in little ol’ Knoxville. We gave them a call, they checked with the kitchen for pick up times and the food was ready in 20 minutes.It’s nice to know there is a local place that not only delivers variety but has a cool vibe. It’s located off the road so if you are planning to take a visit don’t blink or you might miss it!

Although we didn’t make as many stops as we had originally planned, we were pretty tired from our short day adventure. Until next time West Virginia, thanks for a great day!!

……Fast forward to 2020

Middle of a global pandemic, hot as heck July and I’m sitting here wondering what will the most wonderful time of the year be like this year? Stay tuned.