Tag Archives: National Road

Indiana’s Antique Alley

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If you enjoy treasure hunting, the National Road in Indiana is rich with antique malls and nice local shops. In fact, there are two antique trails that start in Richmond – one that is largely in western Ohio and another that follows the National Road west to Plainfield. This is the route I followed, picking up a few other stores on the Ohio side as well.

The National Road is four lane through most of Indiana, meandering through small towns and burgs with quaint architecture, fun local diners and cute stores.

My favorite treasure hunting spot along the way was probably Cambridge City which is home to more than a dozen antique stores and malls. This is a friendly, tidy little town where you could easily spend a day or more depending on how serious you are and how quickly you shop. Nearby Centerville has a number of stores including a large mall where I found a great train case and a few other unique bargains.

If you’re venturing further west, Gilley’s Antique Mall in Plainfield is worth the drive. It’s a large antique and craft mall that’s packed with stuff.

Even further west, Shady Lane Antique Mall was perhaps my favorite store this trip. It’s in an old motel and filled to the brim with good quality vintage and antique items. The owners and the people working there were so friendly and helpful that I truly felt wanted and welcome in their store. More than that, I found bargains! Records, vintage jewelry, story books, small advertising pieces, linens – I honestly don’t even remember what all I bought here. They said the vendors are all good to rotate stock and make an effort to keep things fresh about every week, something you simply don’t see in a lot of these places. It was well worth the drive and I’m already plotting to go back this year.

If you’re thinking about doing these trails, my advice is to check out the Richmond/Wayne County Visitors Center and be sure to request the Antique Alley brochures. They were a huge help, easy to follow and mark up as you go.

Where’s your favorite antique store? Tell me in the comments – I’m always looking for ideas!

Signs Signs, Everywhere A Sign

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I’m incapable of walking past a great sign without whipping out my phone to take a picture. Hope you enjoy these signs from my recent National Road adventure!

Sunset On A Gloomy Day

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This sunset occurred on a wet and gloomy day. I had been out antiquing all day and it seemed almost miraculous given we hadn’t seen the sun at all. I was record shopping at the Goodwill and it was raining sideways when I went inside. This was the view when I came outside.

It doesn’t even look real, does it?

This was a stunning surprise after a nasty day and a fine reminder that the sun is still there – even when we can’t see it.

Luckily, the sun is shining here in Southern Ohio. Wherever you are, I hope you do something to enjoy this day!

Coca Cola On the National Road

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This mural was so eye catching I had to go around the block for a picture. Isn’t it great?

Brazil, Indiana has a few nice buildings and murals to photograph. It also has a fun old fashioned soda fountain I’ll tell you about soon.

The Oasis Diner

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Oasis Diner 2 sign.JPGMy trip along the National Road last week was unplanned but I had read about this place called the Oasis Diner in Plainfield, Indiana. If I made it that far, I wanted to stop because it sounded like my kind of place.

I was right. In fact, it was so good I ended up having three meals there.

Manufactured by Mountain View Diners in Singac, New Jersey, it was shipped to Plainfield by rail in 1954. According to their published history, the Oasis went through a series of owners before being listed on the 10 Most Endangered Indiana Buildings list in 2010. The town rallied and local residents Doug Huff and Don Rector answered the call to relocate, restore and reopen this fabulous old diner.

And I’m so glad they did.

blog dinerThey did a beautiful job researching and restoring this stunning structure to its mid century splendor.

Today The Oasis is the only diner of its kind on the National Road in Indiana and one of just a handful of historic diners to remain on the National Road from Cumberland, Maryland to Vandalia, Illinois.

It’s a long story but circumstances were such that I ended up eating three meals there – one lunch and two breakfasts over three days. There are plenty of other dining options in town but none are a cool old diner so, by my estimation, there was no reason to try them.

This place is light and bright and airy. Extremely clean with some vintage advertising pieces and other fun decor. It feels timeless and welcoming. It’s the kind of place that has regulars and waitresses who remember how you like your eggs and who seem genuinely concerned that you’re comfortable and happy.

For lunch I had the black bean burger which is dressed with provolone cheese, lettuce, tomato, onion and Thai chilli sauce. It has a nice little kick to it. For breakfast one morning it was a veggie omelette packed with spinach, roasted red peppers, mushrooms and feta cheese. The second morning I had scrambled eggs and chocolate chip pancakes (Don’t judge me. It was worth every calorie).

It’s so hard to find decent vegetarian food in most restaurants but good mom and pop diners usually have some tasty options that aren’t limited to limp iceburg lettuce salads and greasy grilled cheese. The Oasis doesn’t have a ton of meatless options but they offer enough that I had choices and I made a point of thanking my waitresses for that. For all you meatetarians out there, they have some really unique sandwiches and breakfast items that you won’t find anywhere else as well as the usual burgers, soups and reubens. Here’s the menu if you’re inclined to fantasize about fun diner fair.

The verdict is that The Oasis Diner is well worth your time, especially if you’re a diner nerd like me. Here are a few more pictures to entice you to drive to Plainfield, Indiana.

Tomorrow I’ll tell you about the great tour I had at the Model T Museum in Richmond, Indiana.

I Ran Away From Home

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blog IMG_6123_edited.jpgI ran away from home last Wednesday. With a week of vacation and no desire to be home but no place in particular to be, I did something that this overplanner wouldn’t normally do. I drove away without a real plan.

I had some maps, my phone, some supplies ( in case I couldn’t find a hotel) and my passport in case I went rogue and headed for the border. The plan was to pick up the National Road in Ohio and drive as far west as I wanted. The journey was the destination. That meant no hotel reservations, no goals and no stress.

It was amazing. 

I followed the National Road to Terra Haute, antiquing along the way, eating mostly in mom and pop restaurants, and stopping to rest wherever I got tired. The weather was beautiful the first day, horrible on day two and mediocre the rest so this wasn’t a great picture trip. But I did get a few photos I’ll eventually share here with some thoughts on special places along the way.

I’ve never done a vacation like this where I had nowhere to be and all week to get there but would absolutely do it again. In fact, it seems like something everyone should try at least once.

There are so many things that make me want to go back. Main Street America, with all its idiosyncrasies, is fascinating and I have several small research projects to answer questions from the road.  Also, I was driving the modern National Road and would love to go hunting for some of the old alignments just to see what’s what. In Indiana, the road has been expanded to four lanes most of the way and I suspect there’s a lot of interesting stuff to see off the beaten path.

Stay tuned. I want to tell you about a cool old diner, a Model T Museum, my favorite antique stores (guys, there are more antique stores than you can count out there) and several other nifty sights from along the way. Look for more soon!