A few hours in Springfield, Tennessee

 Last month my husband and I found ourselves in Springfield, TN on our way back from Nashville. We spent about two hours there, exploring their historic downtown, a quick stop at an antique store, and lunch at Whataburger. We had not eaten at a Whataburger since a 2010 visit to Altus AFB! Hard to believe that was 15 years ago.

The downtown area was in great shape! It’s so nice to see such a historic town still being used. So many of the stores were actually occupied, which is always good! 

Very surprisingly this small town had a health food store. The roof on this was just perfect!

My husband and I love artwork and signs on the side of old buildings. And of course, would it even be a small town without some vintage Coca-Cola art?

This store front was my favorite in the entire town! 

If you blink you’ll miss Jail Alley! 

After we walked the downtown area, we headed over to Springfield Antique Barn. What a surprise this place was! The booths were all so beautiful, and I found at least 20 things I immediately wanted. 

This booth with the rooster and blue and white vases caught my eye for sure! 

So many barn quilts throughout the store. I probably missed a lot, because you had to look up high for them! 

I loved this patriotic booth, and definitely wanted to bring those pillows home with me. 

Sometimes I find myself in an antique store and the booths are so empty/filled with junk I wonder how the booth owners are even making any money. This place was different, everything was so beautiful, and thoughtfully styled. My husband and I found a piece of art we both loved, and I dare say we may even drive back and purchase it. Since we were heading home from our 20th Anniversary trip to Nashville, I wasn’t really wanting to drop $350 on a piece of art, but I can’t stop thinking about it all these weeks later. Maybe I should find a place for it FIRST, then call and see if it’s still available! 

The hutch in this booth was beautiful! 

Next up we drove by Cedar Hill Apothecary. What a darling building with so many lovely touches! I so wish I could have gone in, but alas, I sure do have a habit of being in these cute little towns on a late Sunday afternoon! 

It was just a few hours of our day, but what a nice time we had!

If you are ever in the area, definitely check out the following:

McClellan & Co. - 108 Sixth Avenue W

Southern Threads Boutique - 700 S Main Street

Cedar Hill Apothecary - 1108 S Main Street

Springfield Antique Barn - 700 Willow Street

Thanks for reading!

-Bunny

A Sunday drive along the Ohio River - Cloverport, Kentucky

 I find river towns fascinating. My husband and I have visited quite a few since moving back to Kentucky, and each time I visit one, no matter how big or small, I fall in love with it. We had visited Cloverport, Kentucky twice before, but that was about four or five years ago. We were in the area recently, so took advantage of a beautiful sunny day to explore some more. I had been trying to check in with the happenings there online, and had noticed the downtown area had been fixed up and some buildings were for sale. That's always a good sign!

When you arrive in Cloverport, you drive over a small bridge that crosses over Clover Creek right where it meets the Ohio River. The first thing that will catch your eye is the Higginbotham's building, and the large barn quilt displayed on the side of it. 

The Higginbotham building was first the location of Needle Craft, then became a grocery store in 1933. Mr. Higginbotham passed in 1971, but his son took over the business. I'm not sure when the grocery store closed, but hope to be in town sometime when the town museum is open. I think the Higginbotham building is what I am most interested in, and would love to get some more information on it.

I had been to Family Ties Flowers & Gifts a few years ago and chatted for quite a while to the sweet owner. That was probably in 2019, so I'm having trouble remembering if this shop has moved to a new store or if it's the same one I visited. It could just be that the building got a facelift. It's such a cute store and I wish I could have gone in again. That's the downside to Sunday afternoon drives - everything is closed!

The history of this small town is so interesting. From producing coal oil that lit Buckingham Palace, to the button factory, railroad maintenance shops, to Mickey Mouse dolls produced there! Who would have thought Mickey Mouse dolls were being made in a tiny Kentucky river town and shipped out by train? My, times have changed. Made in China, anyone? I've been doing some research, trying to find some information or a photo of these Mickey Mouse dolls but haven't had any luck. If you've never looked into vintage Mickey dolls, boy, some of them are REALLY creepy looking!

Cloverport is part of the Lincoln Family Trail through Kentucky, and I am so grateful to live near it and visit all these sites. The Lincoln Family crossed the Ohio River into Indiana near this spot, and when you stand there and really think about that, it is very strange (at least for me!) to wrap my head around. A future President of the United States was once standing on the bank of this very river, just like I was. I would have been very scared crossing the river on a log raft, and I wonder what was going through his head at the time.

Even though it was cold and snowy, we took a walk around town to read some more of the historical markers and take some photos. There's lot of barn quilts scattered around the town, and I located as many as I could!

We had such a lovely drive that day. I am so happy to see so many buildings for sale, and look forward to seeing what will occupy them. It will be interesting to go back and look at the photos I took of Cloverport the last time we were there and compare them to what the town looks like now in 2025. Five years can really change a town. I am noticing it in my own town, and my husband and I were just talking about that yesterday. It makes me look at things differently, and I want to document so many things, no matter how insignificant they seem. One day some of my favorite spots in town could be completely gone, like it never even happened. It's really sad when you stop and think about it. 

I am hoping this year that we can explore more of the western part of our state! I have quite a list of towns I'd like to visit!

Here is a photo I snapped when we got back to our neck of the woods. What a gorgeous day we had!

To learn more about Cloverport, the Breckenridge County Barn Quilt Trail, and the Lincoln Trail in Kentucky, visit the links below!

City of Cloverport, Kentucky

Kentucky Lincoln Heritage Trail

Breckenridge County Barn Quilt Trail Brochure

Thanks for reading!

-Bunny

A day in Hardinsburg, Kentucky

 Whenever we get the chance, my husband and I enjoy traveling to our surrounding counties and visiting much smaller towns than the one we live in. I’m sure as we are heading their way, the people there are heading elsewhere, towards a more populated area, with big plans for their day. Better shopping, bigger grocery stores, more variety. We tend be searching for small businesses and grocery stores, local restaurants and hidden gems. When you think about it, it’s quite funny! The grass is always greener! 

On this particular weekend, we visited Hardinsburg, Kentucky, which has a population less than 2,500 and is located in Breckenridge County. We took many back roads, and along those less traveled roads we stumbled upon so many beautiful barn quilts. 

The barn quilts didn’t slow down once we got into town, either! Hardinsburg is such a cute little town, and it seems that lots of the once empty storefronts are filling up. I love seeing downtowns being revived! 

There was a cute boutique called The Exchange on Main that I really wanted to go in, but of course it was closed. That’s always my luck! Also, there’s a restaurant called Nettie’s that’s on my list to try, but it was closed too. They have a Hot Brown Baked Potato on their menu that I’m just itching to try! 

The post office caught my eye. It reminded me of the post office in Camden, South Carolina. Whenever we travel, I’m always looking for the post office. I enjoy mailing things from small towns, but I also enjoy seeing the type of buildings they will stick a post office in. You don’t see many this beautiful anymore, especially in rural parts. There’s a town by me that just recently got a post office, and it’s in a single wide trailer. These beautiful brick post offices deserve to be photographed and admired! I mailed a card to my Mama on this day. My husband regularly cuts out his favorite funnies from our small town newspaper and mails them to her. She so looks forward to getting them, and we enjoy sending them. When we visit her, we see them all hanging on her fridge! 

Hardinsburg also has its own radio station! I used to listen to it a lot when we lived closer to Breckenridge County, but my radio antenna had to be positioned *just right*, and it was still a little fuzzy. There’s just something special about a small town with their own radio station! Clairee Belcher knew what she was doing when she bought KPPD! (That’s for you Steel Magnolias fans!) 

Now, this is something you don’t see much these days. This is an original Walmart that opened on February 5, 1985. Look how small it is! The garden center is in the parking lot, and if you’ll notice, you can still park facing the store. 

The inside was like walking into a time warp, and I loved it! There was something so comforting about this store. It felt safe, reassuring, and didn’t have the hectic atmosphere that the supercenters have. The customer service desk was still in the middle of the store, right when you walk in. It reminds me of the location my grandparents used to shop at in the early 90’s. The only thing missing was a Walmart cafe, and my Grandma and Grandpa sitting in a booth, chatting and laughing away.  Sigh. Those truly were the days, and we’ll never get them back. 

Did you notice that there is only EIGHT registers!? 

I purchased a yard of white cotton fabric for a beginners quilt pattern I will be working on. It will be my first mini quilt attempt ever, and I’ll always remember this first project, so hopefully I’ll remember that I bought some of the fabric for it at this cute little Walmart. 

Thanks so much for reading along on my small town adventure. Stay tuned for part 2 of my trip to Hardinsburg, which will be all about where we ate - ANOTHER TIME WARP!

Hope you’ll stick around!

-Bunny

#willtravelforfood