Packed full of FUN!

This weekend my in-laws where in town.  One of our favorite things to do with out of towners is take them them to some of our favorite places.  Our day was packed full of fun today!~ We moved to the Charlotte area around 4 years ago.  The very first time we came to the Carolinas we knew it had a sense of home feeling.  The people are awesome, friendly and warm.  The food is outstanding, and the history is unbelievable here.  One of the first places we stumbled across was a once old time pharmacy, now turned Ice cream/food parlor.  Seeing my husband is a pharmacist, he certainly appreciated the nostalgia.....

Were it not for the evolution of the health care industry, the generations-old Pike family drugstore might have remained just that. Luckily for us, Elizabeth and Jesse Pike were forced to find creative ways to draw customers to their mom-and-pop pharmacy, the most successful of which involved an old-fashioned soda fountain and Mrs. Pike's homemade desserts. In this way, the current soda shop eventually stole the show from the original venture. Although no longer under original ownership, evidence of the old family business adorns the walls of the present-day Camden Road location – the antique display cases of pharmacy bottles and medicinal creams add to a pervading sense of nostalgia. But the new shop offers no medicine. Pull a stool on up to the granite counter top and enjoy some good old-fashioned comfort food (such as grilled pimiento cheese sandwiches or meat loaf). Or brace yourself in a booth for one of their hand-stirred fountain beverages, spoon-necessary malts (including peanut butter and banana) or hot sundaes as rich as Pike's history. The house-specialty Black Cow (root beer syrup over three scoops of vanilla ice cream in soda) is highly recommended, especially for first-timers. Arrive early for a seat, as Pike's packs in a consistently large lunchtime crowd.

 

Alex loves this place, in fact it was his idea to go here tonight

 Of course has to be different, no ice cream or malt for him! A big fat cookie with sugar frosting all over it!

 

Charlotte is a fun city, music playing in the streets is the norm

 

That was our day In Charlotte

Now to talk about my little town.  Fort Mill South Carolina....

 

The town of Fort Mill was established in 1873. It takes its name from a colonial-era fort built by the British, and a grist mill on nearby Steele Creek. The Catawba Indians made their home in Fort Mill for many years. Scotch-Irish settlers began arriving in the 1750s and 1760s and a small settlement soon developed. Fort Mill grew rapidly in the late 1800s as textile mills were established. The nice thing about this small town, is it is centrally located to just about any major city.  20 Minutes from Charlotte.  3 Hours to CHarleston. 2 Hours to Asheville, North Carolina, the list goes on...just a great place to live and raise our children without compromising all the things we love to do in larger cities.

Our little down town area once was filled with cute antique shops.  Some have closed, some have remained with the same old timers that have been there for 30 years.  They just sit around with their buddies all day and chat about the good ole days.  You can basically go in there and wheel and deal on anything, they are happy to see you and talk and learn more about you....just love the hospitality the South has to offer. This is a cute little home turned coffee lunch shop.  Filled with antiques, some new art, some old art, some old books, some new books....just an eclectic little place to spend hours chatting and kicking back.

 

This is the room my Mother-in-law and I had lunch in, she sat on this couch and I sat in this chair...

 

Does this place have my name all over it or what? A new discovery for me and I can't wait to take my Mom and sis here

 

One of our stops in between was a favorite little gift shop called Birds of a feather.  I purchase a lot of specialty gifts here for friends and family.  They are ever so friendly and wrap your present so cute...I just love it here are some of there neato things..

                                 These where absolutely gorgeous, but not for $35.00 each!This bunny was really cute, all paper, not bad at $12.00

 

This I loved, and it was shown 4 different ways to wear it!
This jewelery was so pretty too.

 

They have such pretty displays, you just feel at home here
 

This is a cool shadow shot, and it was not me or my mother-in-law???This crab was outside the coffee shop, very cute!

I did some major linking up here!~ Thank you to all you lovely hostess for such a great day! I love Monday's a lot more than I use to......and Shadow Shot Sundays...has opened a whole new world for me! Thank you! Have a great day, and as always, thanks for stopping by.
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http://smilingsally.blogspot.com 
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