A Hop, Skip and a Jump to Middleburg

Posted by Rebekah Lowe / Tuesday, August 2nd, 2011

Tuesday, August 2, 2011

You know that feeling where it’s Saturday and you are really antsy to get away and do something out of the ordinary, but you also don’t want to put tons of effort into planning a trip? This was exactly how I felt this past weekend.

As much as I love YouTubing funny home-videos-gone-viral (“Ouch, Charlie!”), watching hours of quirky Paula Deen reruns on Food Network (“So Good!”) and sweating by the pool (excuse to get a Dunkin’ Donuts iced latte), I didn’t want it to be another typical Saturday. It will only stay summer for so long, you know; it’ll be hot chocolate and Redbox season before we know it!

To make the most of the sunny Saturday, Steve and I took off for horse country USA: Middleburg. It only took us half an hour to get there from Herndon! This is the second time I’ve ventured out to Middleburg, and the first time was actually to go to a social media panel for work. I discovered a few must-go-to places the first time, and this weekend, we found a few more unique things to do.

Here’s a quick run-down of the hot spots you’ll want to hit next time you are out that way:

Wylie Wagg
5B East Washington St., Middleburg
540-687-8727

We were making our way through town, stopping in antique stores and such when we came across this window display at the pet store, Wylie Wagg. We decided to go in and look around even though neither of us have pets. Wylie Wagg features a photo wall of pets that need to be adopted: good to keep in mind for the future. I was most amazed at all the dog treats Wylie Wagg offers. There were oatmeal cupcakes, black & white bone cookies, doughnuts, happy birthday bones that come with a candle and more!

Home Farm Store
1 East Washington St., Middleburg
540-687-8882

We strolled into this traditional butcher shop because it’s Steve’s favorite building in Middleburg. (It does have really nice architecture; it used to be a bank.) The Home Farm Store is Ayrshire Farm’s retail shop, and it offers USDA certified organic, certified humanely raised and handled, pasture-based meat and poultry. It also sells gourmet wine and cheese, prepared foods in compostable take-out containers and organic produce.

Second Chapter Books
8 East Federal St., Middleburg
540-687-7016

We were on our way to grab dinner at Mello Out when we stumbled upon this little house with a sign that said “Second Chapter Books.” Being “an English person” as Steve calls my obsession with literature, we of course had to stop in. He grabbed a cup of coffee from the snack bar and settled into a comfy chair to read a book on building tree houses, while I perused the classics. This book store has a quiet, cozy atmosphere and I could have stayed there for hours, but Mello Out was about to close, so we had to run (literally).

 

Mello Out
19 S Madison St., Middleburg
540-687-8635

We got to Mello Out with a minute and a half to spare and they were nice enough to let us in. I knew exactly what I wanted: the Flying Pig. Now, let me tell you a little bit about the Flying Pig, a.k.a. the best sandwich I have EVER had, and I mean that! It has black forest ham and cheddar cheese and apple butter, all on walnut raisin bread. It’s like nothing I’ve ever tasted before. Steve got the Plescow, which has turkey, cheddar cheese and cranberry mayo on rustic French bread. There was something very comforting about the taste and smell of that sandwich and the little cranberries scattered throughout gave it great texture. Mello Out also serves awesome breakfast paninis and wraps such as the Adam’s Apple (apple, peanut butter, bacon and honey on brioche). They also have lots of freshly baked goods like the biggest cookies I think I’ve ever seen in my life and mini s’more pies. They make their own marshmallows in lots of different flavors and dip them in different kinds of chocolate. Mello Out makes great coffee too. Last time I was there I had an iced mello mocha, and it was super delish.

 

 

 

The Upper Crust
4 N. Pendleton St., Middleburg
540-687-5666

We didn’t make it to Upper Crust, but the nice ladies in Second Chapter Books told us how wonderful it is, and I know they wouldn’t steer us wrong. Upper Crust is cute, with a little front porch and baked sweets galore. There are a few tables out back where you can sit and savor a chicken salad sandwich on homemade bread, the Oreo Cookie (two chocolate chip cookies with vanilla butter-cream frosting between them) , the shortbread cookie with chocolate chips or the crispy Cow Puddle Cookie (now, this I want to try).

The Fun Shop
115 West Washington St., Middleburg
540-687-6590

The ladies at Second Chapter Books also told us about The Fun Shop, a family business that’s been around since 1956! The specialty department store is 6,000 square feet of children’s products, gifts, home décor, and so much more! With three buildings, two levels and every type of product you could imagine, there is much to be explored. I like their slogan—“If we don’t have it, you don’t need it!” It’s so true.

Balloons Unlimited
23217 Meetinghouse Lane, Aldie
703-327-0444

On our way back to Herndon, we spotted this hot air balloon ride place right off Route 50 in the little town of Aldie. You can schedule a hot air balloon ride any time of year and even buy gift certificates (a ride costs $200/person)! Soar high above the beautiful mountains in the fresh country air. In addition to hot air balloon rides, Balloons Unlimited also specializes in balloon bouquets, balloon decorating services, aerial photography and inflatable balloon and blimp rentals.

Doc’s BBQ
Aldie Country Store, 39285 John Mosby Hwy. (Route 50), Aldie
703-327-6347

We also saw (and smelled) this roadside pit in Aldie on our way home. We saw a guy (Doc maybe?) out front working a giant grill with a big sign next to it that said, “BBQ TODAY”. If we weren’t so full of awesome sandwich, we may have stopped. Next time. Doc’s is a little takeout area in the back of the rustic Aldie Country Store. Doc’s has $8/pound pulled pork with a spicy tomato-based sauce and $18/slab glazed ribs. It definitely looks like an authentic country store that would be interesting to swing by next time.

So, if you want to get out and about before the cool weather sets in, take a quick trip to Middleburg and explore the adorable town. AND… this weekend is the perfect time to go because it’s Middleburg’s 5th Annual Upscale Side Walk Sale! From 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. on Friday, Saturday and Sunday, you can peruse the streets of Middleburg and find some great bargains! Stores participating will have orange and red balloons out front.

-Rebekah Lowe

Tags: Aldie Country Store, Annual Upscale Side Walk Sale, balloons unlimited, culture, culture gurus, day trip, Doc’s BBQ, Entertainment, Events, game plan, mello out, Middleburg, Northern Virginia, Northern Virginia Magazine, NoVA, Rebekah Lowe, second chapter books, the fun shop, the upper crust