There are lots of things to do locally around Locust Grove, but sometimes you get the itch to spread your wings a little further. When that happens my wife and I make a little travel plan, check out online reviews (because how else do you decide where to eat?), and hop in the car with the littlest Jones for a day trip. Our latest adventure took us to the Thunderbird Café and the Green Valley Book Fair.
Confession time: We’ve got a plastic bowl that lives in the backseat of our car known affectionately as the “barf bowl.” Why? Because the littlest Jones experiences random bouts of car sickness that happen no matter if the road is flat and straight like 95 or curvy like Rt. 33. Because of this, it’s always a light breakfast when leaving early in the morning and lots of peppermints on the way.
By the time we pulled into the parking lot of the Thunderbird Cafe, we were hungry. Located in McGaheysville just off of Route 33, the Thunderbird Cafe offers a large menu of breakfast and lunch items. Breakfast is really their specialty as they close at 3 everyday. As you can see in the pic, my order of Rachael’s favorite was huge and delicious. My wife ordered a cinnamon whipped cream Belgian waffle and the littlest Jones had a pancake with eggs. Everything was delicious and filling. We will definitely be returning the next time we are in the area!
After breakfast, we hopped back into the car for about twenty more minutes to reach the Green Valley Book Fair in Mt. Crawford. It appears very unassuming from the outside, but the second you walk through the door you will be blown away by the selection of books and prices! This huge warehouse is beautifully laid out with every section clearly labeled. The employees at the Green Valley Book Fair are welcoming and helpful. We really appreciated how the cashier took the time to help the littlest Jones with her purchase; she helped her figure out the cost, explained tax, counted back her change, and made her smile.
In addition to fiction and non-fiction books, Green Valley Book Fair has a huge selection of children’s books from board books for babies, picture books, early reader chapter books, and young adult novels. They offer puzzles, coloring books, cookbooks, craft supplies, and more. My wife could easily spend all day here. With discount pricing, it’s really worth a visit and it is easy to spend an entire day here!
After roaming the aisles of the Green Valley Book Fair, we headed out to our next adventure: Grand Caverns.
