Today we woke up excited for our big day of activities, and instead of hunting down a café we raided the fully stocked fridge for a bacon‑and‑eggs breakfast at home. Unfortunately, my stomach had other plans. Let’s just say it was moving faster than I was. I nibbled what I could, declared myself “running on vibes only,” and off we went.
We park down a back street and head to a Old Mill Antiques. It boast 20000 square feet of stuff and by far the biggest I’ve ever walked into. It was overwhelmingly amazing, with Disney stuff around almost every corner.
I had to be discerning, otherwise I would’ve filled my suitcase in one morning. Once I’d gathered everything I was prepared to bring home, I headed to the counter feeling very pleased with myself. That’s when things took a turn. Mid‑chat with the lovely lady at the register, a wave of nausea hit me out of nowhere. One look from Matthew, one look from her, and suddenly they were both in motion like a well‑rehearsed emergency response team.
A seat appeared. Water was placed in my hands. The shop lady was an absolute angel, fussing in the gentlest way, reassuring me that the store gets stuffy and she feels like that all the time. Matthew hovered with that quiet, steady care that makes you feel safe even when you’re woozy. Honestly, their kindness was the most heartwarming part of the whole morning. She gifted me a Mickey Mouse keyring and I thanked her with one of our Aussie badges saved for special exchanges of kindness like this.
After using the water bottle as a makeshift ice pack and catching my breath, I felt well enough to step outside… but not well enough to tackle the other half‑dozen antique stores waiting for us. Matthew grabbed me a sugar‑loaded lemonade, and we both agreed I was probably dehydrated and just needed a short rest before attempting anything ambitious.
Rest, more water, and a banana later, I was back to my usual silliness — fully revived and ready to tackle the day we’d actually planned. We wandered in and out of the little streets around town, collecting some very cool Disney treasures and getting completely mesmerised by all the other bits and pieces tucked into every store. It was one of those slow, happy wanders where you’re not sure what you’ll find, but you know it’ll be delightful.
In between antiques we’ve been soaking up the charm and iconic little scenes of small‑town America. The balconies, the old advertising murals tucked down back streets, the weathered buildings, even a random train sleeper wedged between shops. It all feels like a movie set someone forgot to pack away. The town is also known for its ghost tours, which explains why we spotted a very casual Slimer just loitering in a back alley outside one of the tour company entrances. As you do.
By now we’d worked up an appetite, so we headed to a restaurant well known for making sandwiches out of cornbread and for their pies, the sweet kind, not the savoury ones. Intrigued, we grabbed a table just as the place started to fill up. It absolutely delivered. Matthew went for a turkey BLT on cornbread, and I couldn’t go past a Texas chilli with a side of cornbread, it just felt like the right call. And it was. However after the morning’s digestive plot twist, ordering chilli felt like playing culinary roulette, but I survived to tell the tale.
Back at the cottage we spent some time hanging out with our temporary neighbours (Shadow and Mirror) who live in the big house next door, and plotting our route for tomorrow’s next stage of the itinerary. There’s no shortage of Hallmark‑movie town squares between here and Lake Charles, Louisiana, but with a four‑hour drive ahead we had to be strategic about where to stop.
With that sorted, it was time to think about dinner. Uber Eats apparently isn’t the local hero here, but DoorDash is. I was craving something lighter, ideally something green, and not in the mouldy way, so I searched under “salad.” The results shouldn’t have surprised me, but they still did: Subway, a pizza place offering side salads, and McDonald’s. Inspiring stuff.
So we broadened the search and found a Cambodian and Chinese takeaway/drive‑thru. Intrigued (and hopeful), we headed out. Because it’s a small place, the online menu was vague at best, so we parked outside and walked in to investigate.
The menu didn’t exactly scream Cambodian – it didn’t even whisper it – and instead looked like your classic Chinese takeaway. But hilariously, it also featured a full lineup of Southern fried chicken and seafood, the kind you’d find at a fish‑and‑chip shop back home. A true identity crisis, but we respected it.
We laughed our way through trying to figure out the system, but the young woman working both the counter and the drive‑thru window was an absolute machine. She knew exactly what she was doing, and honestly that’s all that matters.
We chose some soups and a dish to share, headed back to the cottage, and that wrapped up our time here. Showers, blogging, bed, and ready for the next adventure tomorrow.
Missed a day? You can find all the blogs from this trip here:
Leave a Reply