View from the road - The Olde Lafayette Village
Time to put up those Christmas trees! Well maybe that’s pushing it but it is a good time to start thinking about your holiday shopping. If you have already started your Christmas shopping than, wow, I am impressed!
Not sure where to start? Just follow the signs...
My normal routine for buying gifts is to hold it off as long as possible and then frantically try to find a store that is open just hours before Christmas. But this year will be different!! I am going to plan my time much better and get gifts that people are going to fall in love with and I hope that you do the same. ! I love finding the perfect present for people I love but sometimes it is incredibly difficult to come up with a fun new idea. That is why I am offering a great antique village that has some beautiful gift ideas and it’s also a very friendly and cozy village to wander around. Olde Lafayette Village.They have tons of cute shops to choose from so you will definitely need to put aside a few hours for your visit. It is a fun way to spend a Sunday afternoon filled with shopping and feeding the ducks.
More signs...
They have a pond in the center of the village and the local ducks are always waddling around, swimming, and enjoying the people who feed them. They have The Lafayette House which is a fantastic restaurant that has an unforgettable all-you-can-eat breakfast around. They have cute cafes with everything homemade. There is a Cheese Shoppe, Bass Outlet, an old fashioned Candy & Ice Cream Shop, clothes boutiques, a Rock and Gem store, and tons more. The Barkery is my mom’s favorite store. (considering we have 4 dogs at home)The village offers lots of fun events throughout the year. Every Sunday they have a farmer’s market where the local businesses come and sell their produce, fruits, flowers, and more. They even have live music and tons of recipe ideas.
The Chocolate Parfait
You must stop here before you leave. As soon as you walk in you can smell a mix of the delicious homemade fudge and the ice cream aroma. I never thought ice cream had a strong smell until I came here. They have every kind of candy that you can think of. The best part is the marshmallow kabobs. Impossible to pass up! This is a great spot to get your stocking stuffers – the only hard part is not eating it yourself.
Relaxation chairs
The Cheese Shoppe behind these chairs is amazing. It is very small, intimate and quite pricey but I just go in there for the free samples and to look at the bottles of wine. They are very friendly and will tell you what wine goes well with different foods. Do you have relatives who enjoy fine wine? This would be a perfect place to pick them up a bottle for the holiday parties that are coming up.
The pond in the heart of the village
The pond is always swarming with ducks. The ducks seem to love diving under the water and chasing each other. They have birdseed feeders scattered throughout the village so they are well-fed from all the eager tourist and passerbyers. They are very comfortable with people and don’t scare too easily. It is a fun atmosphere, even if you just want to stop through for a cup of joe or find a good spot to read a book. The antique shops will have tons to look at so Christmas shopping should come easily. So I hope this helps your Christmas shopping adventure. I know it’s a hectic time of year but this should be a nice relaxing escape from all the humbugs and Walmarts out there!!
jaimegallina
Discovering the Hicktown in Jersey 