One of my favorite weekend getaways has to be Hermann, Missouri. Now, I have only been there twice, and that ten years apart, but if there is any place I would gladly spend a weekend, it's Hermann.
Hermann is located about forty minutes north of Cuba, Missouri, in the heart of Missouri Wine Country, and whether you're going as a retreat with your girlfriends, with your spouse, or with your family, it is sure to delight. With seven wineries on their wine trail, and a number of other wineries, distilleries, and breweries in the vicinity, what better way to spend a weekend than sipping beverages and relaxing with loved ones.
So where does one stay when visiting Hermann? Well, the town has a number of bed and breakfasts, which my husband and I found to be a fun experience when we were there ten years ago for Hermann's last weekend of July wine trail. Their were two other couples staying at the bed and breakfast we stayed at, and after we had all visited the wineries that day, we met up on the patio outside the bed and breakfast and shared our wine finds with each other that evening and enjoyed ourselves thoroughly. But if you're looking for something a little different and perhaps a little more authentic, consider Adam Puchta's Homestead Guesthaus. Or for a close-to-nature experience, consider where my husband and I stayed during the Berries and BBQ Wine Trail this past July, the treehouses of Hermann Cottage. It was gorgeous, and with two treehouses and a cabin in close proximity to one another, it's a great place for a group of people to stay.
When my husband and I first visited Hermann ten years ago, there were just a handful of stores in the downtown district. However, returning this past August, I was thrilled to see that quite a few more had opened, making this the perfect town to come shop around. And you don't have to worry about doing all of your shopping on Saturday. Many of the stores are open both Saturday and Sunday.
After visiting five of the wineries on the Wine Trail on Saturday, my husband and I decided to save the last two for Sunday and to visit some of the shops. Well, I visited shops while he went to the Tin Mill Brewery to sample their brews. It was full of fascinating shops ranging from antiques to retro to boutique clothing to toys to gifts and home decor to floral arrangements and gardening tools and decor. I didn't get to visit all of the stores, but that's okay, because that's all the more reason for me to return as soon as I can find a weekend to do so (and by this point I'm already getting low on my wine stash, so sooner as opposed to later would be great).
The first store I went into, I almost walked past, thinking from it's name, Teleflora, that it was just a flower shop. But knowing from experience that local florists often have pretty cool decor and gifts as well as floral arrangements, I went ahead and stopped. I'm so glad I did, because the floral arrangements (which are amazing by the way) are just one small part of the shop. It has all kinds of home decor, gifts, and clothes. In fact, I found an amazing blue and white dress perfect for school and amazingly inexpensive. If I didn't have a number of other stores to still visit, I could have easily spent a good amount of money in the store on decor and plaques as well as clothes.From there, I went next door to the The Gold Rhino, who proudly boasts that while they do have some antiques, they are not just an antique store. While the store is divided into sections, it is all owned by the owner, not set up as different consignor booths, and offers a wide variety of items from retro to modern. The best description would be that it's an eclectic blend of the two. Definitely worth the visit if you want to see a wide variety of items.
And in keeping with retro items, on Schiller Street I found another store that I just fell in love with. Talley and Company. They have an exquisite blend of the antique and retro in everything from furniture to jewelry to linens and postcards.What I fell in love with at The Gold Rhino may not have been able to come home with me that day (it was that fabulous white sectional), but I found a great retro glass bead necklace for me and a gorgeous head piece for my daughter at Talley and Company.In addition to Talley and Company and The Gold Rhino, there are several antique shops in Hermann, such as Antiques Unlimited 2 (Antique Mall and Art Gallery) and Type Styles, which have a great selection of antique decor, furniture, and (in the case of Type Styles) signs and type letters. But those are only two of a number of antique stores in the area; the others I didn't have time to visit, but that I am sure would be well worth shopping as well.
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| Antiques Unlimited 2 |
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| Type Styles |
And while there are beautiful antiques in Hermann, if that's not your
shopping style, there are a number of other boutiques and gifts stores
like Terraflora. Seasonal Treasures and Gifts on First Street, while
small, has an array of gift items from jewelry to women's clothing to
cooking products like Watkins. Meanwhile, if you head back over to
Schiller Street, you will find Back Home Again Antiques, a beautiful
green house, where every room is filled with a different array of gifts.
They have everything from gourmet food products to blown glass
Christmas pickles to plaques to clothes to candles to pottery. Pretty
much anything you can think of to give as a gift. And if you continue
down Schiller to Fourth Street and turn right, you will find Topiaries,
full of gifts for the lover of gardens, birds, butterflies, and nature.
The store has a beautiful collection of statuaries, garden baubles, art
work, and wind chimes. If you can put it in your garden, on your sun
porch, or on your deck, you're bound to find it in this lovely store.  |
| Seasonal Treasures and Gifts |
Aside from the beautiful antique stores and boutiques, there are also any number of galleries for shopping and perusing. While I am anxious to get back to check out places like Colorful Brushes Studio and Aces of Spades Garden Art, I did get to shop in Time for Memories, where ninety percent of the items in the store are handcrafted, including beautifully crocheted baby blankets like the one I bought for my sister-in-law, and where Karen Steiner alsooffers a variety of art classes from painting and drawing to basket weaving and crocheting.
And as splendid as the shopping is, I would be remiss if I didn't also mention the vast array of restaurants to choose from as well. Of course the majority of the places where you can stay, including The Cottage tree houses, offer delicious breakfasts as part of their package. But for lunch and dinner there are some wonderful dining options available as well. Both times my husband and I went, we were on a wine trail, so, as the wineries were offering a food and wine pairing, we didn't have much need of lunch on Saturday. However, we did have the opportunity to eat at Wings a-Blazin' for lunch on Sunday this past July, and it was amazing. I had a wrap and my husband had the wings, and they were certainly worth the stop in. Saturday night we made reservations for Vintage Restaurant at Stonehill Winery. We had eaten there ten years before, and it continued to impress this time as well. But perhaps our most memorable experience was at Simon's on the Waterfront. We ended up there Friday evening by accident, having gone first to Concert Hall and Barrel, and sadly (because their menu looked good on their website and I was fascinated with the building), leaving because we had been seated for nearly ten minutes without having a server come by and even ask us what we wanted to drink. I like to give restaurants the benefit of the doubt and think that perhaps they had some people call in that night unexpectedly. Regardless, though, we left and Simon's was close by so we shrugged and went there. We were both actually glad it worked out that way, though, because the restaurant is a bit inconspicuous and, not finding a menu on-line, we probably wouldn't have gone there otherwise, and that would have been a loss because the food was amazing. We got the shrimp boil, which was quite the feast for two. And if a recommendation from me is not enough to get you there, hopefully the picture will be.
Delicious food, eclectic and beautiful shops, fantastic wines, beautiful scenery, and a pleasing choice of places to stay, not to mention all the things I didn't get to talk about like the Katy Trail and zip lining, are all reasons why I love Hermann, Missouri. Even as I write this I am trying to think of a way I can work around my children's activities and escape back there this fall. I'm not too sure it's going to happen, but I can say one thing for certain: it definitely won't be ten years before I visit again. So now it's your turn. Check out Hermann, Missouri, and see if you don't leave loving it as much as I do.
http://visithermann.com/taste-tour/the-hermann-wine-trail/
http://adampuchtawine.com/homestead-guesthouse/
https://hermanncottage.com/hermann-missouri-tree-house-cabin-lodging-reservations/
