Washington, NC
Do you like food? Do you have a good credit score? Our Bargains and Bites tour combines two of your favorite things into a weekend of eating and burning off calories by whipping out your credit card. Browse local galleries for the perfect vase for your hallway. Then sample a homemade croissant. Search through antiques for items your grandmother used to have. Then treat yourself to a farm to table meal that will make any buyer’s remorse a distant memory. Sound appetizing? Keep reading.
Low Activity
2 days | 15 stops
Day 1
STOP 1: Giddy Up Coffee House
Saddle up for your day with breakfast at Giddy Up Coffee House. Try a Western-themed specialty latte--the Buckaroo gives you a mocha with a shot of caramel while the Skinny Cowgirl corrals the calories with sugar-free flavor add-ons. Get it with a bagel and you’re set for the morning. Don’t forget to bring your li’l doggies, they’ll be welcomed with a treat on the patio or in the drive-thru.
1 HOURS
VIEW LISTING
STOP 2: Riverwalk Art Gallery
A trip down Main Street isn’t complete without a stop at Riverwalk. Browse through pottery topped with small blackbirds. Try on bracelets made from bent spoons and other silverware. Check out a painting of the waterfront, framed and ready to take home as the vacation memory you get to see everyday. If you are feeling creative, sign up for a class. This is your chance to be an artist or support an artist.
1 HOURS
VIEW LISTING
STOP 3: Cottage Junkies
If you can look at a door and imagine it being a coffee table, this is the place for you. Cottage Junkies specializes at taking found objects and turning them into something totally new. Restoring pieces of furniture found in yard sales and forgotten closets. Or creating handmade accessories found nowhere else. When you shop here, it’s not for something you’re looking for, but for something you didn’t even know you wanted. Prepare to be inspired. Prepare to walk away with a little bit of amazing loaded into your backseat.
1 HOURS
VIEW LISTING
STOP 4: Flash From the Past
If you found it in Grandma’s attic, you probably will find it here. Flash from the Past, as the name implies, is about all things antiques and vintage. Browse through small collectibles from decades when you didn’t need glasses to see the price tag. Check decades old furniture and accessories. Shovels crafted into a vase. Boots turned into a planter. Unique finds are everywhere and ready to start a second life back home with you.
1 HOURS
VIEW LISTING
STOP 5: Down on Mainstreet
This is the locals favorite lunch spot for a reason. Friendly, casual, and bustling with people, Down on Main Street runs a tight ship during its lunch service. Shrimp, fried green tomatoes, sandwiches stacked high and crushed ice in your tea make for a satisfying tasty, mid-day break. Don’t worry if there’s a line, it moves pretty quick.
1 HOURS
VIEW LISTING
STOP 6: Secret Garden Gallery & Boutique
Ladies, if you want to step up your wardrobe while taking in new art, look no further than Secret Garden Gallery & Boutique. Pick up statement necklaces. Try on flowy tunics in dreamy fabrics. Buy a local landscape as a constant reminder that you need to come back for your next visit. Mission accomplished.
1 HOURS
VIEW LISTING
STOP 7: The Southern Nest
There is a fine line between shopaholic and helping the economy. This is a fact you will quickly come to realize at The Southern Nest. Swoon at the home decor and cottage farmhouse furniture. Find inspiration for your home in their selection of tables, lamps, jewelry, and gifts. Need a custom approach to your purchase? Consult with one of their in-house designers who will be happy to help you think through a project or space that needs a glow up.
1 HOURS
VIEW LISTING
STOP 8: Scoops Ice Cream
You scream, they scream, we all scream for ice cream. Conveniently located in beautiful Downtown Washington, NC near the waterfront. Main Street Scoops serves hand-dipped Hershey's Ice cream, milkshakes, specialty ice cream treats, mini donuts, coffee, candy, and more, this spot is a child's paradise and an adult's reprieve. Sweet moments are hard to find, but at Scoops Ice Cream they come in small, medium, or large.
1 HOURS
VIEW LISTING
Day 2
STOP 9: Main Cup at Little Inn
What is better than a cup of coffee? How about a second cup. That’s the thinking here at the Main Cup at Little Inn. Black. White. Expresso. Latte. You name it, they have it fresh brewed. There are even exotic teas, fresh-squeezed juices and homemade pastries all served with a smile. A heavily caffeinated smile, but a smile nonetheless. So, wake up and head over a cup of happy. Because, as they say here, “A yawn is a silent scream or coffee.”
1 HOURS
VIEW LISTING
STOP 10: The Lemonade Art Gallery
Making lemons into lemonade is the specialty at Lemonade Art Gallery. The five artist-owners of Lemonade were inspired to open their own space after a gallery hosting them closed unexpectedly. Now, they display and sell works by more than 27 artists. Photography, paintings, hand blown glass, and woodworks are just a few of the mediums you’ll find in this gallery and gift shop. The artists also teach classes and workshops in the rear of the gallery. Now that goes down swee
1 HOURS
VIEW LISTING
STOP 11: The Wander Co.
Whoever said money can’t buy happiness, simply did not know where to go shopping. One look in the window and you have to walk into the Wander Company. You may say you’re buying a gift for a friend, but chances are you’ll leave with one or two hand-crafted treasures for yourself. Jewelry, clothing, cards,a beach chair made just for your beverage, hand carved wooden trays--many created by North Carolina artists--stock this cheerful store. There’s even something for your pet at the Wander Company.
1 HOURS
VIEW LISTING
STOP 12: Wine & Words Gourmet
When walking up to Wine & Words & Gourmet, you’ll find a large space with two doors covered by a red awning. One space leads into a lounge area from another era, and the other leads into the completely unexpected; a large wine shop with aisles of wine and a deli case with olives, meats, fruits, and more to pair with your wine selection. But it doesn’t stop there. Crossing over into the lounge space, you’ll immediately be embraced by a warmth of laughter, live music, conversation, and of course, bottles of wine and glasses poured amongst friends.
1 HOURS
VIEW LISTING
STOP 13: Lone Leaf Gallery
Every item in this gallery and shop is marked by its craftsmanship and an artist’s eye. Unique gifts like handmade bags and hand-forged oyster knives will tempt you to do all of your gift shopping for the year in Lone Leaf. If you’re a sucker for letterpress, this shop has that, too, along with jewelry, artwork, and ceramics. The husband and wife owners are also custom framers who can help you select the perfect frame for your photos and artwork.
1 HOURS
VIEW LISTING
STOP 14: Southern Grace Boutique
Looking for a blouse to compliment the green in your eyes? Want a pair of earrings that will have the girls at work talking? Look no further than Southern Grace Boutique. This little fashion shop in downtown Washington is bringing top trends to the Inner Banks. T-shirts. Handbags. Denim. Dresses. Shoes. Jewelry. You’ll find a great selection here in sizes from small to 3x. You’ll definitely walk out with a style that says who you are without having to speak.
1 HOURS
VIEW LISTING
STOP 15: Val's Gourmet Baked Goods
Some only dream of cake. Others bake it happen. One look in the display case at the three-tiered cakes and you know you’ve come to the right place. Val’s Gourmet’s grab and go coolers have what you want for breakfast or lunch. Savory tomato pies and dreamy quiches, muffins and cinnamon rolls are some local favorites, but the real show stoppers are those mile high cakes in flavors like carrot, chocolate cheesecake, lemon, and, straight after a Southerner’s heart, a vanilla wafer lined banana pudding cake.
1 HOURS
VIEW LISTING
