On Saturday, Paul and I headed up to my hometown of Millersburg, PA to do the Tasting Tour of Millersburg! My parents did the tour with us.
The tour was put on by the Millersburg Rotary Club and sponsored by Mid Penn Bank. From noon to four, we walked the town of Millersburg, visiting 21 local businesses to sample food local food, wine, and liquor.
The brochure came with a handy map so we knew where all the businesses where. Some of the local shops are the same as when I grew up there, but some are different.
Mid Penn Bank gave us these wine charms that I didn't even find in our bags until I got home!
The first stop was Everyday Blessings Gift Shoppe.
I would've liked to browse around the gift shoppe more but my family was on a mission to get to all of the tastings!
It was very good and I bought a small bottle.
We sampled the vinaigrette on a mix of veggies.
Next on the tour was the Historical Society. There were no tastings here, but there was a 100 year old clock on display.
Right up the street was the Colonnade, where we sampled Rachel's Pretzels. When I bit into a pretzel bite, butter just oozed into my mouth... in a good way!
The Colonnade now has two theaters and shows new release movies. It is also where the Twin Valley Players perform their summer musicals. I used to perform with the TVP all the time, but that was back when we did our shows at Halifax High School.
Artist Dana Bellis was painting on the porch.
Armstrong Valley Winery was doing a tasting in The Gallery. We tried Cool Cat, Rudder Red, and Armstrong Red. They were all very good!
Look who was running the tasting! My KINDERGARTEN TEACHER, Mrs. Batzel, and her husband, who was also a teacher! Oh, the memories! It's always nice to see Mrs. Batzel!
The Gallery sells all kinds of beautiful art, jewelry, crafts, and handmade apparel...
Including Hats by Peach!
Right across the square was Williams French Fries. If you have ever attended a high school football game in Central PA, you have most certainly had some of Williams' famous french fries. They are the best!
But it was ice cream for samples today!
Right across the street from Williams' was The Wooden Nickel, a restaurant/bar right on the square. We had a crab ball. Unfortunately, I didn't get a picture because I was too busy enjoying it. The crab was divine! My parents go to The Nickel most Thursday nights.
What could we be tasting at The Hardware?
Cucumber Dill Vodka Lemonade from Midstate Distillery in Harrisburg! The distillery isn't too far from our house and we plan to go and take a tour, do some samplings, and just chill out!
I sampled the corn whiskey! It was 140 proof. I didn't realize that would be the case until I tasted it and it made my chest burn. WHOOOOO BOY!!!!
Speaking of boys, look at this baby boy named Chief who was chilling in The Hardware!!!
Off we went to Burrell's Florist to try some Carn's Bee Farm Honey.
It was really cool to see the bees!
The honey was very good, but I don't really eat honey, so I didn't buy any.
Burrell's also has a cute gift shop.
I wanted this cat figurine because I just don't have enough cat figurines...
Right next store was Johnson's Jewelry. What would we be tasting here?
WINE!!!!!!!!!!!!
We got several samples of Hunters Valley wines and we loved all of them. It is in Liverpool, so Paul and I plan to do a tasting there sometime soon.
See this tiny little bench and basket of books? I used to sit on that bench and read while my mom shopped.
I tried raw wood smoke cheddar and LAVENDER ONION cheese! I bought some of the cheddar. I was glad I tried the lavender cheese but I don't need to try it again. It reminded me of lavender soap I once used!
This place looked like a pizza shop, but they said they had a full Mexican menu too!
They basically had a buffet of food to taste! I loaded up. I was pretty hungry and the food looked good.
That tiny breaded ball on the left BURST with flavor! I think that was a loaded nacho bite.
One of our favorite places on the tour was Alexanders Cuisine, which is a new restaurant in town.
Alexander was grilling STEAK for the tasting.
Guys, I'm not kidding. This was the BEST STEAK I HAVE EVER EATEN!!!!! Paul and I plan to take a trip to Millersburg and have dinner here sometime!
The building used to be for an office, but they definitely made it seem as much like a fancy restaurant as possible. Everyone was so nice, too!
After that delicious steak, we switched things up a bit with Chinese food from China Star.
I think this is the first time I have ever eaten this little of Chinese food in one sitting!
General Tso's, sweet and sour chicken, and a fried wonton.
Next, we went to Daniel's Cafe. I had heard about this place but was never there. I loved the atmosphere! Daniel does breakfast and lunch, coffee, tea, and even open mic nights.
Yogurt parfaits were out for tastings. The owner, Tiffany, also let us sample the Chai tea and nitro coffee. I got a nitro coffee to go. It was intense!
I loved this sign on the wall!
Right next door was Manor House Gifts. This store closed for awhile but reopened in a new location across the street. I always loved looking around at Sue's pretty things.
Manor House featured Riverview Candies to taste. I had a couple bites of chocolate covered apricots. I was a little skeptical but they were actually really good! But honestly, can you ever go wrong with chocolate?
Then we crossed the street and went to Special Moments. They have a huge selection of bridal apparel and accessories.
Dad and Paul hopped up on the bridal area!
Wanda's Heavenly Cupcakes were on display to taste. You were allowed to have FOUR! I only had two because I was getting full. The carrot cake and red velvet cake were very good!
Then we started to walk toward the river. Max's had fried haddock to taste and draft beers! Paul and my dad enjoyed an IPA and we all tried the fish.
Then we walked down by the river to check out the Millersburg Ferry!
If you've never ridden the ferry from Millersburg to Liverpool, so gotta do it!
Artist and Millersburg Ferry Captain of 27 years, Don Lebo, was set up on the waterfront displaying some of his artwork and some history about the ferry.
When we were little, my dad set up a train set around our Christmas tree. It wasn't as big as this display!
Last on the tasting list was Daniel's RiverFront Cafe.
Chocolate ice cream in a waffle cone!
What a sweet ending!
What an afternoon! I had so much fun walking around my hometown with my family. Millersburg is such a special place. You should take a little trip up there sometime!
Catch a movie at The Colonnade!
Hike the trails at Ned Smith Center!
Ride the Millersburg Ferry!
Grab something to eat at one of the many restaurants!
Then walk around town and get some ice cream!
