Wayne County is already a well-established destination for a fun-filled girlfriend getaway, but if all you’ve got time for is a "quickie" daytrip, this easy-to-access region just an hour east of Indianapolis still fits the bill.
It’s impossible to miss the giant candle that marks the Warm Glow Candle Outlet entrance just off I-70 at the Centerville exit.
Fuel up for shopping with soup, salad, sandwiches and pie at the quaint Stone Hearth Café before browsing the massive 80,000-square-foot showroom, where you’ll find the company’s signature nubby-surfaced candles in all shapes, sizes and colors; as well as home and garden décor, silk floral arrangements, food products and Indiana wines.
The new make-your-own-candle activity counter gives guests the chance to customize sizes, scents and packaging.
Founded in 1898, the Richmond Art Museum on the Richmond High School campus is believed to be the only independent art museum sited within a public school in the entire U.S. Here, visitors can enjoy four galleries and several corridors filled with a variety of media spotlighting regional artists and an impressive permanent collection of 19thand 20thcentury pieces.
Last year, a $1.7 million renovation updated lighting, configuration, climate control and other features of the facility. Best of all, admission is (and always has been) free.
You’ll need to detour briefly across the state line into Preble County, Ohio to find the Olde Schoolhouse Vineyard & Winery near Eaton, the newest addition to Visit Richmond’s Heartland Wine and Ale Trail crisscrossing the east central Indiana/west central Ohio border.
In a lovingly restored 1890s brick schoolhouse, the tasting room serves samples and glasses of more than 20 sweet, dry and semi-sweet wines (best sellers include Bad Ass Berry, Rebel Red and Infra Red). Hours are limited to Thursdays, Fridays and Saturdays only – plan accordingly.
After exploring the eclectic shops and galleries of the Historic Depot District back in Richmond, wind down your girlfriend getaway with dinner at the Cordial Cork Wine Bar & Restaurant.
The menu proposes 100+ wines from around the world and craft beer to pair with meat, chicken, pasta and seafood dishes (gluten-free, vegetarian and vegan options are also available) in an industrial-chic setting heavy on exposed brick and wood décor. (Don’t miss the yummy “breakin’ bread,” a sharable sourdough loaf topped with Italian spices, garlic butter and melty mozzarella.) If you’re lucky, you might even catch local musicians tinkling the ivories of an 1898 Starr piano made right here in Richmond.
Want to make your girlfriend getaway longer? The Old National Road Welcome Center and Gift Shop staff can help coordinate customized “Just Us Girls” getaway packages that include accommodations, meals, spa services, wine, gift certificates and activities. For more information, go to visitrichmond.org.
