Hickory Ridge Lodge

After I meandered around the antique store and the bed & breakfast, the owner told me he also owned a lodge that was on the back of his property. He told me to go down and look at it and see if I liked it. "Liked it" was an understatement! I LOOOOOOOOVED IT!

You drive down a dirt road, back down into the woods...

and the lodge sits across a pond. There was a rear entrance in the back for loaded and unloading.

It was absolutely gorgeous. After a hurricane several years ago, the owner had several acres of trees that were damaged from the storm. He had them cut down, and sent to a lumber yard. He built this entire place from trees off of his land.

We were lucky enough to have the whole lodge to ourselves.

They rent it out by the room or you can rent the entire lodge.

Everything about it was spectacular. Since the owners also own the antique shop, they had some amazing things inside this lodge. One of them was that door....ya'll know I love old doors.

The view from the front porch steps

The porches were huge. I could just imagine having all of your friends and family gathered around that porch enjoying a barbecue.

Or just enjoying the serenity

Look at this little cart and that birdhouse. I loved the birdhouse. Come to find out that my cousins, boyfriends, uncle lives in Andalusia and makes those birdhouses!!! I have to get one.

When I walked inside, I was flabbergasted.

I just had to stop, stare and take it all in. But I never really did. By the time I left the next day, I still hadn't taken it all in. This room was the center of the lodge. It was a huge, open room with the living and dining area combined with the kitchen.

EVERY window and EVERY door in the lodge are old windows/doors that the owner has collected. No two doors in the house were the same.

The kitchen cabinets were old file drawers. The owner said he has them for years and never could sell them, so when he built this place he decided to use them for the cabinets.

All of the sinks were old cast iron sinks. I loved them. I would love to have sinks like this. He sells these sinks at his antique store. He sells pretty much about everything you see here in his antique store.

The laundry room also had a sink it in along with an oven.

You could bake a cake and wash clothes at the same time.

Each bedroom was different. I wanted to go around in sleep in each one!!!!

There were several huge old signs throughout the lodge. This one was in one of the rooms.

This was my bathroom. I was sold on this sink....sigh...I lust love it. I loved that stained glass window in the wall above it even more. There was a claw foot tub and a shower in this bath as well.

Love Love Love it!

Lets go upstairs now...

I'm already liking what I see.

A whole loft up here!!!! And another awesome birdhouse. There were 4 rooms upstairs.

Down the hallway were 3 more bedrooms. Notice the light in the hallway!!!! An old train light.

I know ya'll are tired of hearing me say this...but I love these doors!!!! Wait to you see those windows!

These windows came out of an old church that was torn down.

They completely make this room if you ask me.

Mantles were used quite a bit for mirrors over the lavatories. Pretty neat idea!

This is on my "Must Have" list!!! I think it is an storage piece from a doctors office. It was completely metal and worked great in this bathroom!

This bedroom just seemed happy to me. However, I noticed there were no blinds in any of the rooms upstairs. So I don't know how "happy" I would be when the sun started to come up and I was trying to sleep!!! Other than that....the room looked happy.

Look at that old weathered door!!!! It looks happy in this room.

This is the bathroom. Most of the rooms had a shower & a tub or just a shower.

I loved the simplicity of this headboard.

Its just an old railing and columns. Simple!

Out on the back porch there were two more large dining tables, and a big red bench to relax on.

A nice little sink, and a screened porch.

When I got ready for bed that night I noticed this....and it just made me smile....

I thought it was sweet. I am definitely going back soon, and this time I plan on taking the entire family.

Sweet Gum Bottom Antiques

I have a been crazy busy the past two weeks!!! This past weekend, my brother & I had my parents a 40th wedding anniversary party. It was a lot of work, and I was worn out, but we had a great time and so did they.

Let's get back to my fun in Andalusia...

About a quarter mile up the road from the bed & breakfast we stayed at was an antique store. We went to check it out Saturday morning, and ended up spending the night!!!! Well, we didn't stay in the antique store...although we could have. The couple that owns the antique store also owns a bed & breakfast, and a lodge. It was quite a place!!!!

The bed & breakfast is right across the street from the antique store.

It is filled with fabulous antiques...go figure.

The owner had two old houses moved here. One for the B&B and the other for the antique store.

He renovated both of them himself. I wish I could find a house like this just sitting around!!!

Look at that door!!! I absolutely loved it!!!!

Each room was decked out in antiques. I love their use of color!!!

This room was a beautiful shade of blue....kind of hard to tell from these photos.

A vibrant yellow sitting room

Dining room

And a precious yellow and green kitchen!

I wanted to move here....or I did until I saw the lodge!

There was a small guest house out back

It had one bed, and a bath area. Perfect size!

One last look out that fabulous front door! Looking back across the street sits Sweet Gum Bottom Antiques and oh how sweet it was.

We were literally here for hours! I had to take it all in. There was so much to see. The prices weren't bad either. I loved it so much that I decided when I get a house I will be back with two truck and two trailers!!!

Columns, mantels, bed posts,

That is the original front entrance to the house........you don't see a lot of old houses around here with entrances like that.

The wood on the walls of this room came off the owners land. He had some trees cut after they received hurricane damage, and reused them on the walls here.

In the kitchen area there were all sorts of dishes and gadgets

jars, cups, saucers

I loved the old quilt on the wall, and check out that old picnic set at the end of the table.

They had a vast collection of old post cards, and greeting cards

This place also had one of those fabulous old doors

This old mantle was great...but it needed some tlc.

This room reminded me of an old mercantile store

This room had old perfume bottles, hats, mirrors, linens....

all the frou frou stuff

look at all those old linens

Out on the back porch, there were old kettles, tools and bottles.

This piece was great

Now I am sure there are people that love old photos....but old photos of people you don't know creep me out. Yes they look neat, but do you really want photos of people you don't know hanging in your house??? I don't.

There were books, books & more books. I dug through all of them!

I loved all the old cars! Just so much to see!

Out back there was an old barn.......

...and if I thought I was excited in the house...I almost fell over when I got to the barn!

I got soooo excited I didn't even take but a few photos. I had to put them camera down and DIG!!!! Look at all this old junk!!!! I could hear the angels singing!!!!! And then I turned around...

...and there were all these old doors!!!! There must have been 300 + old doors and windows there. There was stuff everywhere. Old sinks, bath tubs, stair rails, mantels....everything a junky like me loves.

All of these old windows were under the house....oh the things I could do with these!!!!

I thought this place was amazing...until I went to the lodge on the back of the property. Once I go to the lodge, I didn't leave....and tomorrow you will see why!

Hope you all had a great 4th!!!