We aren’t the type of people who go ‘all out’ with milestones. Sure, we celebrate birthdays, anniversaries, and other special events – but it is never expected that we will give (or receive) any extravagant gifts or accolades. A simple acknowledgement is just fine, thank you very much.

However, it seems that Craig got a wild hair a few months ago. That wild hair put the wheels in motion on one of the best memories we have experienced during our time as a married couple. A ‘Sweet 16’ Surprise Anniversary Road Trip. He told me only this: “We will be driving for about ten and a half hours.” Not much of a clue, and I didn’t push for more. The element of surprise was part of the excitement!

 

After making arrangements with both sets of grandparents to care for our five young kiddos, we began our journey in our rusty 2002 Chrysler Town & Country van – on the cloudy drizzly afternoon of May 30th.

 

The halfway point brought us to Ames, Iowa. Craig had been there before on a work trip and he knew of a restaurant that served great food at a reasonable price. Hickory Park did not disappoint, with its awesome atmosphere and yummy barbecue.

Hickory Park Restaurant Co.

 

Cy the cardinal – Iowa State University’s Mascot

 

Finding a place to stay did prove to be a bit more of a challenge. We looked on Expedia and other hotel sites, and it seemed that there were not many rooms available. We even pulled into a unique B&B establishment, set in an old fraternity house – on the campus of Iowa State University. It too, was full.

Eventually, we were able to secure a room at Loya’s Little House Bed and Breakfast. Though we were initially a bit skeptical, as the location of the B&B was a ways outside of the city, we fell in love with the peace and quiet of the setting. The hosts were very friendly and personable, and the breakfast was second to none! We are considering bringing the entire family some day!

The interior of Loya’s B&B is peaceful and clean

 

and filled with fun art – all by local artists!

 

The property features a well manicured country setting with over 5 miles of private trails

 

 

From Ames, we headed South on the Interstate. I still had no idea where the end of the road would be – but that didn’t stop me from trying to guess. It turns out that I am a terrible guesser though, and I had no clue at all until we were literally pulling up to the town.

 

And that little town? It was Marion, KS – population 2,300.

 

Never heard of it? Neither had I! In fact, neither had Craig before he planned the trip. All sorts of questions were rolling through my head as we made our way through the brick paved streets. “What are we going to do here for two days?”, “I don’t see a single restaurant!”, and… probably the most important… “Where in the world are we going to SLEEP? Surely there is no hotel in this little town!”

And then we pulled up to it. The most stunning little hotel I have ever seen – with a beautiful stone facade and wrought iron veranda. The sign at the top read ‘Elgin Hotel: 1886’ and I was intrigued. Stepping inside was like being transported into the past. The elaborate lobby was beautifully decorated with red velvet chaises and crystal chandeliers. The intricate wood staircase in the corner of the room was inviting us to explore.

The hotel owner was friendly and welcomed us right away, giving us a brief tour and showing us to our room. Craig and I were both impressed that such an old building was in such great shape. And even though it was over 90 degrees and very humid outside, the interior of the hotel was a very comfortable temperature.

 

My hopes about this venture were improving, yet I still didn’t believe we would travel such a long distance to stay in a historic hotel.

 

And that is when Craig pulled out the ace in his sleeve – revealing that we would be attending a concert featuring my absolute favorite band, UNSPOKEN. Not only that, but we would be allowed to meet the band! My excitement then went through the roof!

this group is so full of energy

 

amazing acoustic performance!

 

Chatting with the band members was amazing. Everyone was so personable and welcoming.  And the concert – despite the miserable, muggy weather the concert was incredible! They are one of those groups whose live performances sound just as good, if not better, than the recorded versions! The lead singer even gave us a shout out regarding our anniversary – which prompted a round of applause from the audience. We like to joke that we are now famous in Marion, KS.

 

Speaking of the town, we were very impressed with it as well! Despite it’s small size, there was plenty going on. It was easy to see that the citizens have pride in the place they call home. Everyone was very welcoming and kind to us. One of my favorite aspects of the town was the amount of incredible old buildings it has – many of which were constructed of stone. The courthouse is a real stunner. Isn’t she gorgeous?

The courthouse is an impressive stone structure constructed in 1906

 

This clock tower tolls on the hour

 

I had to laugh at this little stone detail

 

The library is situated in an old train depot. We went inside and were happy to see that they had photos on display of how the old building was configured and information posted about the history of the depot itself. We thought it was a clever reuse of a building whose original purpose was no longer necessary.

Train depot turned library

 

unique exposed structure

 

And of course, as a lover of all things house related, I convinced Craig to walk with me – street after street – to document the residential architecture. There were plenty of quaint bungalows!

 

 

 

 

 

The town also had antique stores and an architectural salvage yard. You KNOW that I had to check this place out! I ended up finding some turned table legs that I hope to incorporate into our future farmhouse table.

When it was time to say goodbye to Marion, we were both a little sad honestly. So many fun memories were made there.

We really hope to bring our entire family back again some day.

 

The drive home found us in Sioux City, IA and a couple other smaller towns along the way – once again checking out some interesting old houses. These are some of my favorites:

 

 

 

 

 

 

What a refreshing trip! It was fun to take a bit of a break from our everyday routines to explore. We now feel ready to tackle summer!

If you’d like to see the interior of the Elgin Hotel, or hear a bit of the UNSPOKEN concert, you can watch THIS VIDEO on our family YouTube channel.