Road Trips on One Tank- Pacific MO- Santa Claus IN DAY 2

 Day 2

Now we come to the actual purpose of the trip.  I have spent the last 3 1/2 years as a Facebook crafter.  In that time I've met (virtually) a lot of crafters and small business owners.  This event was an in person Meet and Greet, where I got to meet many of those crafters face to face.  And since it was only about a 3 1/2 hour car ride I decided that we would make a mini vacay out it.

What is a Meet and Greet?

It's a live in person event where you can meet people that you've only seen on line.  In this case it was Facebook crafters and creatives meeting their page followers.

We set up a couple of conference rooms in the Santa Lodge where we could meet, talk and of course hug our virtual friends.  I was a participant but I was really excited to meet my "friend" Angie from https://www.facebook.com/craftyblessingwithAngie on FB.  She and I have been friends since almost the beginning of our crafting journeys, so it was extra special to meet her (and her daughter Maddie) in person.

The Meet and Greet went on for several hours, way past lunchtime so I was starving.  We had heard about an Amish buffet about 20 minutes away so we thought we would give it a shot.

The restaurant is part of the Gasthof Amish Village  https://www.gasthofamishvillage.com/

I love Amish food and am fascinated by their lifestyle so it seemed like the perfect choice.

The buffet was huge and well stocked.  The items were constantly being replenished.  Soup and salads were first then hot items and a table of desserts.  

There were a couple of soup options that I'm sure were homemade.  But I opted for my favorite.

Buffets are amazing because there is something for EVERYONE!  You can make your plate with all your favorites and have as many plates as you want.  No judgement here!

Not only does the Gasthof Amish village have an amazing restaurant but there are many opportunities to pick up a souvenir or two at the shop in the restaurant; or maybe find that one of kind antique you've been looking for at the Flea Market or a unique treasure at one of the other shops.

For more information on the Gasthof Amish village, the restaurant, shops, bakery or hotel use this link:

https://www.gasthofamishvillage.com/. 

If you are ever in the area, I highly recommend it!