STAYCATION pt. 1: The Orchard House

I thought it would be fun to post a series on this blog called "staycations," which is like a vacation, but without traveling too far away. For my purposes, I'm using the term staycation to represent short trips we take around Idaho, either for the day or the weekend. It's become a popular promotional tool for the tourist industry in these difficult economic times, trying to get people to explore leisure in their own backyard, so to speak. Staycations are always something my family has enjoyed - finding the quirky, unusual, and cheap adventures locally. This has become more imperative to us given our new financial situation. I really needed a change of scenery last week, so did some research. We had a great day trip staycation over the weekend, all within about an hour of our home, and I'll be posting about it in three parts this week.

We loaded up the Jeep Saturday morning around 11am and headed towards Nampa, where we got off on Hwy 55. It was a beautiful, sunny but chilly day, and we enjoyed driving through beautiful orchards and wine country. Soon after we passed Chicken Dinner Road (which Lucy thought was HILARIOUS), we ended up on Sunnyslope Road, in what is technically still Caldwell, Idaho, to have lunch at The Orchard House.

My dad had sent me an email about The Orchard House's cooking classes, and we'd heard they had recently been filmed for an episode of Diners, Drive-Ins, and Dives on The Food Network. Known best for their handmade finger steaks and onion rings, we were excited about having lunch there. Not only did they both live up to their reputation (the rings were gargantuan and yummy), but they were also inexpensive. The fingers and rings dinner was only $8.25. I had the BLT, which was also delicious, and was only $6.50.

The kids menu, however, was a highlight for us. They offered several kid friendly options, all which came with a fancy drink. Kids can choose from Jurassic Juice or the Teddy Bear Pool Party, which Lucy can't stop talking about. It consists of strawberry and vanilla soda, complete with gummi bears "swimming" around and basking on the lid. Overall, the location was lovely (we have to go back to sit outside on their bucolic patio once the weather warms up), the service friendly and quick, and the food excellent. If you're looking for an nice, locally-owned place to have lunch or dinner that's a bit off the beaten track, I recommend taking a drive to The Orchard House.