Explore Local Art & Shops
I started downtown at Gallery on the Square, where the work of 30 local artists fills the gallery, and I met artist Donna Nolan-Sanders. I also voted in the People’s Choice competition and watched a fused-glass workshop in progress.
They offer workshops throughout the year, and I already have my eye on coming back for a woodburning class. But I didn't stop at just that store, and you shouldn't either; you must peruse the entire courthouse square and check out everything Downtown Danville has to offer.
Lunch at the Beehive
By the time I made it to The Beehive, I was starving, which probably explains the wrapper still hanging from my spoon when I snapped a photo of my Extreme Grilled Cheese, tomato soup and Nutella latte.
With steam still rolling off the soup, I did the only reasonable thing while waiting for it to cool: ate dessert first and indulged in a chocolate M&M cookie. Zero regrets.
Cruise Through Ellis Park
After lunch, I rolled down the windows, cranked up some of the same songs I listened to in high school and cruised through Ellis Park, where so much of my childhood was spent.
I could almost hear tennis balls being swatted back and forth, cheerleaders practicing chants, kids daring each other across the swinging bridge and Little League games in full swing. Somehow, Ellis Park keeps getting better while still feeling exactly like home.
A Danville Tradition
No trip back to Danville feels complete without a stop at Beasley’s Orchard, where I was able to easily navigate the market with my walker while shopping for fresh produce and local goodies.
I even got to chat with the daughter of an old classmate before grabbing the real reason I stopped: an apple cider slushie. Some Danville traditions are non-negotiable.
There's No Place Like Home
Of course, no adventure goes completely as planned, and an unexpected dead battery could have put a quick end to mine. But I was home, and local IndyLube owner Jeff Malone and his incredible crew did what this community has always done for me: showed up, helped without hesitation and kept me rolling.
Danville has changed since I was a kid, and so have I, but this solo day of slowing down and rediscovering the town that raised me reminded me just how lucky I was to grow up in a place that still feels a little like a Hallmark town.
