A steady stream of visitors to the Lodge, along with some of the most unique artifacts available in the retail world, keep our small shops alive. Pieces of the surrounding area are imbued into the eclectic array of toys, crafts, clothes, decoration and art that you can find in our Town center. But strangely, no camping, hiking or sporting goods are to be found. Except what you can barter for from the locals. #GetAReceipt
Nearby Paper Pond is one of the central components of Tripping Falls recreation. Although the town has a fairly small population of children, Paper Pond Playthings is truly one of the last, cool toy shops in America. A tiny train chugs around the store on a long, winding track. You can learn how to whittle or take a woodworking class and learn how to make toys the old-fashioned way.
Rumor has it that Paper Pond Playthings is a satellite location for Santa’s Workshop; throughout the year it’s not uncommon to hear about mysterious goings-on and reports of elf-like creatures working in the storage area behind the shop. Some say this is where the children of lost tourists go until they can be reunited with their families.
Come by and see for yourself…maybe you’ll find that toy rocket ship or Nintendo Gameboy that Santa never brought you as a kid. It could be here. Packages get lost all the time and end up in strange places.
In a small building near the center of town, John Wiley sits behind the register with a long-distance stare that has the kind of playfulness (and possible delusion) of Willy Wonka. Candles from hyper-local beeswax. Clothing stitched by the Town’s elders. Pieces of natural history lovingly curated into bite-sized souvenirs for the hearty travelers that make the trip.
This is Wiley’s Whimsicals — a staple business in Tripping Falls that has served the town for decades. “If you don’t see it, we can get it” is the long-standing motto of the curious little store. If you make it up, stop by and visit one of the most unique gift shops in the country.
Is this the real life? Is this just Fontacé? Tripping Falls in general is a bit of a lucid dream it seems sometimes, and artists throughout the decades have made the trek to witness the unusual and dizzying effect the area can have on people. It’s inspired a lot of great art through the years, much of which is on display here.
Owned by venerated local artiste Van Hilton, the Fontacé art gallery has off-the-wall décor for your on-the-wall desires. Surrealist painter Salvador Dalí visited once in the late ’70s and painted a piece for the Town, but the whereabouts of the painting to this day are unknown.
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