Fredericksburg is one of my favorite little Northern Virginia towns. The downtown is lined with historic stone buildings containing delightful little shops and cafes. On my last visit, I discovered “The Griffin,” a bookstore and espresso bar.
Here’s the delicious iced raspberry latte I ordered:
The staff at The Griffin were great with kids too, both Baby J and my nephews. In fact, they even have a little kids section in the bookstore.
Besides the main area with the espresso bar and the children’s room, there are three other little rooms filled with bookshelves.
![The Griffin Bookstore and Espresso Bar](http://i1328.photobucket.com/albums/w526/emegburg/Family%20Outings/The%20Griffin/768e4d44-9fdf-41cd-8b1e-521d81439dda_zpsdc6fe195.jpg)
The Griffin also has a large table to sit at inside, patio area out front, and a lovely patio area in the back.
The cookie and latte at The Griffin were delicious. I loved the atmosphere of the place, as well as the friendliness of the staff. We didn’t try the patio area, because of the heat. Well, that and Baby J would spend the entire time trying to climb up and down the stairs, which is still dangerous for him! The only thing I didn’t love about The Griffin is the books were fairly new, with many of them still being published. When I go to a used bookstore, I hunt for my favorite 20th century, out-of-print, Gothic romance authors: Victoria Holt, Joan Aiken, Madeleine Brent, Mary Stewart, M.M. Kaye, and so on. I didn’t find any books from these authors there and instead spotted names of current authors.
It was a really fun, quaint, little store. On my next trip to Fredericksburg, I do plan to return to The Griffin for another iced latte and browse some more books!
Are you a reader? Where’s your favorite place to sit and read?
Note: I was not compensated for this post.
13 Comments
I would flip for a bookstore with a kid’s section! Awesome idea 🙂
ah, coffee…. 😀
Great post! I love to read on the patio.
I love going to a bookstore, and the coffee is a nice plus!
There’s a shop similar to this in a city we visit once a year. I always stop in to visit, it’w awesome and this looks great too!
Ohhh, that place looks awesome! And it’s really close to a friend of mine, I will have to let him know!
I am a reader. My favorite place to read is in bed.
That looks like it is right up my alley!!!!!
Oh I love little places like this. Looks like a cute little town.
I read constantly! I would love to be in that bookstore! I want to live there 🙂
I would love it! Peaceful, quiet looking and espresso Oh yes!
Books and espresso? I’m there! How awesome that you have a place like that!
That’s a nice little downtown area! I love downtowns that are well kept and have a nice shopping area! Where do I read? Wherever I find a time and place LOL. I certainly don’t get to go anywhere “special.”