Destination Belfair: Antique treasure hunting at Country Relics and lunch at Pat’s Little Red Barn

If you love nostalgia or yearn for something tangible to go with your childhood memories, Belfair is worth a trip. There, off the beaten path on the way to Belfair State Park you’ll discover Country Relics Antiques Collectables — a homey store with treasures hailing back decades, and ranging from bottle caps and buttons to books and rare china.

Located in a remodeled barn called “The Udder Room” (next to Pat’s Little Red Barn diner), the store takes visitors to the days of yesteryear. Owner Jacque Strange is a veteran of the antiquing industry, having started her own collecting about 40 years ago. If you like history or want to know more about the antiques you’d like to buy, Jacque is your resource.

The two-story shop is packed with treasures and it attracts not just collectors but also teens, bikers, people from all walks of life. Summer is the busy tourism season at the store so this is a great time to visit if you like to linger.

To complete your trip, stop by Pat’s next door, where you’ll find home-style cooking and old-fashioned Southern hospitality. Owner Pat Mayberry has owned diners in Belfair for thirty years and is famous for her home cooking and generous portions. Order a soup in a bowl and find out for yourself: Your eyes will grow big as onions when you see the good-sized bread loaf that's been scooped out and filled with steaming soup.


Not very many places these days serve meatloaf made from scratch or liver and onions — if you like country fare or simple comfort food, Pat’s is the place to be. This place, too, is like a mini-museum: Pat collects all sorts of things from the mid-20th century, and even has a couple of working refrigerators from the 1940s.

And if you happen to drop in for dinner on Friday, you’ll be treated to live music by local bands.

Oh, and if you believe in encounters of the paranormal kind, ask Pat about the resident ghosts. The building — which used to be a working farm barn — is said to be haunted.

Country Relics and Pat’s Little Red Barn may be harder to find for first-timers, being located away from the heart of Belfair. But once you find them, you’ll likely go back. And when the weather’s warmer, make it a day: Stop by the nearby Belfair State Park and enjoy a little walk in the nature.

Country Relics: 2091 NE Highway 300, Belfair; (360) 275-5006

Pat’s Little Red Barn: 2093 NE Highway 300, Belfair; (360) 275-4441