The Pale Black Dot
A few months ago, I was invited for a hosted stay at the Pale Black Dot in Anna, Illinois. This past weekend was finally our vacation!
Because this is a tiny home of 192 sq ft, I decided it was best to leave the toddler at home and instead invited my very best friend of 20 years. She is also from Carterville and moved to St. Louis, so with me returning home we don’t see each other as often as we would like. This was the perfect excuse to get together and be generally silly!
We planned the day to center around food, tattoos, shopping, and our stay. Coming from Carterville and tattoos scheduled at 2pm in Carbondale, we decided it would be best to grab lunch and run errands in that area first. We hit breakfast at Bob Evans with my little family, then went our separate ways as Jacklyn and I headed to Target. From there, we headed to Taste Bud’s Snack Shop in Carbondale for snacks. Then we went to Cindy B’s Cafe in Murphysboro so I could film Southern Illinois Tourism content, and then back to Murdale for the Neighborhood Co-op. Jacklyn misses a few places in this area, the Co-op being a nostalgic favorite. We grabbed our food, ate, then headed to our appointment. Lauren at Artistic Minds did a great job with our vision for coordinated King of the Hill tattoos! After our tattoos, we went to Old Navy and Five Below for a few little things, and then headed down to Anna.
When we arrived at the Pale Black Dot, we were cheerfully greeted by our hosts. The sounds of nature were pleasant and everywhere; from the gentle song of birds, to the flowing of water over smoothed stones, to the occasional chirp of a cricket. Upon entering the tiny home, it did not seem tiny at all! The ceiling is high and the space is thoughtfully laid out. There are gorgeous little touches, like the glass bottles on the windowsill, the clawfoot tub, and the bedroom light fixture. A thoughtful basket of treats and smores material were awaiting as well!
We got changed, took some photos around the property, and then headed to Feather Hills Vineyard for dessert/snacks and wine. It was hot outside, but a perfect day for listening to live music and eating the most beautiful toffee caramel cake with ice cream you could imagine.
After that, we popped over to StarView so I could get my beloved Chicken Salad Sandwich. Theirs is amazing, and I am on a chicken salad sandwich kick currently. Jacklyn enjoyed the BBQ pulled pork with a wine slushie, while I had a Frostie’s Root Beer. On our way back to the Pale Black Dot, we stopped by Kroger for a few late night snacks and drinks.
Once back at the tiny home, we took time to enjoy the sounds of nature as the sun set. I concert was happening in the distance, and it was nice to see little Anna so busy on a Saturday night. We got cozy in the comfortable bed and did our favorite thing when together; ate candy and watched our shows. I am a bit of a diva sleeper, and I did not notice noise outside of the tiny home at all! The air conditioner kept the space nice and cool.
In the morning, the sun greeted us through the bedroom windows. We both had errands to run and busy Sundays, so we left fairly early. There were no early Sunday breakfast options in Anna that we could find, unfortunately. We grabbed some coffee at McD’s and then headed back to Carterville to end our bff stay.
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Clawfoot tub
Plants inside & outside
Great communication from hosts
Comfortable bed
Beautiful kitchen area
Easy-to-find location
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Located closer to the East side of the Shawnee Hills Wine Trail, Anna is also close to Cobden, Makanda, Cape Girardeau, and Carbondale
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A couple
Solo traveler
2-3 friends
