Featured Live Music Artist of the Week - Off The Vine

This week’s live music artist is actually not a musical artist at all, rather it is a place – Off The Vine in Momence, IL.

Off The Vine is a two story wine, flower, and gift shop – and so much more – located in the quaint downtown district in Momence, only steps from the Kankakee River and just East of the Historic Dixie Highway. The shop consists of two very distinct floors as well as a small outdoor seating area.

The outdoor seating area is in front of the building and has a few French-bistro style tables and umbrellas and is tastefully decorated with flowers and that really cool overhead lighting that is seen in movies when they go to Europe. Because it is in the front of the building it provides that community feel as people can see others walking by and others can stop by for a chat. A perfect location for those evenings with friends while sipping a wine or drinking a beer. (also perfect in the daytime as well) Music-wise – on some evenings, talented musicians will strike up a little acoustic jam session. When that is going on, the music can be heard through the downtown street for all to enjoy. Because of the design of the street and the parking setup – this is a great combination of the Midwest and Europe.

The main floor of Off The Vine is the wine, flower, and gift shop. Wine and gifts and flowers – primarily wine – adorn the walls and shelves of the first floor. A wine lovers dream come true for sure!! I don’t know much about wine, other than what tastes good – but trust me, the selection is extensive. There is a large focus on local Illinois wineries, but there are also non-local selections. The gift store has gourmet cheeses (naturally), including Illinois Amish cheeses. In addition there is a selection of olive oils and other gifts, as well as flowers. And, more importantly, they offer daily wine tastings!!! In addition to the wine tastings, they also offer “Painting nights” in which participants enjoy some wine while painting with friends. They also host various other events as well. Events tend to sell out fast, so make reservations early and/or arrive early. In the center of the room – a staircase down...........

The basement is home to “Under The Vine” a comfortable, friendly, and cozy neighborhood bar. This room includes a 6-8 seat wooden corner bar, which houses around 6 craft beers on tap, several craft beers in bottles, and most of the “standard” beer choices. The rest of the room consists of a few high-tops meant to seat 4-6 and some low-tops which can be put together to seat 10-12. There is also a wooden counter for standees on one side as well. In the exact center, is the staircase mentioned previously. In the center of the main wall is a spectacular stone fireplace. In that corner is also where the various musical artists perform. I can best describe this as the perfect neighborhood basement bar – pretty much what many people dream of putting in their own basements. Musically, because of the layout and size – the acoustics are perfect! And the layout and size also are inviting, which really adds to the sign-along vibe.

Between the patio, main floor, basement, craft beers, wine selection, events, and music – this is one spectacular venue for all occasions.