Day Sixteen – Ohio Amish


Heading further east, we stopped at Tourist Information Centers to pick up local maps and information. We were surprised in Ohio to find references to Amish communities in the center of the state. That determined part of our travel through Ohio.

We headed towards Millersburg to start our exploration. Imagine our surprise when we noticed a traffic slow down for the oncoming vehicles... what caused it? It turned out that an Amish couple were traveling in a horse and buggy. I was so surprised that I didn’t even think to grab my camera in time to snap a photo.

Our travel took us through a countryside of low rolling hills dotted with homes and farms. The road wound up and around the hills, but was pretty well maintained.

Millersburg was a much larger town than we expected with some ornate buildings. The County Courthouse stood at the center of activity. On that particular day the crescent moon hung in the sky above the clock tower. 


Further on we stopped in Berlin at Sol’s Palace, which is a series of connected buildings with booths of consigned products. Most of the items are handmade by local residents with an Amish design or technique. We enjoyed browsing through leatherworks, woodwork, and handcrafts.

Our next stop was the Walnut Creek Cheese Store. However, our GPS directions brought us to the Chocolate Company instead! Well, that was fortuitous. Pat thinks I entered the address incorrectly on purpose... I say it was just a lucky accident. Walking through the door of the chocolate shop we were met with a chocolaty smell that you could almost taste. We asked for directions to get to the Cheese Store, but also sampled some of the delicious chocolates.



The Cheese Store was actually much much more than just a cheese store. There were lots of crafts and specialty items, a variety of fresh baked goodies, meats, produce, and of course a wide variety of cheeses. In actuality, it was their local grocery store. It turns out that Ohio is known for selling the most Swiss cheese nationwide, and that there are many types of Swiss cheese. We especially liked a smoked Swiss cheese that we purchased.

Our travel through Amish country was a very pleasant experience. People we met were very kind and very polite. And yes, I was one of those tourists who snapped photos of Amish inhabitants in their distinctive clothing.

Although I did not get a photo of a horse and buggy, there was a tractor pulling a trailer with corn stalks and other items on their way to market.

Even though we travelled mid-week during an off season, this countryside was swarming with tourists. Pat and I wondered what the Amish think about all these “English” coming to their part of the country; gawking at them for just wearing their cultural clothing and participating in life as their beliefs outline. 

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