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Things to Do in Amish Country

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byCindy

Amish Country in northeast Ohio is surrounded by rolling hills and wide-open spaces. There are a lot of things to do in Amish Country, with an emphasis on the Amish way of life and their food.

vertical image with three photos - Victorian Country House Museum, Amish and Mennonite Heritage Center, and buggies in Hope, Ohio. A white area at the top has the text Things to Do in Amish Country

Jump to the good parts!

Map of Things to Do in Amish Country | Amish Country Theater | Sols Palace | Berlin Escape Room | Troyer’s Amish Tours | Amish Heartland Tours | Amish Heritage Tours | Country Acres Mini Golf | Amish & Mennonite Heritage Center | Amish Country Riding Stables | Yoder’s Amish Home | Victorian House Museum | Farmer’s Produce Auction | Hershberger’s Farm & Bakery | Tis the Season Christmas Shoppe | The Farm at Walnut Creek | World’s Largest Cuckoo Clock | Age of Steam Roundhouse | Hatchet Club | Places to Eat | Wineries in Amish Country | Places to Stay

About Amish Country

The Amish population in Ohio is around 84,000 and is second only to Pennsylvania in the US. Holmes County is home to around 39,500 of those people, making it the largest Amish community in the world. Amish Country spreads into Tuscarawas County, Trumbull County, and Geauga County too. The cities with most things to do are Millersburg, Berlin, and Sugarcreek. Other towns include Walnut Creek, Fredericksburg, Charm, and Winesburg.

The Ohio Amish community mainly speaks Dutch-Pennsylvanian which derives from the German language and American English. The ‘Dutch’ comes from the English word that was used in earlier times to describe people of German and Netherlandic origins.

Map of Things to Do in Amish Country

Cindy’s Insider Ohio Tips!

One of the best experiences is touring Yoder’s Amish Home. This was fun and educational for all members of our family. This kind of tour or a buggy tour is the very best way to start your Amish Country visit to learn about the Amish way of life!

Spend a Day in Amish Country Ohio

Are you wondering how to fill a day in Amish Country and see as much as possible? Here are the best things to do and places to visit to plan your day. Booking a morning tour is always a good idea as you will learn all about how and why the Amish live as they do, so a lot of your questions will be answered before you embark on your visits. Check out the websites and social media pages (links included) to make reservations or check opening hours. Most importantly of all, have a fun time in Amish Country!

Amish Country Theater

A visit to the Amish Country Theater will have you splitting your sides! Watch the comedy shows at this award-winning live theater. Every show is family-friendly, so nobody is excluded. There are also special events at various times throughout the year.

Sols Palace

Sols Palace is an arts and crafts mall. Here you will find a vast assortment of crafts such as handmade dolls, candles, ceramics, floral arrangements, and much, much more. Special events are held throughout the year.

Berlin Escape Room

Berlin Escape Room has three rooms for you to try to escape from, Panthers Hollow, The List, and The Boyd Schoolhouse. There is a free online Scavenger Hunt that is a driving hunt for clues. They also offer a Mobile Escape Game that you can solve anywhere – ideal for Christmas parties, corporate events, or family gatherings. Full details are on their website. Open by appointment only.

horizontal image of horses and buggies in the town of Hope Ohio

Troyer’s Amish Tours

Troyer’s Amish Tours offers two types of tours, the Backroads Tour and the Dining Tour. These tours are unique and tailored to your preferences. It is always the best idea to reserve your place.

About the Tours

Agriculture and Farming will always be highlighted, showing how the Amish work, farm, raise animals, make money, and do many daily chores without all the modern conveniences.

Shops and Artisan stops are open year-round but are most popular in the fall after harvesting. If you love food, you’ll love this tour!

Wineries are an increasingly popular part of these tours. Look out for Wine Tours on the booking form. This is not part of the Backroads tour, but if you arrive early for your tour you will be taken to some locations for wine tasting while you wait.

The narrative on these tours focuses on how and when the Amish settled here and why they believe and live as they do.

Backroads Tour

The Backroads tours begin at 2 pm daily, Monday to Saturday. Booking is not necessary, but preference will be given to booked groups. No two tours are the same, the tour is tailored to the people. Whatever you want to see or do will be included if possible. The Artisan stops do not usually take credit cards, so be sure to have cash with you.

Dining Tour

The Dining Tour is basically the same as the Backroads Tour with a meal at an Amish home added.

Do make a reservation to be sure of getting the tour you require when you want it.

Amish Heartland Tours

Amish Heartland Tours offers bus tours of Amish Country. They will arrange a Pizza Meal in an Amish Home, a Meal in an Amish Home, an Amish Farm or Home Tour, or Private Custom Tours. Tours can be customized to your own preferences, visiting Amish Artisans, Theaters, Museums, Shopping, or other themes.

Amish Heritage Tours

Amish Heritage Tours offers different tours for each season of the year. The tours can be customized to your preferences. The website has sample itineraries for each season. You can enjoy buggy rides, visits to authentic Amish businesses and homes, museums, and more.

Country Acres Mini Golf

Country Acres Mini Golf has two 18-hole courses. The Barn is perfect for beginner and intermediate players looking for fun with just a little challenge thrown in. The Bridge will test the skills of the best players! It features a roaming water feature, covered bridge, elevation changes, waterfall, and unexpected obstacles.

When the golf is over, indulge in hand-dipped ice cream, homestyle pretzels, or frozen fruit bars and Philadelphia frozen ice.

horizontal photo of the Amish and Mennonite Heritage Center

Amish and Mennonite Heritage Center

The Amish and Mennonite Heritage Center is home to the Behalt Cyclorama, one of only four cycloramas in the US. Behalt is a 10-foot tall, 265-foot long cyclorama, or mural-in-the-round. It tells the history of the Amish people from 1525. 30-minute guided tours are available here.

In 1978, Heinz Gaugel began work on the cyclorama with the intention of relating the reasons why the Amish live the way they do. In 1988, the Mennonite Information Center (the original name of the Amish and Mennonite Heritage Center) purchased the painting with about 100 feet of it completed.

Visitors were able to watch Heinz paint until 1992 when the work was completed.

In 1993, Heinz Gaugel created ‘Immigrants’ Arrival in the New World’ in sgraffito on an external wall of the Mural Hall. Sgraffito is a technique of layering contrasting colored plaster, then the image is achieved by scratching to produce a drawing. Although this technique has been used in Germany since the 13th century, it is very rarely seen in America.

Amish Country Riding Stables

Amish Country Riding Stables offers guided horseback trail rides through Ohio’s Amish Country. Trail rides are available between May and October each year.

This site also has Guggisberg Swiss Inn and Doughty Glen Winery. This location is an all-in-one luxury getaway destination.

Yoder’s Amish Home

At Yoder’s Amish Home you can take a guided tour and learn about how the Amish live. This is a 30-40 minute tour with knowledgeable local guides. You will visit both homes on the property and the barn.

The barn is the center of an Old Order Amish homestead, housing a range of animals. If you visit in spring when there are newborns, the guides will allow you to hold some of them. Look out for the swallows that nest there too!

This is a good starting point for your Amish County discovery as it answers a lot of questions that may arise visiting other attractions.

horizontal photo of the Victorian House Museum with a blue sky in the background

Victorian House Museum

This 28-room Queen Anne-style home is the Holmes County Historical Society’s museum of Victoriana and Holmes County history. This house was built in 1901 by a Cleveland industrialist, L.H. Brightman and it has an area of approximately 7,000 square feet. It is a beautiful building with amazing décor and exhibits.

Farmer’s Produce Auction

The Farmer’s Produce Auction is a wholesale market for local farmers to grow and sell their produce. Here you will find sales of livestock, ponies, carriage and tack, draft horses, anything to do with farming! There are also shows such as the Amish Country Home & Garden Show. This is a very popular and lively place to visit!

Hershberger’s Farm and Bakery

Hershberger’s Farm and Bakery is a very popular destination. It features a bakery, a farm store, a large petting area, a food trailer, and more. The Hershberger’s Fry Pies are a local favorite.

Bakery

Hershberger’s Bakery offers the largest selection of fresh baked goods in the area, including a variety of breads, pies, cookies, muffins, and donuts. There is also a large selection of local cheeses, jerky, canned goods, spices, and fresh vegetables.

Farm Store

The Farm Store offers unique items from antiques to patio furniture. Many of the products are made in the store by local craftspeople. You will find belts, wallets, purses, backpacks, wooden toys, and much more.

Petting Area

The Petting Area has a huge variety of farm animals that you can get up close and personal with, including chickens, goats, horses, cows, sheep, rabbits, and more. Animal feed is available for purchase.

Tis The Season Christmas Shoppe

This one-of-a-kind shop offers both traditional and unique Christmas home décor and holiday gifts all year round. As you walk and browse around this store you will feel that you have entered a winter wonderland village! Why wait until the festive season to buy your decorations?

The Farm at Walnut Creek

The Farm at Walnut Creek is home to over 500 animals with species from six of the seven continents. You can see exotic animals such as giraffes, camels, and zebras, along with native species such as horses, llamas, and buffaloes. You can view and hand-feed the animals from your car or from a horse-drawn wagon.

The Farm at Walnut Creek is a working Amish farm where you may see planting, plowing, harvesting or other farm work being carried out. You can see canning, quilting, and baking taking place in the non-electric farmhouses.

You are free to take photos everywhere at this farm.

The farm closes for winter. During the open season, there are scheduled events, and group events such as parties, school field trips, and company picnics can be organized.

World’s Largest Cuckoo Clock

Sugarcreek was founded by Swiss settlers and there remains a huge Swiss influence in this town. The World’s Largest Cuckoo Clock is the most obvious! Right in the middle of the town, this clock strikes every half hour when the cuckoo pops out, then Swiss polka music plays as the band emerges and a couple dances.

Age of Steam Roundhouse

The Age of Steam Roundhouse Museum is a testament to the golden era of railroading. Here you can see locomotives, railroad cars, tools, and machinery of bygone days. This is also a working roundhouse where restoration of these pieces of history takes place. Tours and events are on offer throughout the year.

Hatchet Club

Take a little time out for some serious fun! Hatchet Club is an axe-throwing club where you throw an axe at a wooden target. A coach is assigned to every lane who instructs and assists throwers. You can expect a refined, lounge-like experience in great indoor surroundings here. There is a list of rules that you should read before you visit.

Places to Eat in Amish Country

Wineries in Amish Country

Places to Stay in Amish Country

More Things to Do in Amish Country

Be sure to check out our articles dedicated to the towns in Amish Country:

Let’s Visit Amish Country!

Have you visited Amish Country in Ohio? Did you really enjoy visiting somewhere that we have missed from this list? Leave a comment below and share your experience.

While you are in Northeast Ohio, you may like to check out Things to Do in Cleveland, or if you enjoy wineries and wine tasting, Wineries in Northeast Ohio is a comprehensive list.

Hello! We have done our very best to ensure that the accuracy of events, hours, addresses, etc, are up to date. Please know that information can change due to weather, updated health and safety challenges, etc. If you find incorrect information, please send us an email at [email protected], and we can get it updated.

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Cindy Gordon, the owner of VisitOhioToday.com, is a passionate Ohioan with a deep love for her state's rich cultural heritage and natural beauty. Her mission is to showcase Ohio's hidden gems and major tourist attractions through her website, offering visitors a comprehensive guide to all the wonders the Buckeye State has to offer. With a wealth of experience as a seasoned small business owner in the media industry, Cindy also manages four other websites in the food space, demonstrating her commitment to sharing her expertise and enthusiasm with a wider audience. Through her dedication, Cindy has become a trusted source for anyone looking to explore Ohio's diverse and vibrant offerings.

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