OHIO AMISH COUNTRY

My wife and I got the chance to spend a couple of days in the Amish Country of Ohio. We have visited the Amish communities in Indiana and Kentucky and had heard about the Ohio Amish. This area is NE of Columbus and S of Cleveland. We took I-71 north and then on to Hwy 39 which took us to Millersburg, Berlin, Sugar Creek and other areas. From Hwy 39 you can go north or south 20-30 miles to see other Amish communities. We stayed in Berlin at the Berlin Hotel & Suites which was a nice hotel in a good central location. Millersburg has lots of antique stores for those who like to look at them. Berlin had alot of Amish craft, furniture and gift stores and some Amish restaurants. We ate one meal at Das Dutchman Restaurant and it was good. We ended up eating an almost identical mean at Mrs Yoder's Restaurant in Mt Hope (north of Berlin ) and it was even better. Mt Hope had alot of Amish activity. There is an Amish vegetable market and a horse auction. Lots of Amish around and buggies on the roads. One thing we found out is that cell service in the area is spotty since the Amish don't use cell phone. We were told to go to Sugar Creek to get cell service. So if you want to get away from electronic devices check out this area. They can't call you from the office. We also went to Lehman's Hardware store in Kidron. You have never seen a hardware store like this one. If they don't have it you don't need it. They specialize in items for the Amish that doesn't need electricity. You can find a non electric stove, washing machine, pump or whatever. They have lanterns of all types and sizes. You could spend a day in there looking at all the items. Plus they have a friendly and efficient staff who will actually help you if you need it. We had alot of fun just driving around the countryside looking at the farms, all the washing out on the lines, farmers cutting hay with horse drawn vehicles, the Amish on bicycles and in buggies. Some of the most spirited horses you can find were pulling buggies. An interesting note was seeing Amish buggies with car seats in them for kids. It was fun to be on the road and be following a buggy and out would pop a couple of Amish kids looking out the back of the buggy at you. On the roads you have to be patient because at times there are lots of buggies and not much space on the side for them to get out of the flow of traffic. There are a number of cheese factories and bakeries. Yummy. There are some items for kids to do but it is not kid oriented. You can visit Amish farms, eat with an Amish family and stay in an Amish B & B if you want. The weather was great and the scenery grand. Friendly people and plenty to keep you busy. So check out Ohio Amish Country.