When It’s Snowing in Amish Country Ohio: Things To Do in One Day.
One Thanksgiving Break, our family spent a day in Amish Country Ohio, for the third time. Our first and second times were over Christmas Break a few years back.
You probably wonder why we visited Amish Country in Ohio during cold days. Why not in the summer, when some days are longer and warmer, and there are more things to do and see?
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Every year, we travel from Dallas, Texas, to Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, to visit family. We either celebrate Thanksgiving or Christmas together during these visits.
That’s why the three times we went to Ohio Amish Country were in the winter. We had a great time!
Now, let’s take a look at what to do in Amish Country Ohio, when it’s snowing and cold during your visit.
Things to Do in Amish Country Ohio in One Day
Since it was snowy and cold during our three visits to the Amish Country, most of the places we visited were indoors.
Some of the places in the areas were also closed during the winter season. It’s a bummer, but we still had a wonderful time! You can see from our visits there three times in the cold season.
So, here is the list of things to do in Amish Country Ohio, based on our visits to Berlin, Walnut Creek, and the surrounding areas. A one-day trip to Amish Country in Ohio.
1. Visit The Amish & Mennonite Heritage Center
A good place to start your visit in the Amish Country.
You will learn everything you need to know about the Amish faith, culture, and lifestyle here.
The Behalt Cyclorama, bookstore & gift shop, pioneer barn & one-room school house, and the Sgraffito are not to be missed in this heritage center.
Address: 5798 County Road 77, Millersburg, OH 44654.
Phone: (330) 893-3192.
Hours: Monday to Saturday, closed Sunday.
April – October: Monday to Friday 9 am – 5 pm. Saturday 9 am – 4 pm.
November – March: Monday to Friday 9.30 am – 4.30 pm. Saturday 9 am – 4 pm.
2. Visit Guggisberg Cheese
My husband loves Swiss cheese, so a visit to Guggisberg Cheese made him happy.
Guggisberg Cheese is the home of the original Baby Swiss, made from fresh milk delivered by local Amish farmers.
Of course, you can find cheddar, smoked, colby, lacerne, and many more here.
They offer more than 60 types of cheeses, as well as spreads, meats, and preserves.
Come between 9 am and 12 pm, Monday to Friday, to see the making process through their viewing windows. Too bad we missed it on our last visit.
Address: 5060 State Route 557, Millersburg, OH 44654.
Phone: (330) 893-2500.
Toll Free: (800) 262-2505.
Hours:
Winter Hours: November through March, Monday to Saturday, 9 am to 5 pm. Closed Sunday.
Summer Hours: April through October, Monday to Saturday, 9 am to 5 pm. Closed Sunday.
Cheese-Making Hours: Monday to Friday, 9 am-12 pm.
3. Stop at Coblentz Chocolates Company
I think a visit to a chocolate store is a must during vacations.
Don’t blame me if you leave with pounds of chocolates and truffles from Coblentz.
A producer of premium chocolates, caramels, and other confections, here at Coblentz, they hand-dip the chocolates and hand-roll the truffles. They use fresh, local cream and butter.
When in the store, walk to the back to see their artisans hand-dipping chocolates.
Address: 4917 State Route 515, Walnut Creek, OH 44687.
Phone: (800) 338-9341.
Hours: July-October, Monday-Saturday, 9 am-5.30 pm.
November-June, Monday-Saturday, 9 am-5 pm.
Closed Sunday.
4. Shopping at Tis the Season Christmas Shop
One-of-a-kind, Ohio’s largest year-round Christmas store. You will find a wide variety of Christmas decorations and gifts here, from traditional to unique collections.
The shop offers three floors of a Christmas wonderland.
Christmas Village themes on the first floor, snowmen, accessories to add to your Christmas village on the second floor, and you will walk through a forest of trees on the lower level.
You will leave with something from here. Trust me.
Address: 4363 State Route 39, Millersburg, OH 44654.
Phone: 1-888-893-3604.
Hours: Monday-Saturday, 10 am to 5 pm. Closed on Sunday.
5. Visit The World’s Largest Cuckoo Clock in Sugarcreek
Located in Sugarcreek, the Little Switzerland of Ohio, this world’s largest cuckoo clock was featured on the cover of the Guinness Book of World Records in 1978.
The clock is over 23 feet tall and 24 feet wide.
Every half hour, a cuckoo bird pops out, and then you hear Swiss polka music playing as the band emerges and a couple dances.
Too bad the Alpine Hills Museum across the street is only open during summer hours.
Address: Corner of Main Street and Broadway in Sugarcreek.
Hours: 9 am to 9 pm, April to November, weather permitting.
Admission: Free. It’s located outdoors.
6. Shop til you drop
There are so many places to shop in this part of Amish Country Ohio.
From flea markets to gift shops, quilt shops to antique stores, and fashion to home decor, even two days are not enough to visit them all.
Sol’s in Berlin, Sheiyah Market, and Holmes County Flea Market are a few of them.
Look for the Beeyond Gift Shop located in the oldest building in Berlin, Ohio, built in 1817.
7. Explore Country Roads
What I liked most was driving and getting lost on the country roads of Ohio Amish Country.
We explored the south side of Berlin, driving through Charm, Saltillo, Farmerstown, Baltic, and a few more villages.
On our first visit, we experienced the Farmerstown Livestock Auction. It just happened that we noticed a large gathering and decided to make a stop.
I think we were the only non-Amish there, and I felt awkward sitting in the auction room with my red coat.
We were not sure whether we were allowed there. The Amish didn’t say anything, and I didn’t take any pictures at all out of respect for them.
Don’t skip the drive, as this is how you can observe life in the Amish farms.
Please make sure to respect them.
Who are the Amish people?
Here’s an excerpt from Ohio’s Amish Country magazine about Amish people:
The Amish are a loosely connected network of conservative Anabaptist communities that originated in Switzerland.
They split from the Mennonites in Switzerland between 1693 and 1697.
They are followers of Jakob Ammann, who spearheaded the split because he favored harsher excommunication practices and more conservative modes of dress.
The Mennonites and Amish still share basic Anabaptist values, like opposition to both war and infant baptism.
Amish communities are easy to identify from their horse-drawn buggies & wagons and 17th-century clothing. Amish women must wear cape dresses and head coverings in public.
The first Amish arrived in Pennsylvania in the 1730s to escape persecution in Europe.
Now you can find Amish settlements in the United States and Canada.
Pennsylvania and Ohio are where the largest Amish settlements are located in the US, followed by Indiana, Iowa, Illinois, Kansas, and a few others.
Normally, you can tell there’s an Amish settlement nearby when you see the buggy traffic sign on the road.
One summer on our road trip to New England, we drove through their settlement in upstate New York. One of the men was even working at the KOA campground we stayed at in Richfield Springs.
Amish people speak Pennsylvania Dutch, but it is not related to the Dutch spoken in Holland.
The term Pennsylvania Dutch is the English translation of the archaic German and Pennsilfaanisch Deitsch.
Where is Amish Country Ohio?
Half of the Amish in Ohio live in Holmes County in the central part of the state.
Berlin, Millersburg, and Walnut Creek are the popular cities in this county, where most visitors stayed during their visit. Their locations are around 10 minutes away from each other.
A drive through farmers’ road that connects to smaller towns like Charm and Killbuck makes a visit even better.
You can also find Amish settlements in the neighboring counties, like Tuscarawas Coshocton, Wayne, Ashland, Knox, and Middlefield.
Here is the link to Holmes County maps to give you an idea of the area.
How to get to Ohio Amish Country
The best way to get to Amish Country is by driving, since you want to explore the country roads in the county.
If you fly to the nearest national airport, like in Cleveland, Columbus, or Pittsburgh, you need to rent a car.
Here’s the distance from the nearest big cities to Berlin:
– Pittsburgh, PA: 2h 30m
– Columbus, OH: 1h 45m
– Cleveland, OH: 1h 30m
– Akron, OH: 1h
And, it’s only slightly over an hour from Cuyahoga Valley National Park.
It will make a good day trip to Amish Country Ohio, when you visit the park in the summer.
On our first visit, we drove from Pittsburgh and arrived sometime before noon in Walnut Creek.
On the second visit, we stopped at Amish Country, OH, first before we drove to Pittsburgh.
We left from Bowling Green in Kentucky and arrived late at night in Berlin because we visited Mammoth Cave National Park first. If we drove straight, it would take about 7 hours to drive.
On our last visit, we came from Cambridge, Ohio, after seeing the city’s Dickens Victorian Village for the second time. It’s a little over an hour’s drive between the two cities.
When planning a visit to Amish Country in Ohio, I suggest you arrive during light hours. It was pitch dark in the area.
When we got there on our second visit, it was not only dark, but we were welcomed by a mix of rain and snow, too.
We fully relied on GPS to get to our hotel in Berlin that night.
The GPS took us through a long and winding country road, and it just happened that there was something in the Amish community that night.
Groups of young men were out walking on the street. With their black or grey colored pants and tops, it wasn’t easy to spot them.
My husband had to drive around 15-20 mph.
Amish Country Ohio Restaurants
When in Amish Country, you must eat at the restaurants serving local food.
The standard food from the Amish Kitchen is roast beef dinner, or roast turkey dinner for those who don’t eat beef, followed by a slice of apple pie.
There are so many restaurants to choose from. We have eaten at Dutch Valley in Sugarcreek and Der Dutchman in Walnut Creek, and apparently, they are in the same group.
Boyd & Wurthmann in Berlin is one of the favorites, but it was full during our visit.
Amish Country Ohio Hotels
On the first visit, we stayed at the Carlisle Inn in Walnut Creek. A nice hotel and highly recommended when you are in the area.
When we visited for the second time, we didn’t book a room in advance. We decided to book a room on the day we went there.
Of course, Carlisle Inn was fully booked, as were a couple of hotels on my list.
Fortunately, there was one room available in Lodging on the Square in Berlin. We booked it and we were not disappointed. It’s a 2-star hotel, but it was very clean and came with a hot breakfast.
If you travel with a dog, they have 3 bedrooms specifically designated for your furry friends.
The hotel is within walking distance of restaurants and stores.
We stayed at the dog-friendly Berlin Heritage Inn the last time we went there. Our dog Snoopy came with us.
Amish Country Ohio Weather.
November is a frosty month in and around Berlin. Even though it’s the last month of the Fall season, the average temperature fluctuates between 33.4°F (0.8°C) and 48.4°F (9.1°C).
In December, the average temperature fluctuates between 38.3°F (3.5°C) and 27°F (-2.8°C). It’s still a cold month.
January is the coldest month with an average high temperature of 32°F (0°C) and an average low temperature of 19°F (-7.2°C).
October through April are months with snowfall in Berlin, with January the snowiest month.
I suggest you double-check the weather before visiting Amish Country, Ohio, in the winter. You should prepare yourself and your car for the weather.
A few things I noticed about Amish people during the trips:
- They use batteries for their buggies at night.
- They worked in the hotels, restaurants, and stores.
- Most of them didn’t respond or smile when I greeted them, like the housekeeper in the hotel.
- They cleaned really well. Our room was spotless.
- They rent ice boxes to keep their meats, etc.
Guggisberg Cheese sounds like heaven for cheese lovers. What a bummer that you missed it! Seems like you got a lot out of your trip regardless and it’s super interesting that you had the chance to visit. I’ve always wondered what it’s like in an Amish settlement. Now I know!
You must make a visit there, Jas. You will like it.
I want to visit Amish Country Ohio one day, as they have so rich tradition. Several times I met Amish families in various cities across the States in their beautiful traditional costumes. The most exciting meeting was on the trail in the mountains when young women in these long and heavy dresses climbed the rocks. But I would love to see the cities they live in. You had a great trip! Horse-drawn carriages on the roads, their traditional homes. It’s great to know that they also have tasty cuisine. I would like to eat in Dutch Valley in Sugarcreek or and Der Dutchman in Walnut Creek. And for sure I would like to visit Coblentz Chocolates Company and Season Christmas Shop.
Seeing the buggy on the road always fascinated me. Although I hope to visit in the summer so I can join the tour into one of the houses. I hope you will find yourself here one day.
We would love Artisan Chocolate. It would be such joy to visit the Coblentz Chocolate Company. I am pretty sure my family would have there as well. Thank you for sharing these. Will consider this during our future trips.
I’ve always been fascinated with the Amish community and would love to visit someday. I was close once in Pennsylvania but we didn’t have time in our itinerary. I really enjoyed your thorough coverage; it will help me plan a trip in the future!
I hope you can make it here one day. You will enjoy it.
They are an interesting closed community. We had good times there.
We’ve visited a couple of Amish countries and it’s always so interesting to learn their way of life. Visiting in the winter must be a completely different experience compared to visiting during the warmer months. I would love to try their baby swiss cheese!
We could have visited Lancaster last summer if only we had an extra day.
I have never had the opportunity to visit Amish country before, but from what I have seen in the media and heard from friends it seems like a really great learning experience. I actually had no idea they spoke a different language so you learn something new every day!! I would really like to get the chance to learn more about their culture !
I hope you can make it here one day.
I got in touch with Mennonites in Belize where they have some big communities. It’s totally fascinating seeing those ‘German’ houses in the tropics under palm trees. On the one hand, it’s great that they are preserving their heritage, on the other hand, they are not very open-minded….I think minorities have it difficult in these communities.
Wow! I didn’t know you can find the community in Belize! Yeah. I can’t imagine how hard it is to live as a minority like them in today’s modern world.
I visited amish country years ago. Loved it, so charming. I got told off by a local (non Amish ) for taking photos, but when I asked the Amish if it was ok, they were fine but don’t show our faces. It was fascinating to visit, would love to learn more about their culture.
I read that, too. It’s fine to take their pictures without showing their faces. And now that you talked directly about it to them, I feel a bit freedom to take pictures next time I go there.
The Amish culture has always fascinated me and every time I see a buggy rolling down the road it makes me wonder about their lifestyle, how different it must be to what I am used to, and what it would be like to experience it. I have been wanting to visit an Amish settlement and have been meaning to make it to the one in PA, not too far from me. If I am ever able to make it to Amish Country Ohio I would just have to stop and see the Cuckoo clock!
Their culture is fascinated me, too. I wanted to visit the one in Lancaster, but since my sister-in-law said the one in Berlin, Ohio is better, so we went there. Besides, it’s closer to go to Berlin then Lancaster from Pittsburgh.
Chocolates and cheese are always good, irrespective of the weather. I learned something new about the Amish people today and it will be so good to visit Amish Country Ohio and see this spectacular dreamy scenes.
It was funny to come across this post today. When we were doing our recent road trip, we went past several areas marked for Amish transport and even saw many horses and carts on the roadside. I am sure it would be a lot more prevalent on a visit to the Amish area of Pennsylvania. Such a great area to learn more about The Amish faith, culture, history and traditions. A visit for local products sounds perfect.
I live in a city in Canada that is considered Amish, although their farms surround the perimeter of our city, I see the horse and buggy coming into some of the stores and yes the signage for parking even in our big box stores. They also are a big supplier of vendors we see at the local farmers market. I’m with your husband, cheese, chocolate – yes please!
I wonder if they have an area like Berlin, Ohio there.
I have learned about the Amish people and culture at university in Germany. And I love the idea of visiting Amish county in Ohio and visit the Amish & Mennonite Heritage Center. Chocolate and cheese sound good too…..
A very interesting culture and I still want to visit the areas to learn more about them.
Didn’t know there was such a large Amish community in Ohio. I’ve only heard about the PA one. That one is famous. Loved reading and learning more about this part of the USA.
Most people heard about Lancaster but my sister-in-law suggested Berlin, Ohio. One day we will go to Lancaster.
I love learning about other cultures very interesting info thanks for sharing.
I had no idea that Ohio had such a large Amish community! What an insightful post!
This is really interesting, thank you. I’d love to learn more about Amish culture.
This is so interesting, I had no idea that Amish people also spoke a different language. Or that that the culture has so much history. Thank you for sharing. The cheese and chocolate also sound amazing, it sounds like a truly fascinating trip.