Ohio Amish Country: A Weekend Getaway

Escape as a couple or have a family weekend getaway to Ohio Amish Country. Sample some of the best foods, experience eclectic shopping and see the most peaceful, beautiful places in Ohio!

Sometimes in your walk through life you just need to get away.

Away from the bustle of the city. Away from the carpool lanes. Away from your never-ending to-do list.

It might be that you need an escape without children to spend quality time with your spouse. Or maybe your family has been in a busy season and it’s necessary to get away. Reconnect. Laugh together.

Matt and I did just that last month. We were heading into what was going to be a very busy sports season. School would be starting up. We knew that we had to take some time for ourselves before we were absorbed in transporting the kids to practices and lessons and helping to encourage Maddie through advanced math and chemistry.

Do you get it?

I think you probably do.

We decided to escape without the kids (thanks, Mom and Dad!) to Ohio Amish Country. This is where we spent our honeymoon and we’ve visited several times since. Peaceful. Rolling hills. Delicious country food. It’s the ideal escape!

There’s so much to see and do in Ohio Amish country that it is hard to nail down a “Top 10” list. I’ll share with you our highlights and you can comment with your favorites that we missed and still need to experience!

Ohio Amish Country Highlights

1. Heini’s Cheese Factory: When you head to Amish country, you must visit all of the cheese factories. You know we love our cheese. Heini’s is one of the most popular cheese factories in Ohio Amish country and has samples galore. You won’t leave Heini’s hungry!
2. Jitters Coffee House: Anytime we travel, Matt and I have to check out local coffee houses. Jitters in Millersburg, Ohio, is a cozy little shop with not only coffee, but a full breakfast, lunch & dinner menu, too. We spent an entire morning here drinking their special mocha coffee. The atmosphere is comfortable and the workers are so kind! If this coffee shop were closer, I’d spend at least one morning a week working here. Although they have freshly made donuts so I’d probably outgrow my clothing pretty quickly.
3. Holmes County Trail: If you’re looking for a place to take a walk, the Holmes County Trail is ideal setting. You can hop on this trail in several spots. We parked in the city of Millersburg and walked for about 2 miles through the trees and peaceful prairies. What makes this trail unique? It’s a double wide trail, made that way for the Amish buggies. You’ll see Amish families heading to their daily activities along this trail. Cute little kids riding scooters and bikes. Open buggies. Covered buggies. It was one of my favorite parts of the trail.
4. Chalet in the Valley: We’ve eaten at this German and Swiss restaurant several times. One of our favorite dishes? Swissghetti. Think classic pasta with a hearty meat sauce, covered in melted baby swiss cheese. Yeah….it’s quite amazing. Because we had already indulged several times that morning, we decided to go with the soup & salad bar this time. Everything was fresh and light. Oh, and you get homemade soft pretzel sticks along with your meal. You can’t beat that!
5. Dutch Valley Restaurant: This restaurant is  more of a chain-style tourist restaurant, but if you’re looking to fill yourself with a hearty, Amish-style breakfast buffet, this is the place you want to go. I go for the cornmeal fried mush. I could eat my weight in that stuff!
6. Fox’s Pizza Den, Millersburg: The day we ate at Dutch Valley Restaurant, we filled our bellies so full that we really weren’t hungry again until about 8 PM in the evening. We decided to try a pizza shop, so found Fox’s Den in Millersburg. Their hand-tossed dough and thick, rich sauce hit the spot.
7. Donna’s Premier Lodging, Berlin: If you’re looking for a gorgeous place to stay, I highly recommend Donna’s Premier Lodging. We stayed in one of their country chalets for our honeymoon and returned for our 10 year anniversary. Their chalets are down a winding, wooded road and are simply gorgeous. You have a 2-story chalet with a heart-shaped, waterfall jacuzzi, king-size bed, billiards table and kitchen all to yourself. They are romantic and relaxing. A true escape!
8. Countryside Lodging: Victorian Suite: If you’re looking for a place to stay that is a bit less expensive but still luxurious, try this Victorian sweet. We were a little late in planning our August Ohio Amish Country escape and Donna’s Premier Lodging was already booked. We stumbled upon this gem of a house on the country roads of Millersburg. It’s a 950 square foot luxury suite that is attached to a 6000 square foot home in a gorgeous neighborhood. The highlight of this spacious room? The bathroom! Italian marble floors, granite countertops, walk-in shower, and a huge jacuzzi tub. You won’t want to leave the luxurious bathroom! For the price, this private escape was quite the find.
9. Sugarcreek, Ohio: Ohio Amish Country is full of little towns, but our favorite is Sugarcreek. It is quieter and less busy than popular Berlin. The shops are eclectic and fun. If you love antiques and thrift shops, this is the place to go! Walk the streets, buy bulk foods, visit the cuckoo clock shop. 
10. Olde World Bakery and Bistro: This was our first stop when we arrived in Berlin for our weekend. Matt and I shared their cheese planks (because, Amish country!) and Sticky BBQ burger made with locally raised beef on a pretzel bun. Although we didn’t try their baked goods, they had fry pies and cinnamon rolls to rival just about any other bakery!
11. Walnut Creek Cheese: It’s not just cheese. This huge shopping store has groceries, kitchenwares, bakery-fresh goodies, bulk foods, homemade ice cream, deli and cannery. It’s one of our favorite places to grab something to eat when we don’t feel like a sit-down restaurant. Be sure to stock up on fry pies!

Now it’s your turn to tell me. What’s your favorite place in Ohio Amish Country? There are so many places to visit, I’d love to hear the places you love. If we haven’t visited, we’ll put it on our list for next time.

See our other Ohio Favorites

The Ohio State Fair

Visiting Bob Evan’s Farm