Ohio Amish Country

A ride in the countryside is an everyday experience for the Amish and Mennonites who live in Ohio Amish Country. If you sit and wait along the roads near Walnut Creek, you will see a buggy coming up over the hill every few minutes during a regular day. Men on their way to work, families on their way to the store or to church services on Sunday, this is without a doubt Amish Country.

I have a deep appreciation and awe for these people who have chosen to not embrace the advancing technological culture of the rest of America, and instead have chosen to live the simpler life.  On their large homesteads, multiple generations have chosen to stay together and support each other from children to the elderly.

They are raised in a similar fashion, learning different trades from their elders, embracing community, religion, and respect for others. 

Behalt-Amish Mennonite Heritage Center

We had met the Amish before while in Pennsylvania, but this time we wanted to dive into their history to find out more about them. Where did they come from? What happened to them to bring them to America? Why did they choose to shun advancing technology? To answer those questions, we went to the Behalt-Amish Mennonite Heritage Center.

Inside the center is a 360 degree mural painted by a man named Heinz Gaugel. Gaugel was was passing through the area on his way to Columbus when he heard people speaking a German dialect he was familiar with. He was intrigued by their unique lifestyle and immediately bonded with the people of the community. To preserve their history and answer the questions of the frequent tourists, he decided to make a painting of the history of the Anabaptists (who the Amish and Mennonites are historically related to) on the inside walls of the building. 

The Anabaptists broke away from the Catholic belief of infant baptism believing that everyone had to make their own choice to be saved when they were of age. They decided to be re-baptized as adults which created division between them and the Catholics. The groups of followers were persecuted and many decided to move away to freedom. At the time, there were only a couple territories that allowed freedom of religion. One of those places was under the jurisdiction of William Penn. His territory of Pennsylvania welcomed many of the settlers. The new settlers set down their roots, began farming the land, and worshiping God according to their beliefs, shunning the advancement of the outside world.

The heritage center had a collection of many Amish and Mennonite items including all different kinds of head coverings worn by the men and women. They also had copies of the earliest Ausbund texts, the first known hymn book (all in German without notes). Sadly, they also had depictions which showed the persecution of many of the early Christians and how they were martyred.

Heini’s Cheese Chalet

The Ohio Amish love their fresh foods. In addition to roadside farm stands and market places, Heini’s had fresh made cheeses.

They only have the machines running a few times a week, but we happened to hit it right when we were there and were able to take a peek at them making cheese.

We swiped a few different kinds including provolone, cheddar, parmesan, and raw milk cheese!

Amish Country Theater

One of the evenings we were there we decided to go to the Amish Country Theater. They had a variety comedy show with a man named Lynyrd as the main character between acts. While only one of the men on stage was Amish, it was a decent show. Some acts were funnier than others, but the Amish man was really the best, cracking jokes about the tourists who come to visit Amish Country. 

The younger Amish man stands on the left while Lynyrd is on the right. 

Lehman’s

Lehman’s in Kidron, Ohio is a very unique home goods store with lots of interesting and specialized goods. They have everything from t-shirts and socks to snacks, canned goods, and lotions and everything in between. You think you’ve hit the end of the store and another room opens up that keeps you walking through to see more unique goods. It’s really a trip.

The kids found the candy section and with a donation from a certain unnamed individual, walked out of there with a handful of teeth rotting goodness. They didn’t mind one bit.

Schrock’s Village

A variety of stores make up Schrock’s Village, such as a flea market and craft store, but naturally the kids gravitated to the puppies. Anyone can come in and hold the puppies and they took advantage of that… twice while we were there. The little dogs were so cute playing with each other and napping in their beds. Both of them wanted to adopt one, but one dog is enough for us in an RV.

The Farm at Walnut Creek

This place was a real treat and we almost missed it. On the last day we were there, we decided to head over to The Farm at Walnut Creek. We paid the admission and headed in. Apparently you can either ride along in a cart with an Amish tour guide or you can drive your own car along the road like you’re in a wild safari. We chose the latter.

The animals at The Farm are not all your typical animals. There’s everything from deer, llamas, zebras, cows, giraffes, goats, to camels and boars. 

Look at this big guy! I wasn’t sure whether to draw back in fear at those horns  and his proximity to my truck or be amazed that he managed to “see” anything through that mane.

I’ve always heard that zebras can be mean wild creatures, but these guys were nothing more than friendly and eager to visit your car looking for food.

All the animals looked so peaceful here, enjoying the shade and relaxing on the grass. 

Well, she didn’t look too peaceful, but she was in the process of giving birth, so I can understand her predicament. It may have been a teenaged goat above her watching over this soon-to-be (again?) mama. He kept butting heads with her and trying to get her attention like a new sibling was taking all the attention away from him.

The new little one was born while we were standing there in a matter of minutes. The new mom cleaned up the young one and immediately took to caring for him and butting away the little rascal clamoring for attention.

There were several houses on the property owned by the Amish workers of the farm. One was the grandparent’s house. They welcomed us in and had cookies prepared for us to eat. A large quilt was splayed out in the living room and the elderly woman sat down to work on it. On the wall, each family member’s Sunday clothes were hung on the wall.

We had a wonderful visit to Amish country and just a small peek into the simple living these people enjoy.