Fun for Every Season
Each of the four seasons offers something special for visitors to Amish Country. Holmes County bursts forth in spring. On the Amish farms, many animals are being born. It is fun to see newborns in the fields and barns. Flowers are popping up everywhere. One of the receptive tour operators in the area offers a trip called the Tulip Trail, which is a back-roads tour. In summer, the working farms are busy places.
“Driving around the county, you see scenes that are almost out of a long-ago century,” said Judson. “There’s the shocking of wheat; hay bailing is done using horses and a minimal amount of machinery, depending on what the farm family’s particular church allows.” Folks also love to come to the cheese houses to watch the old-fashioned cheesemaking process and, of course, to taste the varieties.
Judson said fall is the busiest time of the year in Holmes County; October, especially so. Fall 2016 was an exceptionally beautiful color season. In 2014, National Geographic magazine named the area the third-best destination for fall foliage viewing in the United States. Holmes County was ranked only behind Sonoma County, California, and northern New Mexico.
“The landscape and the views are probably one of the big things tourists want to see,” she said. “It is still a rural county. The roots are very agrarian. What people mostly come for is the authenticity of Amish Country.”
Fall is also festival season, and many communities in Holmes County and adjacent counties celebrate everything from apples to pumpkins. Halloween is a big celebration on some of the farms.
Wintertime is beautiful in Amish Country, and holiday celebrations abound. Festivals and special events abound throughout the area each holiday season. For example, visitors enjoy the Farm at Walnut Creek for wintry outdoor activities such as a horse-drawn sleigh ride over some of the 120 acres of rolling hills. The sleighs are always piled high with warm blankets so riders can ward off the winter chill. The journey can be a quiet, romantic moonlit ride for couples or families, and church and corporate planners can book multiple sleighs for group outings.
On some of the rides, the driver may stop and let the resident llamas, yaks, American bison, elk and deer saunter up to the sleigh for a little feeding. There is also a stop at a heated barn, where visitors will see zebras, water buffalo, baboons, giraffes and cockatoos that are spending the winter inside. The last stop on the journey is the main house, where hot cocoa, coffee, tea and snacks are served.
Also during the colder months, the area’s renowned furniture-making continues indoors.
“We are known around the world for the beautiful Amish-made hardwood furniture that comes out of this area,” said Judson. “It is shipped everywhere.”
That furniture becomes heirlooms and is enjoyed by generations of family members in their own homes.
Best Done in Groups
Individuals and couples enjoy touring Ohio’s Amish Country, but sometimes the fun is expanded when you are part of a group. Many groups of schoolchildren bus to the area on field trips to learn about Amish culture. The local chamber of commerce can help group planners create an unforgettable itinerary that will leave everyone smiling.
One site groups enjoy visiting is Yoder’s Amish Home, which was opened in 1983 by the Yoder family. The home strives for authenticity, and household members want to share their knowledge, heritage, customs and history with visitors. Tours include the two family houses and an 1885 barn, which features the unique architecture of the Amish, such as hand-hewn beams and pegs. Knowledgeable Amish guides make the visit interesting.
The Yoder property also offers authentic Amish buggy rides. Amish drivers are quite comfortable with the visitors and glad to answer questions. The buggy ventures down private back roads, and the drivers point out favorites places and spaces around the hay field
Events and Meetings
More special events and meetings can take place in the area now that the Holmes County Fairground at Harvest Ridge has been completed. Since it opened, another new building is under construction on the campus, and when that is completed, there will be a combined 70,000 square feet of flexible rental space available for a wide range of groups. “That will be great for anyone who wants to hold an event in Holmes County,” said Judson. The upcoming Going On Faith Conference will be one of the first significant conferences to be booked at the new fairgrounds.
There are five prime hotels for groups to book in Holmes County. The chamber of commerce suggests the Berlin Grande Hotel, the Berlin Resort, Zinck’s Inn, Comfort Suites Berlin and Lodging on the Square.
For many conferences and corporate meetings, opening night ceremonies can include a welcome dinner at the popular Amish Door Restaurant, a traditional meat-and-potatoes restaurant and buffet in a sprawling Amish-themed venue in Wilmot. The all-inclusive campus has a restaurant, an event facility, a hotel, a bakery and a gift shop. Entertainers are often brought in to perform for the conference attendees. “And we always plan to offer plenty of authentic experiences,” said Judson.
For registration details, visit www.gofconference.com.
