by Paul Heney
Last updated: 4:00 AM ET, Mon February 18, 2019
Many years ago, while on an organized day trip to Chile's wine region, I connected with a lovely Australian couple who had been all over the world, except for the United States. At one point, I asked them what they were most excited to see when they did finally make it to the U.S.
Their answer astonished me-the Amish.
They explained that nowhere else in the modern world did a simple agrarian society exist in parallel in quite the same way. They'd always been fascinated with this situation and wanted to see it for themselves.
While most people immediately think of Pennsylvania when the Amish are mentioned, my home state of Ohio also has a sizeable population of Amish and Mennonite. Most of them are located across the eastern-central portion of the state in Holmes, Tuscarawas, Wayne, Ashland and Knox counties. The region is a bit more than an hour's drive from Cleveland, Columbus or Pittsburgh.
The region roughly centers on the city of Millersburg, and tourist hotspots include the small hamlets of Berlin, Charm, Walnut Creek, and Sugarcreek. Berlin boasts the Amish & Mennonite Heritage Center, which features a 265-foot mural depicting the cultural heritage of these peoples, as well as local crafts and a one-room schoolhouse.
Meanwhile, in Walnut Creek, the German Culture Museum includes plenty of antiques and descriptions of the local history. And don't miss the world's largest cuckoo clock in Sugarcreek.
Visitors to the area have a wide variety of tastes to sample, including cheeses, chocolates, wine, and traditional Amish cooking, which tends toward comfort food-think fried chicken, pot roasts, trail bologna and plenty of pies! Once you're full, there are still antique shops, quilt shops and furniture stores to peruse.
For some evening entertainment, check out the Amish Country Theater in Berlin or The Ohio Star Theater in Sugarcreek. The former features ventriloquist Ken Groves, comedian Lynyrd and the Amish comedy trio The Beachys. The latter boasts ever-changing acts, including musicals, Contemporary Christian musical acts, and numerous Christmas-oriented shows.
One of the most interesting attractions in this area is Roscoe Village, just outside of the city of Coshocton. This recreated canal town is like a much smaller version of Colonial Williamsburg. Visitors can shop, eat, listen to costumed interpreters and craftspeople talk about life long ago, or even ride a horse-drawn canal boat on the Ohio Erie Canal.
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