“USA 🇺🇸 ~Road Trip’n Through Ohio and Amish Country!”

• September 3, 2021
• By Pen
• 2 Comments

Now that we have reached the East Coast, we feel very accomplished.
Finally, instead of mostly just driving from state to state, we get to slow down and do more site-seeing, and resting. The push is definitely over.
It is here, on the East Coast, where we wanted to do more playing. Daryl has not explored the east coast at all, so that makes it even more fun. And, while I love all of America, I also used to live on the East Coast in Marlboro, Massachusetts, when I was little, so I feel some attachment.
Years later, even, I worked for a non-profit called Project Adventure. I worked in a satellite office in Portland, Oregon, as an office manager for this East Coast based company. I flew to the East Coast (Massachusetts, Vermont and Georgia offices) from Portland a few times a year. I loved my working time there. I made many friends, and fell in love with the East Coast during those years.
Back in those days, flights were booked for a Saturday night stay-over in order to save money. This meant I had from Friday; usually early afternoon, through Sunday night to play, as I had the rental car the company paid for. So, I drove all over, exploring, on every work trip, and end up taking the last possible flight out. It was on one such working trip, I drove to Maine, from Massachusetts. I’ve always wanted to return one day. So, now is that time!
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Arriving in Ohio, we stayed a few days and explored Amish Country. What a joy to see the Amish (and Mennonite) activity around us.
We did not take a tour, or get visit an Amish farm, though we really wanted to.
what I found was The Yoder Farm, which opens for tours starting on Thursday to Saturday. However, The Covid era may have something to do with the scaled-back visitor days, and since it was Tuesday and Wednesday, we’ll, it was just bad timing for us. I called but no call back. Drats!

Yoder Amish Farm ⬇️

This gorgeous 116-acre Amish home and farm is open to the public from:
April 23 thru October 22. Guided tours of the barn and houses will temporarily take you back to a simpler time. You’ll also learn all about the history and customs of the Amish faith.
Yoder’s Amish Home is located at:
6050 SR 515 Millersburg, OH 44654.

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I saw some online mentions of van driving tours, but we could do that on our own….

….Though our plan was to drive around and get a little lost. It was perfect! Loved it, and we saw what we hoped we would see in our wanderings. All in all we visited: Berlin, Baltic, Charm, Sugarcreek, New Bedford and Walnut Creek.
We enjoyed this day so much, we might even visit more Amish country in Eastern Pennsylvanian, on this trip, too.
MEMORY: as a little girl, in Lancaster, Pennsylvania, sitting on a picnic table in a park, watching several Amish families drive by in their horse and buggies. I thought that was the coolest thing I had ever seen in my whole six years of life.
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OHIO
Ohio is a state in the Midwestern region of the United States. Of the fifty states, it is the 34th-largest by area, and with a population of nearly 11.8 million, is the seventh-most populous and tenth-most densely populated. 

HOLMES COUNTY 

Millersburg
We stayed in the Millersburg Hotel. It’s a beautiful old building which is nicely kept up, with a lot of antiques in their decor.
The next day, we spend most of it driving around an area of about 160 miles, checking out the beautiful Amish farms along the “Amish Country Byway;” also known as US Hwy 62.
At one point we stopped in the road as an Amish farmer came up the hill (opposite side) towards us with his two beautiful, matching horses, pulling a green working wagon. He stopped and we greeted each other. We had a nice conversation. I would have taken his photo, but they don’t like their photo taken, and I was being respectful. Besides, I loved listening to his Amish accent, as we conversed. Too soon, we said our goodbyes. It was super cool.
We continued on our way and had many opportunities to see the buggies and horses, too. I got lots of photos, as Daryl drove. We even came upon a Holstein cow who had just given birth to her calf. ⬇️

⬆️ We waited awhile to see the newborn stand up, but we were blocking the road, so had to go.

“The Little Switzerland of Ohio” covers a total area of a little more than three and a half square miles.
This village is a popular tourist destination for anyone looking to explore Ohio’s Amish Country, and it takes pride in its Swiss and German heritage.

⬆️ The first State road in Ohio ⬇️

Trust me… THAT is not a bike path 💩 😂

⬆️ The friendly Amish Farmer and his beautiful horses

In the background is a white-tailed buck running away from us ⬆️

So cute

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⬆️ Back in the old town of Millersburg, it is not unusual to see Amish horses and buggies tied up around town, especially at the courthouse. It is just a lovely reminder for that Millersburg and the surrounding area is a step back in time, when it was common for everyone to be riding in horse and buggies. ⬇️

⬆️ When Millersburg was originally formed, the Amish had not yet arrived in large numbers to Holmes County. Today, Holmes County, with Millersburg being the county seat, is home to the largest contingent of Amish in the country.
The Mennonites began arriving in the Ohio Country at the beginning of the 18th Century, along with other American settlers and for the same reason. But, around the time of the War of 1812, there began a new wave of Amish and Mennonites coming to the United States from Europe. Instead of settling in areas which already had a large population of Amish, they began new communities. While the Mennonite communities began to decline over the next 100 years, the Amish communities continued to grow.

Mennonites vs Amish Similarities:

Both groups actually stem from the same Christian movement during the European Protestant Reformation. These Christians were called Anabaptists and they sought to return to a simplicity of faith and practice based on the Bible. The Anabaptists also stressed the importance that belief must result in practice, and that idea still holds true today for both the Amish and Mennonite communities.

Mennonites vs Amish Differences:

The split between the two groups started with a gentleman named Jacob Amann who believed that sinning resulting in excommunication should result in a more serious punishment (now known as “shunning”) then what the Mennonite community currently followed. Amann’s beliefs attracted a large group of followers who came to be known as the Amish.
Today, the greatest differences between the Amish and Mennonites stem mainly from practices rather than beliefs. Amish groups tend to shy away from technology and involvement with the greater world, by dressing “plain” and using scooters and buggies for transportation.
The Mennonites have embraced some of the world’s technologies and stress the importance of missionary work, helping to spread their faith to over fifty countries around the world.
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The Historic Millersburg Hotel ⬇️

With its proximity to small towns like Berlin, Sugarcreek and Charm, Hotel Millersburg is a perfect hub for exploring the area. It’s also a place to enjoy Midwest hospitality in the midst of a U.S. history lesson.
There are 750 antique pictures, calendars and documents throughout the hotel that pay tribute to the Declaration of Independence, the military, exploration and leisure pursuits.
Vintage photographs of Millersburg are part of the bounty. In the Lincoln Room, a common space on the first floor, a section of the original wallpaper is covered with glass; The paper, dating to 1847, was uncovered during a renovation.
Other common areas like the parlor with a piano that guests can play.
Listed on the National Register of Historic Places, the hotel is worthy of its distinction. Grover Cleveland stayed here in 1900. Electricity was added in 1888. Plus, its location in the center of Millersburg’s historic district, filled with antique stores, boutique shops and independently owned restaurants and cafes, make for a perfect settle into small town Ohio. 

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After we arrived in Millersburg, We drove about 100 miles all over the countryside after arriving in Holmes

STATES VISITED ON OUR USA ROAD TRIP

CALIFORNIA: ✅

NEVADA: ✅

OREGON: ✅

KONA, HAWAII: ✅

OREGON again: ✅

IDAHO: ✅

UTAH: ✅

WYOMING: ✅

COLORADO: ✅

NEBRASKA: ✅

SOUTH DAKOTA: ✅

NORTH DAKOTA: ✅

MINNESOTA: ✅

WISCONSIN: ✅

ILLINOIS: ✅

INDIANA: ✅

MICHIGAN: ✅

OHIO: ✅

OHIO

UNITED STATES OF AMERICAN 🇺🇸