User:Oacountry

The region of northeastern Ohio known as Ohio’s Amish Country is comprised of 8 counties—Holmes, Knox, Coshocton, Tuscarawas, Wayne, Stark, Ashland and Richland. Each of these counties would have or has had an Amish settlement in them in recent times. Holmes County, the center of the region is home to the world’s largest Amish settlement.

While Lancaster County, PA is probably better known as an Amish community they are actually smaller. Their popularity is due more to a seasoned tourism industry and their proximity to the large population on the east coast including New York City.

Ohio’s Amish Country has become popular to visitors almost by accident. The early attractions to the area were the restaurants serving Amish and Mennonite home-style cooking. This was popularized through the serving of family style meals of fried chicken, extremely tender roast beef and ham along with real mashed potatoes, creamed corn, dressing, Amish noodles and chicken gravy. These table filling meals were topped off with a wide selection of home-style baked pies and puddings. Other restaurants offered traditional Swiss style foods alongside their Amish counterparts.

Persons who came to dine often stayed to visit the local shops. Originally, these were not catering to the visitors but were more suited to the local clientele. Over time as the tourist volume increased the shops adapted.

In the late 1980’s and early 1990’s the landscape began to change. The restaurants in downtown Berlin consisted of Boyd and Wurthman’s and The Berlin House. B & W, as the locals know it, still exists in much the same décor as 30 years ago. The Berlin House was eventually torn down to make room for a larger shopping complex. Many of the buildings on Main Street were houses for single families. Now most of them are occupied by shops of various kinds.

A transition in the Amish community also began to fuel some of the changes in the attraction to the area. As farmland became more expensive and farming became less of a sure way to make money and support a large family, the Amish began to expand their wood-working abilities beyond their own community. They began to manufacture and sell more furniture to the outside world.

Now some 15-20 years later there are more than 450 businesses with some hand in the manufacture of furniture from making only parts to completing the finished product. While there are over 30 furniture retailers in the area, many of the shops are supported by wholesale sales of their products to stores throughout the United States.

As tourism to the area grew (Ohio’s Amish Country is now reportedly the second largest tourist draw in the state) the spill over began to enhance the tourist attractions in the counties surrounding Holmes County. Visitors to the area discovered there were a variety of things to do within an hour’s drive of the peaceful setting of Amish Country. Stark County hosts the First Ladies’ Museum and the Pro Football Hall of Fame in Canton as well as the Hartville area, a former Amish community.

Tuscarawas County offers many historical sites to visit as well as an outdoor drama, The Trumpet in the Land, which depicts the early days of Moravian missionary work to the area Native Americans. Coshocton County is home to the Historic Roscoe Village, an 1800’s canal town.

Knox, Holmes and Ashland Counties share the wealth of outdoor activities along the Mohican River in the area known as Mohican Country. Canoeing, horseback riding, mountain biking and camping draw many to the beautiful area. Historical sites are also available along many of the Scenic Byways of the region including Wally Road.

Richland County is home to Mansfield. In downtown Mansfield you will find the Caroussel District, the restored buildings of which remind you of the French Quarter of New Orleans. The retired Mansfield Reformatory, site of the filming of The Shawshank Redemption, is open to visitors.

Wayne County, hosting a large Amish population in the southern portion of the county, is also home to the Light Opera in Wooster as well as the College of Wooster. The J M Smucker Company, famous for their jams and jellies, is located in Orrville where they have a store dedicated just to their products called Simply Smucker’s. The Cat’s Meow Village is also rooted in Wayne County.

When the tourism first began to grow, the bed and breakfast industry sprung up to respond to the demand. While it continues to grow and mature, locals have built motels and been joined by chain lodging establishments to cater to the visitors who want to stay overnight or for an extended period of time in the area. It’s still a challenge to find a room during October at the last minute. Booking ahead is recommended.

Day visitors, tour groups and families are all continuing to discover the attraction of the region of Ohio’s Amish Country. From Amish home-style meals to crafts, quilts and other handiwork to furniture to cultural and historical sites and events--the region offers it all for any taste.