I’d take the Amish country over a smaller big town any day of the week! Twice on Sunday.
If you know Marcia and I, you know we love a good trip up to the Amish Country. When we say Amish country, we are referring to Holmes County, Sugarcreek, Walnut Creek, and Berlin area. We visit at least a few times a year. If there’s a three-day weekend on the horizon, you can bet we’ll be spending it in Amish land. Why is that?
Nostalgia. Peace. Quietness. Stillness. Comfort. Slowness.
Life has a certain busyness to it that drains a person or couple by the end of the week. The rat race starts at 5 a.m. and goes way into the evening hours. Traffic and stop lights. Road rage and middle fingers. It grows tiresome to the soul no matter how much you look up to God for the peace in your heart. It’s not always easy for me to find God in the city life, but somehow he ALWAYS finds me in the country.
Enjoying an evening on the patio fireplace at the Wallhouse Hotel in Berlin, Ohio.
Sure, it’s a nice break from societal chaos. More importantly, it’s a break from life.
Here are some takeaways:
- Stillness: It’s five O’ clock somewhere, but just not in the Amish country because certainly almost everything is closed. Even at its busiest during the day, respite comes by night.
- Click clack of horseshoes: Nothing beats sitting on a patio early in the morning or evening, drinking a fine cup of coffee and hearing the sounds of horse buggies moving by. Even better is when the weather allows the dew to rise above the ground and then seeing the horses sway the fog through their majestic trots.
- Life slows down: Even when it’s busy, you see the calmness in the Amish. They don’t have frowns on their faces. They’re not responding to you sarcastically or as if you’re bothering them. You see the care and tender nature in the actions of a checkout station. You see the willingness to assist and genuine thoughtfulness.
Our favorite spots to visit
Mrs. Yoders. If you’re looking for the best fried chicken on this planet. Look no further than Mrs. Yoders. Yeah, it gets busy!! The wait is totally worth it.
Park Street Pizza. The Colossal pizza has basil, spicy sausage, hot honey and cupped pepperoni. The pizza bread is fluffy, crisp on the edges and flavorful. This is usually our dinner spot before we head home on Sunday.
Hans. If you like a good blue cheese burger and fries, you’ll certainly be back for round two, three or four in the future. The fires are double cooked, so the crispiness of the fry is out of this world. The atmosphere can get busy at times especially at night when they have live music, and service can get challenged during the day when they do not have enough staff. If you’re willing to look over that and be patient, you’re in for one heck of a meal!
Sheiyah’s. If you have time to kill, which is mostly what we do when we visit, we always visit Sheiyah’s. Sheiyah is a market with several floors and buildings from outdoor garden to indoor decorative items – something for everyone.
I give it a month and we’ll be back.
Marcia contributed to this article.
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