Amish Country Day Trip
Our last day trip this week was to Amish Country. We do not go into the main tourist area but instead stick to the back roads and visit our favorite businesses. The best advice I can give you about visiting Amish Country is never go on a Sunday. The Amish are very religious and Sunday is for church and family.
This is an Amish farm where there are
multiple houses on the property for the
family members. You will not see any power
lines going to the houses because they don’t
have electricity, however, we noticed for the
first time many homes had solar panels on
their roof so evidently that is acceptable.
Normally in the fall cars are bumper to
bumper in the tourist area. We take the
back roads where we see the Amish working
in the fields with work horses and plows…….
and the kids walking home from school.
The one place we like to visit is Lehman’s.
Lehman’s is a huge store where tourists and
the Amish purchase just about anything they
need like oil lamps, gas stoves, gas refrigerators,
canning supplies, kitchen supplies, canned
jellies and jams. They have everything!
The country views are spectacular.
This is a common sight on the back roads.
How beautiful this was!
Even though this is a back road, the
kids walking home from school and
the horse and buggies have cars
and semi trucks to deal with.
Next up is lunch!
We always eat at the
Amish Door Restaurant.
The Amish waitresses take
great care of us. The buffet at
lunch time was $13.99. They serve ham,
chicken, noodles, mashed potatoes, sweet
potatoes, gravy, macaroni & cheese,
green beans plus a huge salad bar.
This is their overflow
and banquet area.
Their address and information.
Behind the restaurant is the Inn at Amish Door.
We stayed there overnight about 10 years ago.
This gazebo is at the Inn.
Now off to our favorite bakery.
The only thing I bought today was Whoopie
Pie Cookies but they sell every kind of
bake food you can think of.
Here is their information.
This is one of the few businesses open on Sunday.
Our last stop is at Heini’s Cheese Chalet.
They sell cheese, sausage, candy and much
more. If you time it right, you can watch them
making cheese through the glass windows. This
is a fascinating process to watch. Here we
bought cheese and sausage. One thing we always
do is take coolers with ice packs since the cheese
and sausage needs to be kept cold and we
live so far away. Heini’s Cheese Chalet is right
across the street from Kauffman’s Bakery.
I did not receive any compensation for this post.
We love visiting here twice a year. If you ever
get the opportunity to visit or learn about
the Amish, I’m certain you will
find it as fascinating as I do!
http://www.InDianesKitchen.com
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Categories: Amish/Mennonite, Day Trip/Vacation
Wonderful post. When did you go? In September? Thank you. I love to visit the Amish as well.
We went Thursday last week. Unfortunately the fall leaves are late this year so we didn’t get to see all the gorgeous colors but on a good side, there was nobody there since they were waiting for the trees to change. It is their busiest time of the year.
I’ve always wanted to visit Amish Country and learn more about their way of life. From your photos it looks beautiful there!
It is a life with family, friends, nature, animals and no stress. They are workers! They help each other like they are all family. If a husband dies, the men all show up to plow the fields. If you ever get a chance, read a book about them it is an amazing way of life.
A fascinating was of life.
It is isn’t it! If the internet goes down they will survive!
Lovely day out!
It sure was Sheree thanks!
Great trip! We have a lot of Amish here. They have two stores, four greenhouses, and several have other types of businesses at their farm. They do a lot of things in the community as well. Interesting they have solar panels now… Thanks for sharing.
You’re welcome! I wish I lived there!
It looks amazing. What made you go there? Caz. x
Food….lol But seriously we go 2 times a year. There are many reasons we go. The beauty of the country side, seeing the lifestyle of the Amish, the unique stores and to get my cooking supplies. I have been going there for probably 35 years.
Nice pictures and very interesting post…………….thanks for sharing!!!
You’re welcome!
These are good photos, Diane. I grew up with the Mennonite in the Shenandoah Valley. I wrote a blog you might enjoy reading back in 2014. Type in An Evening Buggy Ride in search bar. It was a grand evening!
Thank you Mitzy! I most certainly will read that post! You must have so many memories.
Interesting!
And fun! lol
What a wonderful place to visit. Thanks for sharing your trip!
Thank you it was a great time.
I have been to all these places except Kaufman’s Bakery. Always good food and great shopping!
Aren’t they fun!!! Kaufman’s is right across the street from Heini’s.
I met a few Amish people in the Maritime Provinces of Canada when I was there with my friend in our campervan (RV) a few years back. They used to sit in car parks or at the side of the road and sell produce from the back of their jeeps. It was always very good quality and obviously grown properly.
Amish are not allowed to be in a car & Mennonite can drive a car (I believe) so they were probably Mennonites. We see the kids working the gardens with the moms in the spring. We see the men in the fields. Everything they sell, bake or make is of the highest quality.
Mennonites, that sounds right now that you write it down. I knew it was one of those type of sects and my friend would point out some of the large communal farms where they lived.
Isn’t it odd how things go in circles? These people were doing “organic farming”, “zero food miles”, “free range” and all the rest of it long before it was all the rage. I suppose when they started doing it farming was all done that way but I do like the way they have hung onto the old ways even if their belief system is not for me.
Diane, thanks for sharing this post. I hope to one day go to an Amish Bed & Breakfast and spend a couple of days in Amish country. I read a lot of Amish books so I think it would be a neat place to visit. Do you live in Ohio?
Yes I do Jan. That would be so amazing to do. I have never done that! I have toured an Amish farm and house but that’s it.
My husband’s family lives in Ohio and our oldest daughter and grands live there too. What part of Ohio are you in? We were youth pastors in Cleveland and Massillon many years ago. Such a beautiful state. We try to visit twice a year. Looking forward to our next visit in December.
I’m an hour from Cleveland. What a small world!
Love this post. We used to live near an Amish community at our old town. I loved it because the Amish would drive their horses and buggies to the store. Love your pictures. Especially the barefoot kiddos. Bet that restaurant and bakery is delicious.
Thank you Jessica!!!! How wonderful to have lived there! Oh yes the bakery and restaurant are always delicious! ❤
I loved driving past their farms. Especially when the wash was hanging on the clothes lines and all their beautiful animals were out.
Awesome. This looks very relaxing.
It is very peaceful seeing all the countryside and simple way of life. No phones or computers!
Whoopie Pie!
Great post
Oh yes! I have never come home from there without some! Thank you Allen!
Do you ever sleep, Woman??? I read somewhere that you’re officially retired. Did someone forget to tell you?? I actually thought you lived on the west coast because of your late night posts and comments… But no. Somewhere near/in Ohio.
I’ll sleep if you do 😊
Hahahaha I am up until 2:00 am working on my site every night. Then I wake up around 9:00 -10:00 am (see plenty of sleep) when I start posting for about 2 hours. Oh and there is the meals to make and pictures at supper time, 2 & 1/2 acres to take care of, a fish pond and grandkids are here Thursday night and all day Friday every other week. Then again Thursday night through late Sunday night the other every other weeks. I love my schedule and today we went on our last day trip to an amazing place! I will probably post about it on Saturday because I am spending Saturday with my cousin from out of town and won’t have time to post to social media…lol I can’t believe you noticed!
Late reply on this one. One of your followers noticed my comment. ( I still don’t believe you sleep.😉)
I have always been a night owl! lol
It looks fun and I thought it was interesting about the solar panels … I knew that they frown on electricity. I hope they all have big fireplaces for in the cold Winter. It sounds like you made the most of your visit to Amish Country and those gourds were amazing weren’t they?
The entire display was huge and beautiful. I think the Amish only use energy that is natural because they have natural gas refrigerators.
I didn’t know there were natural gas refrigerators – wow. I figured they used ice blocks like my grandmother said they used years ago.
We even had people that used them where I live. I use to see them when I worked for the Gas Company. They had very few parts and lasted forever!
That’s amazing – like a natural gas generator then.
Yes when I worked at gas company rich people bought those as a back up for the house. If the power went out it kicked on.
I wish I had that – not so much for Summer, but I worry about the more frequent Polar Vortex events. We have 38 degrees and frost this morning … I have errands to do this morning, among them going to pick up my heavy coats at the cleaners – yikes!
Perfect timing!
I’ve been there! Leyman’s was great and I’ve eaten at Yoder’s in Ohio. I even rode in a Amish buggy. I cherish my memories of my visits.
Awesome then you know exactly why I go so much. When my daughter was young we went on a buggy ride and it was enclosed except for the front and back. We were trotting along and the horse farted! The smell went right through the buggy and my daughter and I couldn’t stop laughing. I still wonder what that Amish guy was thinking…hahahaha
The buggy belonged to 3 unwed sisters. The older one took me first (because I was from Australia) then my friends. That was way back in 2008. The 3 sisters were aunts of a friends husband who’s parents left the order when he was a child. He was a Yoder too. 🙂
I swear they are all either Yoder’s or Millers…lol That was such a cool experience!
Until I was 18, my Jewish grandmother lived and worked in the Lancaster, PA area, one of the great hubs of Amish and Mennonite “plain and fancy” folk. I used to love driving through the gorgeous farmland, seeing the horses and buggies, admiring the hex signs on the barns, and, of course, gobbling up shoo-fly pie. There is an epic restaurant along US-30 called Miller’s Smorgasboard that still makes my mouth water.
https://www.millerssmorgasbord.com/menus/millers-traditional-smorgasbord/
We just got back from a day trip today and ate at Der Dutchman Amish restaurant. They have a completely different type of food items than Miller’s smorgasbord. Here they had two types of chicken, shredded beef, ham, mashed potatoes, noodles, stuffing, two types of soups, cabbage, a huge salad bar and bread pudding. NO SHOO-FLY PIE!!!!!! In fact if you want pie, you pay extra for it. Our two meals with iced tea were about $35.00. We have family in Erie PA I will keep Millers in the back of my mind! Thanks Matt!
What an awesome experience!!!!!! Looks very fun and educational!
It is an entirely different way of life. Thank you for reading!
Very Interesting and it appears the weather was perfect as well. Is it my imagination or do the young girls all like the colour, blue?
Yes the Amish do not wear bright colors. Pretty much blues and black.
Wow seems like you are traveling a lot
Just some day trips for a few weeks. It was so much fun!
Sounds like this would be an awesome day trip for the family, and fairly close too! Thanks for sharing!!
It is definitely worth doing! If you like shopping go into the small tourist towns they sell wonderful things.
Nice photos!
Thanks so much!
Woah! This place looks amazing! I love countrysides SO much! Probably because I became a bookworm by reading books based in such areas! They’re absolutely lovely aren’t they?!
Yes it is my favorite day trip that we take twice a year. It is so nice to see you back!!! Thanks for all those likes!
Thank you!
How beautiful, must have been a great trip!
It always is when we go there, there is so much to take in. Thanks!
Diane — what an amazing post! We adore the Amish folk and find their lifestyle to be amazing. Those country views in your photographs are breathtaking. Our kind of place too 😀 Isn’t it the best feeling to get out in the country, stroll down less traveled backroads and just let the relaxation wash over you? Ahhh.
Lehman’s looks fascinating. We’ve received their catalog a bunch of times and wondered where they were. Now we know. I love the authentic country feel of that shop. That’s impossible to beat!
Everything about this trip of yours is as charming as can be. I can see why you love visiting there twice a year. It’s the perfect little serene getaway from it all. What a blessing! Thank you for sharing it with me. Made my morning ♥
What a nice comment Holly! If you ever get a chance to visit Lehman’s in Kidron Ohio, you would love it! All the horse and buggies park across the street and cars park in the front and the back. The items they sell are so much fun to look at and buy. We have found the most unique things ever. They have multiple rooms and even a little café. I can’t even begin to explain everything they have, it’s wonderful. Have a fantastic weekend Holly!
I love your description! You’ve made me fall in love with it that much more 🙂
This sounds like the perfect day or weekend trip. Relaxing, unique and tons of fun! ♥
Wishing you a wonderful weekend as well, Diane. Thank you 🤗
You’re welcome!
How fun to read about your trip and see photos!
Thank you Tierney!
Diane, I finally found the link (evidently I am not the best librarian for my own stuff!). Just in case you come this way, here’s a taste of that market. https://hashtagretired.com/2017/06/29/dutch-country-roots/
Thank you so much Angela!
Sounds like a wonderful trip. I’m jealous.
Aw thanks so much!
Oh my gosh, I would love to visit their shops & restaurants! Those whoopie pies look sooo good & that’s interesting they are allowed to have those solar panels now. Thanks for sharing these photos with us, Diane!
You’re welcome Hunida! You wouldn’t believe how many shops are I each little town. I think I find it so interesting because so many items are hand made like quilts and of course the food! 😂🤣😂
That’s so awesome!!
THANK YOU so much. That is such a fabulous article about your Amish Day Trip. Wow. Such very interesting and relaxing places. Nice work! walkingjournalist
Thank you for your kind words! It is an amazing place to visit.