From Atlanta to the Northeast: Part 4, the Amish Community and the Sluggers

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Last week I wrote about our fantastic New York State experience. After New York, we headed southwest into Ohio. Unfortunately, our Ohio trip was altered because the Republican National Convention was taking place in Cleveland. Although the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame was high on our list of places to visit, there was so much protesting that we had to bypass the city and our plans.

The Ohio Amish Community

I was extremely excited that one of the last legs of our 32-day trip was traveling in Ohio. The largest Amish community in the United States lives in the Holmes County region of the state.

When I was in 5^th grade, my parents, grandparents, brother, and I traveled to visit the Amish in Ohio. We stayed at a bed and breakfast run by an ex-communicated Amish man. At the B&B, we were served the best regional cuisine for breakfast and dinner.

I vividly remember the games, the front porch, the church spread (a peanut butter and marshmallow cream mixture), and rhubarb muffins. Because of my childhood experience, I wanted Sean, Jackson, and Lucy to experience Amish culture. We had previously visited the Amish community in Pennsylvania, but only for a day. I wanted them to be truly immersed in the Amish experience.

Visiting the Amish

After arriving at the campground, we unhooked and headed straight to grab a bite to eat. We chose the Dutch Cupboard, where every table was graced with customary apple butter and church spread. We smeared the apple butter and church spread on homemade bread, and it was just like I remembered as a child. I love tasting the apple butter and church spreads from each of the different restaurants in the area because they are all slightly different yet utterly delicious.

A note about the Amish… most in the Ohio sector are not bothered by visitors. Many Amish make their living from tourism. Some old orders do not participate in tourism and have no lights or reflectors on their buggies. However, many new orders have cell phones for safety (usually one per family), and tourism is their livelihood. They also have lights on their buggies. If you strike up a conversation with an Amish lady or gentleman in town, they will usually talk. Oh, and there are stalls for the horses and buggies at the local Wal-Mart!

Must-See Destinations While Visiting the Amish

Heini’s Cheese Shop

We visited Heini’s Cheese Shop in Millersburg on one of our touring days. My grandparents visited the Amish once a year, and my grandfather would always have Heini’s in the house. He would wait until a cold spell in the winter and have Heini’s ship him cheese until he could get back up to Ohio to buy some more.

It was neat for Jackson and Lucy to see how cheese was made. However, the shop has so much more to offer than just cheese. The kids loved sampling the many varieties of fudge. Heini’s sells a variety of traditional Amish foods, spreads, and baked goods. The shop is a must-see if you visit the area. I send Heini’s Christmas gifts to our extended family each year because of my love for the Amish community and the memories of my grandpa.

Lehman’s Hardware

In Kidron, Ohio, Lehman’s Hardware is another favorite place to visit. Lehman’s was founded in 1955 to supply the Amish with hardware goods that did not run on electricity. Today, Lehman’s is a 35,000 square feet superstore with every type of household item that you can imagine. They still provide all kinds of non-electrical goods to the Amish.

Kauffman’s Bakery

We also visited Kauffman’s Bakery, located across from Heini’s. Kauffman’s is a place for all bread and pastry lovers to visit. From the large variety of cinnamon rolls and pastries to every type of bread and baked good you can imagine, no one will leave Kauffman’s unsatisfied.

Other fantastic eating establishments in Amish country include Ms. Yoder’s Restaurant and the Der Dutchman. I cannot emphasize how great their cooking style is!

Local Farmer’s Markets

We went to a large farmer’s market down a country road one day. An Amish gentleman was popping the best kettle corn I’ve ever put in my mouth at the market. It is so easy to immerse yourself in the Amish community and culture. Their lifestyle will cause a person to reflect on all the hustle and bustle of everyday life, where simpler is sometimes better.

A Glimpse into Amish Life

My favorite part of the trip occurred when we discovered that an Amish gentleman was giving horse and buggy rides through town. We rode in his buggy, which he had proudly just had fitted with LED lights. As we rode, he told us his story and gave us a history of the area.

In the Amish community, when an Amish person comes of age, they experience rumspringa. Rumspringa is the process where an Amish adolescent has the strict rules they live by relaxed. Rules are relaxed to ensure that a person is serious about committing themselves to the Amish culture for life, although secular pressure is ever-present.

The gentleman who we were riding with told us of his rumspringa experience. He decided that the Amish way of life was not for him and decided to leave home. The gentleman had gone to New York and became a truck driver for many years. However, after a wild ride through the secular lifestyle, he decided to come back home to the Amish community. Returning was not easy; he went through many obstacles. Some people are never admitted back.

Peace in the Night

At night at the campsite, we loved sitting outside and listening to the clickity-clack of the horse hooves as the buggies strolled by. The buggies had their LED lights and reflectors shining bright in the dark night. The only noise was the sound of the horses and their buggies.

We were sad to leave the Amish, but after a week, it was time to make our last voyage before heading home to Atlanta. We headed towards Louisville, Kentucky, from Ohio to visit the Louisville Slugger Factory and Museum. We had learned pretty well by this point to expect the unexpected, and the unexpected happened again.

The Sluggers in Louisville, Kentucky

When we arrived at our campground in Kentucky, they had double booked our stay. The camp host wanted us to park in a field full of holes and hills. That was not happening, so we called campgrounds until we found an opening. I’m not particularly eager to find campgrounds while we are on the road because I am unsure what to expect. We ended up staying in Indiana, and lucky for us, it was adequate.

The Louisville Slugger Factory was awesome. Our family took a factory tour and watched the employees make bats that were being shipped out to sell. We learned about the different types of wood used to make the bats and which major league players preferred particular wood types. We also toured the museum, which captured baseball history very well. The factory was right up Sean and Jackson’s alley, but Lucy and I enjoyed it very much!

Tips on Heading Home After a Long Trip

After our Louisville stay, it was time to head home. As a travel tip, I will tell you that I turned on our house’s air conditioning the night before we left Indiana. We have a Nest Thermostat (Click the link to check it out on Amazon), but there are many thermostats now that have apps to control your heating and air while you are away.

While vacationing in the summer, we typically set the thermostat at 83-84 degrees. The air-conditioning does not need to run if we are not at home. However, we never want to come home to a hot and muggy house. We always turn the air on the night before with our Nest app so that we return to cool comfort when we walk through the door.

Lucy also asked me to mention one of her favorite books. The Amish community and culture so inspired her that she began reading books about the Amish way of life. Her favorite author of the Amish is Kathleen Fuller (Click the link to check her out on Amazon).

After being away from home for over a month and traveling 7,300 miles, returning home is interesting. Although we were glad to come back to all our loved ones, we were having such a great time and did not want to stop traveling. On this drive home, we began planning our next great adventure.

We would not trade the memories of this trip for anything in the world!

Heini’s Cheese Chalet 6005 County Road 77 Millersburg, OH 44654

Lehman’s Hardware Store 4779 Kidron Road Dalton, OH 44618

Kauffman’s Bakery 6013 County Road 77 Millersburg, OH 44654

Interested in visiting the Amish?

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Please read all about our 33-day adventure to New England and beyond!

Read Part 1– to learn about our adventure through Virginia, DC, and Massachusetts.

Part 2– Details our journey through Maine, New Hampshire, and Vermont.

Part 3– Gives an overview of our amazing tour of New York

Do you have a special vacation memory that has stuck with you? We would love to learn about it. Please drop us a line in the comment section below!