ohio road trips with Neil Zurcher

“Ohio Road Trips” collects all of Zurcher’s favorite (and often offbeat) finds. It’s an eclectic mix of attractions in Ohio’s cities, small towns, and country crossroads. Romantic bed-and breakfasts, hearty Amish restaurants, truly unique museums, crafts, festivals . . . and many surprises—like indoor skydiving!52 Trips—More Than 500 Fun & Unusual Getaway Ideas in Ohio

Read a sample chapter from the book “Ohio Road Trips” by Neil Zurcher, featuring more than 500 fun and unusual getaway ideas in Ohio. In this chapter, Neil writes about Amish Country attractions in two small Ohio towns – Baltic and Sugarcreek.

Trip 1: Gateway to Amish Country
Baltic, Sugarcreek

Sugarcreek: Gateway to Ohio's Amish Country
The town of Sugarcreek, the gateway to Ohio’s Amish land, is known as the “Little Switzerland” of Ohio. You will find most buildings in this quaint village have façades that proclaim the strong Swiss heritage of many of its residents. It started in the 1950s when a local artist, Tom Miller, painted a mural of Switzerland on his downtown building. Miller was instrumental in starting the annual Swiss Festival that is held each autumn in the town. Today you will find many three-dimensional murals depicting scenes from Switzerland on many of the downtown structures. Even the local pay phone is housed in a small building that resembles a Swiss chalet.

Near this town is the world’s largest Amish population. The Budget, a weekly newspaper that reports on the doings of the Amish, is published here and sent to Amish communities around the world.

A Museum of Cheese
They celebrate cheese in this town because it is one of the staples of life here. This tiny museum on the main street shows, in specially prepared rooms, how early cheese-making was done. It also offers a peek into the past of this community with a nice display of local memorabilia and early vehicles.

Alpine Hills Museum
106 W. Main St. • Sugarcreek • 330-852-4113

Crafts and More Crafts
An old hardware store on the edge of town has taken on new life as an outlet for local artists and craftspeople. More than 130 of them are represented here by everything from homemade wooden pitchforks to intricate Amish quilts. There are paintings, knick-knacks, and even a sturdy children’s farm wagon crafted by an Amish entrepreneur who makes his living building horse-drawn manure spreaders for his neighbors.

Artisans’ Mercantile of Sugarcreek
110 Andreas Dr. • Sugarcreek • 330-852-2456

Food the Amish Way
There are several Amish-style restaurants in and around Sugarcreek. This one is operated by the same firm that owns Der Dutchman in Walnut Creek. They serve the traditional Amish fare of beef, turkey, and ham with lots of mashed potatoes, gravy, and stuffing, as well as a large salad bar, homemade bread, and pies—all for a reasonable price. Most everything is made fresh each day in the kitchen. There is also a bakery in-house so you can take home some of those Amish goodies. Closed on Sundays.

Dutch Valley Restaurant
1343 Old Route 39 NE • Sugarcreek • 330-852-4627

Sleep in a Barn
You can literally sleep in a barn here in Sugarcreek, albeit a luxurious barn. Sitting on a hilltop just outside of town is a bed and breakfast located in what was once a working Amish barn. Where hay was once stored are room with cable TV, small balconies, modern bathrooms, and lots of other amenities. If you don’t like barns, there are also several cabins, some with whirlpool bathtubs and fireplaces. In the basement of the barn is a rare exhibit of mounted animals indigenous to Ohio— everything from deer to black bear.

The Barn Bed and Breakfast
560 Sugarcreek Rd. • Sugarcreek • 330-852-2337

A Modern Inn
This is a luxurious place to stay while exploring Ohio’s Little Switzerland or Amish country. Sitting high on a hillside overlooking State Route 39, the 69-room inn has a country look to it, but inside you’ll find spacious rooms, some with fireplaces and balconies. All rooms have at least a queen-sized bed or larger and feature locally handcrafted furnishings mad with oak and cherry wood. There is even an indoor swimming pool where you can relax after a day of exploring the countryside. The inn is located next to the Dutch Valley Restaurant and is only a short distance from two wineries.

Carlisle Village Inn, Sugarcreek
1357 Old Rte. 39 • Sugarcreek • 877-422-7547

Flour Power
This mill has operated for more than one hundred years. Owner Alvin Miller still grinds his flour daily from grain that he has dried in large tubs out behind the mill. My wife, Bonnie, insists this is the only flour she has ever found that makes the perfect loaf of bread in a breadmaking machine. Alvin also offers tours of the historic old mill. Closed on Sundays.

Baltic Mills
111 Main St. • Baltic • 330-897-0522

Guest Cabins
These getaway cabins are operated by a Mennonite couple. Several modern cabins are located around a small lake behind their home. While not luxurious, the cabins are clean and have electricity and bathrooms, a gas-fired fireplace, two bedrooms, a small dining and living room, and a porch to sit on and watch the sunsets from. They welcome children (there is even a small playground near the edge of the lake). This is a nice family getaway spot, nestled on a quiet side road surrounded by Amish and Mennonite farms.

Mel and Mary Raber’s Cabins
2972 Township Rd. 190 • Baltic • 330-893-2695

For more information about the book, visit www.grayco.com/cleveland/books/28957; to purchase, visit www.amazon.com.

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