Getaway in Ohio's Amish Country

Halfway between Cleveland and Columbus, Ohio's sprawling Amish Country offers travelers divergent paths to sample the rural lifestyle. Most people follow tour buses to the museums, Main Street shops and reliable restaurants. Hungering for a slower, more authentic experience, we followed the buggies along Holmes County's backroads to the farms and shops of everyday Amish life.

Click through the next slides for a sampling of what you can see on a getaway to the world's largest Amish community. 

Plunk down $13 for a tour and buggy ride, and you'll see a farmhouse filled with authentic furniture and clothes. In each room, learn about the rituals: how Amish families practice their religion, how girls' clothes change as they become women, how families work and play together. Visitors stroll through the 1885-built red barn filled with animals before climbing aboard a buggy for a turn around the farmstead.

Yoder's Amish Home

A woman hangs laundry at Yoder's Amish Home. Tours here explain how Amish use straight pins to fasten their clothing to avoid ostentatious buttons and buckles.

Miller's Bakery offers warm sweet rolls the size of hands folded in prayer. Other specialties at the Amish bakery perched above State-557, the road to Charm: doughnuts, fry pies and cookies, all made from 40-year-old recipes. (330) 893-3002

At stops like these, stumbled upon during slow country drives, you'll learn the most about this five-county community of 38,000 tucked between interstates 71 and 77.

Fresh-picked veggies greet patrons at Hershberger's Farm and Bakery Ltd., which also sells jams, jellies, fry pies and baked goods. (330) 674-6096

Plain on the outside, Miller's Dry Goods holds lots of color inside, with more than 8,000 bolts of fabric. Among the items for sale: Handwritten recipes with handmade pot holders.

Miller's Dry Goods

Blink and you'll miss the sign along County-77 for Baskets and Blooms, one of the small businesses -- quilt shops, greenhouses, candle stores, furniture shops and more - that dot county roads. Most are owned by families living without phones, electricity and cars.

Wild mushrooms flavor dishes at the Inn at Honey Run, one of the local upscale restaurants that aspire to creativity (others include Breitenbach Winery and Rebecca's Bistro in Walnut Creek).

Inn at Honey Run

Our trip guide on the following slides contains suggestions on what to do, where to eat and where to stay in Amish Country.

For more information: Holmes County Chamber of Commerce and Tourism Bureau (330) 674-3975; holmescountychamber.com; visitamishcountry.com

Note that addresses can be problematic here; mailing addresses do not always correspond to an actual physical location. Your best bet? Call for directions (cell service is spotty), get a map from the Holmes County Tourism Bureau—and keep an eye out for road signs.

Yoder's Amish Home, 6050 State-515, Millersburg. From mid-April through October, guides lead tours through the buildings and explain Amish customs. At left, Leah Hershberger preserves peanut butter spread at Yoder's Amish Home. Admission charged.  (330) 893-2541; yodersamishhome.com

Amish and Mennonite Heritage Center, Berlin. The center houses Behalt, a 265-foot-long mural that tells the history of the Amish and Mennonites. Admission charged.  (877) 858-4634; behalt.com

Kidron Auction, 4885 Kidron Rd., Kidron. Held on Thursdays, the no-frills livestock auction dates to the 1920s. Outside, the parking lot is crowded with trailers, wagons, buggies and vendors selling food and fresh produce.  (330) 857-2641; kidronauction.com

Hershberger's Farm and Bakery Ltd. (pictured), 5452 State-557, Millersburg. The selection of jams, jellies, fry pies and baked goods will amaze you.  (330) 674-6096

Coblentz Chocolate Company, Walnut Creek. The Coblentz family produces about 100 kinds of premium chocolates and other candies, including fudge made in copper kettles, caramels hand-wrapped in waxed paper and chocolate Amish buggies.  (330) 893-2995; coblentzchocolates.com

Guggisberg Cheese, 5060 State Route 557, Millersburg. Billed as the Home of the Original Baby Swiss, this shop is a great resource for snacking, with crackers, pretzels, mustards, sausages, bologna, jams, jellies and candies in addition to cheese.   (330) 893-2500; guggisberg.com

Heini's Cheese Chalet, 6005 County-77, Millersburg. You'll find 50 varieties of cheese made from milk from local Amish farmers. Free samples are available, plus visitors can watch cheese being made through large glass windows. (330) 893-2131; heinis.com

Kidron Town and Country Store, 4959 Kidron Rd., Kidron. The shop combines a grocery store, bulk food store, butcher shop, deli, pharmacy and dry goods store; the basement restaurant is a hidden gem. (330) 857-2131; kidrontc.com

Rebecca's Bistro (pictured), Walnut Creek. This old log cabin is a cozy restaurant where you'll find delicious tomato-basil soup and cream-filled coffee cake. (330) 893-2668; rebeccasbistro.com

Boyd and Wurthmann Restaurant, 4819 E. Main St., Berlin. Since the 1930s, the restaurant has served old-fashioned American food: sirloin steak, liver and onions, chicken and noodles, and pies. boydandwurthmann.com

Cafe Breitenbach, 5934 Old State-39 NW, Dover. This girly spot at a family-owned winery is a fun place to try panini, salads and hearth-baked pizzas. (330) 343-3603; breitenbachwine.com

Chalet in the Valley Restaurant, 5060 State-557, Millersburg. Near Charm, the house specialty is Swiss-Austrian food. (330) 893-2550; chaletinthevalley.com

Der Dutchman Restaurant, 4967 Walnut St., Walnut Creek. The menu features traditional chicken, ham and roast beef dinners, as well as Amish standards such as homemade noodles, date pudding, and fruit and cream pies. (330) 893-2981; dhgroup.com

Tarragon, Inn at Honey Run in Millersburg. Huge windows showcase forest views, and the seasonal menu serves simple, fresh flavors. (800) 708-9394; innathoneyrun.com

Miller's Bakery, 4280 Township-356, Millersburg. Off of State-557, this has some of the area's best baked goods. (330) 893-3002

Troyer's Genuine Trail Bologna Inc., 6552 State-515, Dundee. The Troyer family has been making bologna since 1912, combining beef with spices then smoking it over a hardwood fire. You can eat at the vintage lunch counter. (330) 893-2414; troyerstrail.com

Premier Carriage House Cottages (pictured). Berlin. These lovely cottages each offer a whirlpool tub, king-size bed, gas fireplace, satellite TV and Wi-Fi. (866) 590-1700; berlincottages.com

Charm Countryview Inn, Charm. This country inn has 15 rooms (all with en suite baths), with old-fashioned quilts on the beds. You won't find TVs, Internet or phones. Wake to a homey breakfast and fruit slushes.  (330) 893-3003; charmcountryviewinn.com

(Prices and other details can change; please check specifics before making travel plans.)