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A shopping trip to Amish country is the perfect holiday and long weekend getaway! The pace of life is slower in Amish country. It offers a chance to finally enjoy the scenery and the time to do it. There aren't many highways, so you have no choice but to take the back roads and see where they lead you! They may lead you to unique shops only found in Amish county. There is ample opportunity to discover those unusual items perfect for the person that has everything.
Lehmans even sells special blankets meant to keep your clothes clean and dry while riding in a buggy! © Emily Householder- Stacey
Lehmans
Lehmans is a huge store that sells everything. Here, you'll find all kinds of gourmet food and candy, from old-fashioned toys to candle making supplies. I can't walk out of Lehmans without an antique toy for my toddler and a cool, old fashioned gadget for my husband. You could easily spend 3 hours just walking around and looking at all the cool stuff. Luckily, there is a cafe inside if you get hungry or thirsty from all that gazing!
The downtown area of Berlin, Ohio is very walkable, but parking is scarce. Definitely ditch your car if you can! Photo courtesy of S. Clyde, Nat'l Scenic Byways Online, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons
Downtown Berlin
Berlin, Ohio is a small town that is located near the center of Amish Country, which makes it a perfect place to set up camp if you are staying for a weekend. The downtown area is full of really cute and uncommon shops. You can find anything from quilts to handmade, wooden furniture and decorations, wind chimes and candles.
My mom likes to park in the public parking at either end of downtown then working her way down one side of the street, and hitting the other side on the way back. My husband and I prefer to park in the center of downtown so we can easily take our purchases back to the car.
The Berlin Craft Mall
The Berlin Craft Mall is probably my favorite place to shop in all of Ohio. It's one big building with stands from a bunch of local artisans and crafters. Anything you could ever want that can be homemade, you can probably find at the craft mall. If you are short on time and you are looking to get a lot of different things quickly, this would be the place! Every time my husband and I go there, I end up talking myself into and then backing out of a handmade wooden porch swing.
The craft mall shares a parking lot with a large antique store. Additionally, there are many stores in a nearby plaza to check out as well as a self-guided tour of a traditional Amish home.
'Tis the Season
As you might have guessed, Tis the Season is a huge Christmas store. I can't stress the word HUGE enough. Every kind of ornament or decoration you can imagine is available for purchase. If you are low on decorations, then this is the store for you! If you want to buy all new ornaments so they are color-coded and match, Tis the Season would be the place to do that. Or, if you are adding a second or third tree, I won't judge you, and this is the place to make that happen. Also, if you aren't visiting during the holidays, don't worry, Tis the Season is open year-round.
Where to Eat in Amish Country
I have a few favorites in Amish Country. Mrs Yoders Kitchen has an excellent lunch buffet, where you can stuff yourself full of the best fried chicken in the state. Der Dutchman has the best deserts and the best donuts. Make sure you try a fry pie! If you find yourself in town on a Sunday, when most restaurants are closed, check out Bags Sports Pub in Sugarcreek.
I think I have now consumed like 4 whole chickens at Mrs. Yoders and I'm not sorry.
My husband is a big kid at heart, so when I suggested we stay in a treehouse for our honeymoon he was totally on board!
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Lodging in Amish Country
On the outskirts of Berlin are treehouses. This is where my husband and I stayed for our honeymoon! They are really romantic. They featured 2 person soaking tubs, and they even gave us bubble bath and robes. It was the perfect retreat after our wedding. We stayed at the Lofty Willow, but there is more than one place that offers treehouses in the area.
The Dutch Host Inn is a cute hotel located in Sugarcreek. They offer packages that include dinner, breakfast, and a bunch of goodies from around the area. They are a great bargain!
Hotel not your thing? There are many cabins and cottages in Amish country available to rent.
Booking.com has a wide range of tested options and you could read the reviews from past guests.
When You Go
To get to Ohio's Amish Country from Southern California, you can fly into Akron/Canton Airport or Cleveland. Akron/Canton is closer, but it's a small airport so it can be hard to get a flight there. Either way, you will definitely need to rent a car. There are, not surprisingly, no Ubers in Amish Country.
Pro Tip: There are several areas where you don't get any cell or GPS service in Amish at all. So, look over your routes and get some maps in advance. If you're a AAA member you can pick up maps from your local AAA for free (if they don't have them in stock they can order them from an Ohio AAA for you, free of charge!).
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When you looked around the shop, did the Amish still have electricity going on? I heard they dont use electric light switches. Or even still, a television screen. I really would love to know if that was still the case (I am not American, I am in the UK so we dont hear much about the Amish).
And I have another question…do the Amish celebrate Christmas? Sorry, I am so full of questions.
But I love the look of the accommodation from outside. Blends in well with the nature. Maybe one day I will be in this area to see what Amish life is like. God tip on not taking photos of them.
Yes the Amish do celebrate Christmas! Although the focus less on presents and more on family and the religious aspects of the holiday. The Amish are a Christian group.
As far as electricity, most of the stores have "English" people working there too, so I imagine they take care of anything like that. There are differences among Amish communities in what is allowed. For example, my Dad has an acquaintance that is Amish and he has a phone on a pole outside his house. His group believes that it's ok to have a phone as long as it's not in your house. So when my Dad calls him he has to let it ring and ring and ring because we have to wait for him to get a coat on and get outside to answer! But more strict groups would tell you that you can't have a phone at all. Some Amish people will ride in cars but won't drive them. Some Amish people won't ride in cars at all. I don't know of any Amish group that lets their members watch TV, but I'm not an expert so it's possible!
I've always been curious about the Amish people. It's interesting that you said some of them may be apprehensive of English people. I wonder what their general attitude is towards POC, specifically Asians.. Anyway, great Christmas shopping trip! I think the big kid in me would also enjoy the treehouse.
Their apprehension can be a little surprising if you don't know. We had a waitress one time that was clearly very nervous to talk to us. She did fine, but we could tell that she was uncomfortable. Also some Amish learn English as a second language, so sometimes there can be a language barrier. But like anything else, there are some Amish people who aren't nervous around us at all and will talk up a storm! It just depends.
I've never been to Amish country but would love to visit. I appreciate that you've called out the fact that the Amish do not like having their pictures taken, I think sometimes we, as travelers, can forget this. I'd love to visit Lehmans and Der Dutchman, it sounds delightful.
That's why I made sure to mention about the pictures, a lot of people don't know, and I think it gives us "English" a bad rap with the Amish. When in Rome, you have to respect the Romans! Hope you get to visit us someday!
Being from the UK I don't know much about the Amish but so it's intriguing to read you can shop in their villages. It's not something I thought they would do. I'll love to visit this part of the US and understand a bit more about it. Thanks for sharing.
I'm glad you enjoyed reading! Some of the more traditional sects of the Amish don't open up their stores to non Amish, but a lot of them do! There's plenty to do for a weekend. Hope you get to visit us, or Pennsylvania's Amish country, someday!
I don't have much idea about Amish country and never heard about it. But the shop looks so interesting and intriguing at the same time! It's a cool shopping place. I would love to visit this part of the USA soon. Thanks for sharing.
I am so glad you enjoyed taking a virtual vacation to my little part of the world. Thanks for reading!
I have never been to Amish country before and I have had it on my list for a long. I wish I can get there someday and look for these beautiful shops. I like to collect things from different parts during my travel so this would definitely be my thing to do.
Hope you get there someday! If you don't find yourself in Ohio, there is also a large Amish community in Lancaster PA.
I had no idea of Amish County and hence found this very informative and interesting. Apart from shopping for items, being a foodie I would love to visit all the places that you mentioned. Mrs Yoders Kitchen for the lunch buffet, Der Dutchman for the desserts, donuts and fry pie. Also wouldn't mind checking out Bags Sports Pub in Sugarcreek. Interesting place to be in.
There are also lots of places that you can try homemade cheese while in town, the locals make their own!
Interesting read about the place that I did not know much about. Seems like quite a cultural hotspot. I definitely would love to explore those stores like the Berline one and the Lehmans. The latter seems interesting given your description of food.
Lehmans is huge, like an Amish department store. They have an entire section just full of non electric lamps. I could absolutely get lost there for hours!
I love shopping and that too family shopping, so loved reading your post. Lehmans has beautiful things for rustic decor. The treehouse at Amish county really looks beautiful and I too love these kind of wooden houses. I love crafts a lot and do a lot too, so Berlin Craft Mall is for me.
Most of the items for sale in Amish country are homemade, so you would probably love almost any store in town. I've had my eye on a new swing for my porch for a few years, they hand make them from local wood.
I must admit that we have never visited Amish Country and would not know what to shop for. But we will always stock up on gourmet food and candy when we find it! I do love Christmas stores and like to find unique ornaments for our tree.