Path Finder

Discover different sides of Amish Country with these fun excursions.

By Foot

Taking a trip to Amish Country can feel like transporting back in time with the lack of power lines. Strolling through Johnson Woods is a blast to the past, too. It’s one of the largest old growth forests in Ohio, meaning most of the trees have been untouched for hundreds of years.

“It very much gives you the feel of what the forest was like in pre-settlement times,” says Rick Gardner, the chief botanist for the Ohio Division of Natural Areas & Preserves. 

Walk along the 1.4-mile boardwalk to spot chipmunks running by white trillium wildflowers or squirrels looking for acorns beneath 100-foot-tall red oak trees. Keep an eye out for shagbark hickory. “The bark exfoliates so it splits off and looks like it’s got a shaggy appearance to it,” Gardner says.  A researcher from Indiana University identified a few of the grandiose trees as the oldest known shagbark in North America — dating back prior to the Declaration of Independence. 

“You read the early accounts of settlers and pioneers, how the trees were stately,” Gardner says, “and you definitely get that feel in this majestic forest.” 13240 Fox Lake Road, Marshallville, naturepreserves.odnr.gov

By Choice

It’s been over a century since rail travel has been the standard. But the paths cleared for tracks still remain. With Ohio’s Rail-to-Trails in Wayne and Holmes counties, you can explore these historic routes by biking, roller blading, walking or horseback riding on paved paths where railroad tracks once laid. Each county has several routes ranging from 2 to 6 miles that provide a peaceful experience but also connect to parks, restaurants, rivers and more so you can stay a while.

“We call them long skinny parks,” says Jenni Reusser, secretary of the board for Rails-to-Trails of Wayne County. “It’s a real getaway but close to home.”

Try the trailhead in Marshallville on Euclid Street, a 2.4-mile stretch recently added as part of the Heartland Trail. It furthers efforts to connect multiuse paths of the Great American Rail-Trail from Washington state to Washington, D.C. On trails in Holmes County, you will likely pass Amish buggies, who take the route to avoid cars. On the Wayne County line trail, you can access from a trailhead in Rittman, find remnants of an old railroad, including posts that alerted conductors to blow their whistle before heading over the town crossing. Without the buzz of traffic, catch scenic views of pastures, woods and the occasional turtle or deer crossing — and really soak up history.

“You are out there with few distractions,” Reusser says. waynecountytrails.org, holmestrail.com

By Buggy

Many of us have come across the Amish riding on buggies. But we don’t get a chance to experience it from their perspective. With Berlin-based Amish Heartland Tours, enjoy a rare trip on a backroads buggy ride and tour of a working organic farm.   

“It’s very unique they actually go to an Amish farm,” says Shelley Millage, owner and operator of Amish Heartland Tours that offers specialty options from April to October. “A lot of people love it. They think it’s the best part of their trip to Amish Country.”

When you arrive, an Amish minister, who is also a farmer, meets you by the weathered white wooden barn and shows you his organic dairy operation. After meeting his cows and chickens, stroll around fields to look at his crops. He also introduces you to huge draft horses used for working in fields. Go inside a big shed called a cape house where church services are held. Then do a brief walk through of his home and ask him anything you want to know about Amish life. For an extra charge, you can join the minister and his family of eight at their table for a meal.

Afterward, the minister hooks up his horse to a buggy and takes you on a buggy ride that plods along country backroads past other Amish farms and a school. “You can really enjoy and appreciate creation while you’re out in the buggy at a slow pace,” says Millage. 330-893-3248, amishheartlandtours.com