Fall in Ohio
Fall is Here! How many of you have been waiting for Fall weather, Pumpkin Spice Lattes, sweaters, chill cool nights, and a fall inspired weekend getaway? If you answered yes, we have some cool and fun activities for you! Also, if you have been following Pursuit of Delights in partnership with Ohio. Find It Here.; you know we have been on a journey exploring Ohio and all the goodness it has to offer. While it is time to say goodbye to summer, we welcome Fall with open arms! Ohio is beautiful in the Fall and is such a special time. The weather begins to chill, and you can feel the brisk breeze. Hues of orange, red and yellow take over the trees, and our favorite fall flavors return. It is the perfect time to take a fall-inspired getaway. There is so much to do, explore, and see. We had the opportunity to travel to different areas in Ohio to experience Amish country, taste delicious wine at Breitenbach Winery, go apple picking at Peifer Orchard, and experience fall foliage while exploring Blooms & Berries Fall on the Farm. Let us hop right into Fall in Ohio!
A Visit to Amish Country
Have you ever wondered about Amish country, its people, and their way of life? Maybe you wonder do they still really travel by horse and buggy. If this is something you have pondered, I am here to tell you yes, they still travel by horse and buggy and watching them in their environment is so unique. Remember, Amish people are people like you and I, but their day-to-day life is different as well as what they believe in. One thing I can attest to is that Amish People work very hard! You may think, ok so do I! Most are entrepreneurs and create their own life sustainability with a craft they learn at an early age. Did you know that Amish people only go to school through the 8th grade? They make a way of living on an 8th grade education and are successful. They have big families to help with labor whether it be on their farm or running their family business. They are close knit people. They also live and have their businesses at the same location. Most Amish with businesses live on acres of land to be able to house the family in a house, and the business right next to it. How cool is that? You and I may think wow, I would never live where I work. However, they live in an environment with low crime and having people come to where they live is a second thought. They generally stay within their sects (or area) and do not travel outside of that area often. Occasionally they will travel to fish, hunt or on vacation, but remember they do not drive. Now you are asking how they get around, well horse and buggy and bikes (both electric and pedal). No, they do not take the horse and buggy for a road trip. It would take 2 hours to go 20 miles. Bikes have become a new way of life for them. They can travel around town faster and more efficiently. What would take 2 hours on horse and buggy, takes 45 minutes on an electric bike. What is the moral of the story here? Do not take small things such as bikes for granted. What we may see as an everyday item, is a commodity to other groups of people and their cultures. Depending on how you get around has to be approved by the Bishop, head of the church. There is so much to learn and see about the Amish that a day trip is perfect, and you will find yourself in awe.
While you could explore Amish country on your own, Amish country is huge in Ohio, so where do you begin? I got to explore Amish country through an amazing tour called Troyer’s Amish Tours in Sugarcreek, OH. They have quite a few different tours to choose from. I choose to go on the Down the Road 3-hour tour. It was an amazing and informative experience and I learned so much. The amazing tour guide, Rich, took us through the backroads of Amish country. No two tours are alike! You learn about the history of Amish people and where they originated. You get to see how they live as well as make some stops to a few of the local thriving businesses. We met a few family members of those businesses while stopping by their shops. The entire tour is narrated. It is a unique experience and keeps you engaged the entire time. Trust me, I know. Myself and the small group I was in asked plenty of questions. The more Rich spoke, the more we became intrigued and wanted to know LOL! Amish country is certainly one for the books. Grab a buddy and hit the road to explore Amish Country and what it has to offer.
TIP: Most Amish businesses do not accept credit card so bring cash.
FUN FACTS:
-Chicken houses hold 25,000 chicken and chicken come in at 8 hrs old from the hatchery
-Amish do not drive, Mennonites do
-Amish can not have a cell phone with a data package or a car
-Amish do not have tvs
-Amish keep up with the news through newspaper
-3 Orders and 11 sects
-Amish do not take pictures of themselves. They do not have family portraits. It is against their religion
-Amish only go to school till 8th grade
-Amish do not vote for people that can dictate life and death on a person (i.e. president, judge, etc.)
-Amish land is expensive (for 5 acres $50,000 an acre)
-Teachers only have an 8th grade education (salary ranges from $1200-$1500 a month)
-Generally Men do not teach due to income level
-Usually single women teach. Once they court, date or get married the women will quit work and focus on their marriage
-20 miles would take you 2 hours on a buggy, and 45 minutes on an e-bike
-$8,000 for a buggy and 125 man hours
-Wheels will last 7 years
-Schrock’s Buggy is the oldest buggy shop on Holmes County
-If you’re getting married, you grow a beard
-One Amish man raises camels for a petting zoo
-They milk camels
-Camels milk is very nutritious
-Largest wood working facility in the state
-Amish are great wood workers
-Wood working is the largest industry in this community
-Most Amish do not wear shoes. They go barefoot because they say shoes are heavy.
-Old race horses are brought to Amish country to be street safe/trained
-Mom and Pop wood working shops are huge
-All Amish kids are not Rumshpringa (roam around and leave the culture for awhile)
Breitenbach Winery
Did someone say WINEry? LOL! I love a good glass of wine and a cute winery! Located a short distance from Troyer’s Amish Tours, nestled among the rolling hills of Ohio’s Amish countryside, Der Marktplaz, is home of Breitenbach Wine Cellars. “Breitenbach” is German, meaning “bright or broad stream”, and is the name of the stream that runs through the winery grounds. Breitenbach produces an array of extensive award-winning grape, fresh fruit, and berry wines, and what they are most known for, Dandelion wine. They produce 40 varieties of grape and fruit wines resulting in about 150,000 gallons. WOOOOW! That’s a lot of wine, but hey someone must make it for us wine lovers.
When I drove down the road to get to Breitenbach and was greeted by the purple and red accent colors popping off the building and wine barrels lined along the base, I knew I was in for a real treat. I got out of the car and immediately started taking pictures. What I love is that they grow their own grapes and make their wine on site. What really caught my attention was the purple “Winemakers Barn”. It was so cute! While I did not go inside, the outside was enough to make me say how cool. I am not sure about you but I love a good snack like cheese or a charcuterie board while drinking wine. When you walk in, there is a cheese section along with all the wine to purchase. After this is the sampling area! I stopped to talk to the lady behind the sampling bar, and then walks up Anita. Anita, is one of the daughters of the founder. We chat for a few minutes then she invited me over to sample some wine. They have plenty of flavors to choose from and man did I indulge. They also have a great tasting offer. You can sample 4 wines for $1.00. Yes, you read that correct! I ended up sampling 12 wines. I am a sweet wine drinker so I did not try any of the dry wines. I also like fruit wines and they have 15 flavors to choose from. I grabbed a cheese and cracker plate and enjoyed my wine tasting. I enjoyed the hospitality Breitenbach shared and enjoyed the wine they offer. They are doing some amazing wine making! Also, make sure to try the Dandelion wine. It is unique! By the time wine tasting ended, I left with 5 bottles of wine and 2 candles. What can I say, I am a girl who loves her wine and candles! I highly encourage experiencing Amish country and then relaxing at Breitenbach Winery! The is the perfect day trip.
TIP: Aside from the wine tasting, Café, and gift shop, you’ll also find many events occurring throughout the year at Breitenbach. Festivals, outdoor concerts, special tasting and cooking events, live music and barbecue, and other events happen year-round.
The most popular event is the Dandelion Festival, which typically happens the first weekend in May every year.
Peifer Orchards
Have you ever been apple picking? As a girl from the south, I am familiar with canning veggies and shucking corn, but I have never been to an orchard until now. As they say, it is a first for everything. This Fall I wanted to experience something with my family that was different but that we could all enjoy. Apple Picking it is! When I was looking for Fall activities for us to do, I came across Peifer Orchards and knew this was being added to the to-do list. I grabbed my husband and our girls, dressed them in cute gingham dresses and on our way, we went to the orchard. Peifer Orchards is located in Yellow Springs, OH. There is plenty to do in Yellow Springs. Yellow Springs could be the perfect getaway that includes Peifer Orchards, shopping, biking, hiking, and restaurants. Also, I loved that there is an orchard located not far from where we live.
What I loved about the orchard is when we arrived, it immediately gave us all the Fall and southern vibes. Pumpkins, a cute country store, gravel road, and an experience I will never forget. There is a long walk to the orchard but it was great family time walking and talking. It was hilarious to listen to our little ones talk about apples and what they thought the orchard would look like. We finally got to the end of two-lane gravel path, and there stands acres of apple trees. WOW! The girls and I were in awe. None of us had ever seen an orchard in real life and boy were we amazed. It was a field of green trees with the cutest apples hanging off of them. Some of them even looked like Christmas trees. This was such a picturesque backdrop! They have a few different apple varieties as well as apple colors. My kids enjoyed apple picking to the core! They immediately ran down the rows and started picking apples off the trees. We had our buckets and were ready to fill them with delicious, crisp apples. We all picked a few apples and tossed them in the buckets. The kids did more than their fair share of picking, but they enjoyed themselves and that’s all that matters! I’m not sure that we were supposed to be eating the apples while picking, but my youngest, sweet Robyn, did not waste any time indulging. Let’s just say she snagged the best apples for her afternoon snack. LOL! Once our buckets were full, which did not take long we headed back down the gravel road to head back. We could not leave without heading inside of the country store. They have food, plants, and all things Fall. We even tried their Apple Cider Slush which was amazing and bought some Amish baked goods! Needless to say, our time at Peifer Orchards was nothing short of amazing. Grab your family or friends and set out to enjoy some apple picking! If you want to make it a getaway or a day trip, explore all of Yellow Springs. It is an amazing city.
Blooms & Berries’ Fall on the Farm
It is Fall, and that means pumpkin patch, pumpkin spice and everything nice and Fall on the Farm! I do not know about you, but I grew up going to pumpkin patches and now made it a tradition with my husband and girls. Every year at Fall, we visit a pumpkin patch and fully indulge in this special time of the year. The past two years, we have been making our way to Booms & Berries’ Fall on the Farm. Fall on the Farm is a family-fun event at Blooms & Berries Farm beginning September 18th through October 31st daily. There are so many fun things to do at the farm such as: hayrides, pumpkin patch, pony rides (only on certain weekends), corn maze, beer garden, sunflower patch (very picturesque), farm animals, play areas, a huge pumpkin balloon bounce, caramel apple float, and so much more. My family and I thoroughly enjoyed ourselves as we went from area to area and all around. They really enjoyed the big slide that they have as well as just roaming around and soaking in all the crisp Fall air. We really enjoy Fall on the Farm as a family and there is so much for the kids to do. I love that there is something at every corner. My kids never got bored. It is a time we experience as a family full of excitement and joy! As you can tell, my family and I really enjoy Fall. If you are looking for an amazing pumpkin patch with tons of things for the family to do, Fall on the Farm is for you!
While summer has ended, that does not mean the fun has to stop! Grab family or friends and explore Ohio’s beauty in the Fall. Experience the best fall foliage in many of Ohio’s different cities. Enjoy the cool crisp air while watching the leaves on the trees change. Enjoy all the Pumpkin Spice you can bare and create the best memories in such a wonderful season!
