A Traveler's Experience

Amish Country Byway (OH)

I would think the Amish Country Byway would be GREAT for cyclists, but we didn't see any. The wide shoulders of the roads (to accommodate the Amish buggies), the rolling hills, the quiet, the lack of traffic (once you got off the main highways.) We sure saw a lot of black horse-drawn buggies, trotting along at quite a respectable pace. When we stopped in Berlin there was even a parking lot with a hitching bar, and several buggies drawn up there on pavement in the shade. We cars had to park on the side of the road :) I wandered into the general store (staffed by the Amish) and into the back room, where wooden barrels of nails were stacked on the upper shelves, and various older-style tools and things hung from the rafters. There were really sturdy, lovely baskets for sale in the front window.

Heini's Cheese Factory was so crowded both times we stopped! I guess it is a favorite stop for bus tours. We stood in a really long, slow line to sample the cheeses -- and they were SO worth it! Some of the best cheese I've ever tasted. Be sure to try their smoked hot pepper cheese -- YUM! Their fudge is great too -- we bought pecan and almond and walnut fudge -- and they threw in a big chunk of rocky road for free!