The Amish, known as "the gentle people', comprise nearly half of the county's population (total population estimated at 40,000+) making this region the largest Amish settlement in the world. The area also has many Mennonites, who are also a part of The Anabaptist Movement that moved here from Europe, at the invitation of William Penn . When travelling to and driving in this area, be alert for the horse-drawn Amish buggies, pedestrians on the roads, children walking and livestock crossing and being herded on the roads, all have the right of way on the roads.
Horse-Mule drawn impliments.
When you are visiting the towns and attractions in Holmes County, keep in mind that most of the people selling trinkets and wares as well as the shop owners are not Amish, although some are Mennonite. Items such as cheese, smoked meats, quilts and oak wood furniture most likely are manufactured and finished locally. (Some quilts are made in China, if making a purchase that can run into the thousands of dollars, make sure you know what you are buying)
The items or places you find branded "Amish" may or may not in fact be Amish. Amish do not use the word "Amish" as a marketing ploy, this is something invented by the "English" (as Amish refer to non-Amish). Usually you will find that merchants add terms like Amish Made or Amish Country to link a product to the Amish.
Photography: You should avoid taking photographs of Amish, Amish farms, Amish events, and especially Amish children. Why? This is, of course against their religion. Even asking permission is treading on their religious culture and would be considered quite rude or even racist in nature. This is a different culture and ethnic group of people with deep religious principals. Please be as considerate of their religion, as you would expect one to be of yours. It may be a bit overstated but, waiving a camera around in Holmes County is about as popular as waiving around a gun in a Chicago bar. Most benefit auctions have signs posted, "No Cameras/No Photography", you will find the same at livestock/exotics auctions at Mt. Hope.
The BEST place to begin one's trip to Ohio's Amish Country is the Amish and Mennonite Heritage Center, located just outside Berlin (pronounced Burr-lin, NOT Ber-linn) on County Road 77. They offer a very moving tour of the 360-foot cyclorama (called the "Behalt" mural), and have a great documentary film titled, "The Amish: How They Survive." Take the tour and buy the film if you want to learn about Amish culture.
The Most Frequently Asked Travel Questions about Holmes County
Where To Stay & Best Hotels in Holmes County - updated Apr 2024
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Holmes County Travel Guide from Wikitravel. Many thanks to all Wikitravel contributors. Text is available under Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 3.0, images are available under various licenses, see each image for details.
