We recently revisited the Inn at Honey Run in Ohio's Amish Country and found our getaway at the inn every bit as lovely and as relaxing as I remember it being during our last visit five years ago.
The biggest things you'll need to take on this trip are hearty appetites and a cooler to take some of the goodies you find home with you.
We loved relaxing at the inn and exploring the small towns populating the area like Millersburg, Charm, Trail and Berlin, and as big cheese lovers, we especially enjoyed visiting the local cheese factories and markets to sample and stock up on some of our favorites like Amish Butter Cheese and Trail Bologna.
I scored a "once in a blue moon" discount deal by following the inn's email newsletter, jumping on the opportunity to book a short fall getaway earlier this summer on the occasion of July's "blue moon".
We'd hoped to book closer to the height of fall color season, but as our early November weekend at the inn arrived, we had perfect temperatures that hit the low 70s during the day and mostly stayed above 50 each evening. That weather made it perfect for hiking some of the inn's short trails, having a glass of wine on the outdoor deck at the inn's main lodge and exploring the area. The trees still had a bit of color, and it was pleasant enough to enjoy sitting out on our outdoor patio in the inn's Honeycombs unit, a unique building set into the earth overlooking the inn's meadow and farmland.
We found birds particularly plentiful when we last visited the inn during the spring, but we found plenty of birds to watch here in early November, including a large cardinal that seemed particularly fond of the bird feeder right by our patio and a beautiful woodpecker which we enjoyed watching as he perched on a tree by the plate glass windows in the Tarragon dining room during breakfast one day..
We remembered the food as being excellent at the inn when we last visited, but we were especially excited to try Tarragon this year as a new chef and menu came to the Inn at Honey Run just after our last visit. The meals were elegant, if a little on the pricey side, and the service was particularly attentive and friendly.
Another change since we last visited was the fact that the inn extended Wi-Fi access (previously only available in the main lodge) to rooms in the Honeycombs building.
Among the things that remained unchanged was the beautiful view of the stars that we enjoyed while sitting on our patio and hearing the occasional "baaa" from the inn's barn sheep or "clip-clop" of horses drawing Amish buggies along the road near the inn.
It's worth noting that drivers should exercise caution while driving along the hilly and curvy roads in Amish Country and keep especially alert to spot slow moving buggies along the highway. Check our story Driving in Amish Country to read about our encounter with one driver's impatience and a tragedy averted by one young woman's excellent horsemanship.
Amish Country is a foodie paradise, especially for cheese lovers, and we enjoyed revisiting the cheese stores and factories at Guggisberg and Heini's Cheese Chalet where you can sample favorites like Ohio-made Amish butter cheese or Swiss cheese. We also liked Troyer's Market, where we parked beside the Amish buggies in the parking lot on a shopping trip for bulk foods and the company's famed trail bologna, plus I stopped at Swissters in Sugarcreek (formerly Heini's Gourmet Market) where I could pick up a couple of bottles of my favorite Ohio Riesling to take home.
A day of shopping for cheese, bologna and wine left us hungry for some authentic Amish dinner fare. Checking in with Yelp on my cell phone app (which is usually pretty good about helping us find great local grub) led us to Mrs. Yoder's Kitchen. Yelpers raved about the broasted chicken at this restaurant, and we both had to agree with that assessment.
We opted for the chicken dinner with the classic Amish noodles and a trip to the salad bar. We both like broasted chicken and found Mrs. Yoder's version to be particularly tasty, meaty and juicy.
The restaurant, owned by Gloria Yoder, who started the restaurant about 15 years ago, is a favorite stop for locals and tourists alike.
Click on Visit the Inn at Honey Run in Ohio's Amish County and Amish Cheese and more in Holmes County, Ohio for more about our previous visit to Holmes County.
Want to learn more about the Amish and Mennonite communities in Ohio? Check out Our People: The Amish and Mennonites of Ohio by Levi Miller, Plain Secrets: An Outsider among the Amish by Joe Mackall and Holmespun: An Intimate Portrait of an Amish and Mennonite Community by Laura Hurwitz.
© Dominique King 2015 All rights reserved
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