Start your Christmas shopping early in Ohio's Amish Country this fall

  • By Kyle Valentini
  • August 14, 2013
  • 363
                        
When we think of Christmas shopping in December, it is easy to imagine crowded stores, irritated customers, not to mention cashiers and long treks in cold weather across packed parking lots. It does not have to be this way and when you visit Ohio’s Amish Country this fall you can get a head start on Christmas shopping while giving yourself the well-deserved gift of rest and relaxation. Ohio’s Amish Country is known for its rolling countryside, its slower pace, and it is home to a variety of unique businesses that feature products that have become synonymous with quality. Shopping in Ohio’s Amish Country is always an enjoyable experience. Unlike the malls and big box stores that are so plentiful in most communities, they are not the mainstays in the charming towns and villages that dot the landscape in parts of Holmes, Tuscarawas and Wayne Counties. Visitors instead find family-owned shops, fine artisans sharing their heirloom furniture and quilts and one-of-a-kind antique stores brimming with reminders of days gone by. “The autumn season is a wonderful time to get Christmas shopping done in Amish Country,” said Tiffany Gerber, tourism manager at the Tuscarawas County Convention and Visitor’s Bureau at New Philadelphia. “It is the strongest tourism season for the area with a large volume of leaf peepers and repeat visitors touring and shopping. Local merchants offer sales and specials to stay competitive and in addition to local gift, furniture and home décor stores, Tuscarawas County and has a plethora of culinary specialty shops for purchases and tastings, which add a new level of experience for visitors used to traditional Amish Country. Local museums have gift shops with many great Christmas gift items. There is definitely enough in the region and especially Tuscarawas County towns such as Sugarcreek, Dundee and Baltic to keep visiting shoppers here for a few days” There is something for everyone in Ohio’s Amish Country. Whether you are looking for a rural respite from city life or upscale metropolitan-styled dining and accommodations in one of the regions unique restaurants or hotels, options abound for every type of visitor. “If you start your holiday shopping early in Wayne County, you may take advantage of the beautiful surroundings at the Secrest Arboretum, with diverse landscape theme gardens and plant collections,” said Marty Starkey, executive director at the Wayne County Convention and Visitor’s Bureau. “Downtown Wooster offers the holiday shopper diverse one-of-a-kind shops, close free parking and upscale dining options. Hit the trifecta with a visit to Lehman’s old time Hardware, P. Graham Dunn laser wood engravers and the J.M. Smucker Company Store and Café for that perfect holiday gift.” With the largest population of Amish residents in the nation, Ohio’s Amish Country is an agricultural center where visitors can see farming done the old-fashioned way with regard for the land and the community. This ethic is woven into the lifestyle of everyone that calls the region home. Handcrafted, locally made and the unpretentious quality of goods makes shopping in Ohio’s Amish Country different from any other place. Shopkeepers greet guests with a smile and pause to chat about the weather, a new recipe or the last good book they read. Visitors feel at home in a place that is warm, friendly, and anxious to have them come back again. “Christmas shopping in Amish Country during the autumn really gives visitors the best of two seasons,” said,” Shasta Mast, executive director at the Holmes County Chamber of Commerce. “There’s no prettier place to enjoy beautiful fall foliage and to purchase one-of-a-kind artisan-crafted goods for friends and family for Christmas.” Plan your trip to Ohio’s Amish Country this fall when the air is crisp and the days a little shorter. You’ll be glad you did.


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