Visit the 17th Annual Fall Gathering in Winesburg, Ohio on your next Ohio Amish Country Getaway

If you enjoy history, shopping and culture be sure to attend the 17th annual Fall Gathering in Winesburg, Ohio on Saturday, September 15, 2012, on your next Ohio Amish Country Getaway.
This annual festival includes craft vendors, music, food and an auction at 3 p.m.  The village has a very interesting history that includes the sister town of Weinsburg, Germany and also has a interesting link to Capitol University in Ohio.  Many businesses are located in Winesburg, Ohio today for locals as well as tourists.   In addition there are artisans living and working in Winesburg where you can find one-of-a-kind treasures to take home.  This village is located on US62 about 6 miles north of Berlin, Ohio.  Mark your calendar to attend the 2012 Fall Gathering.

Written by Carol Steffey, Garden Gate Get-A-Way Bed & Breakfast, Millersburg, Ohio (330) 674-7608 www.garden-gate.com

Visit Charm on your next Amish Country Vacation in Ohio

Charm, Ohio is a quaint little town in the heart of Ohio Amish Country.  The merchants in the area just gave visitors a new reason to visit on their next Amish Country vacation in Ohio.  Various shops in Charm have extended their business hours on Monday and Friday nights:
Businesses Open Monday night until 7 p.m.

• Charm Sweet Shoppe
• Charm Gifts
• Charm Harness & Boot
• Keim Lumber
• Charm Fabrics & Clothing
• Charm Marketplace
• Kidron Sports
• Hiland Bikes of Charm
• Erb's Sport & Archery

Businesses open Friday night until 7 p.m.

• Charm Sweet Shoppe
• Charm Harness & Boot
• Charm Fabrics & Clothing
• Charm Marketplace
• Kidron Sports
• Erb's Sport & Archery
• Ole Mill Furniture

Charm is located on State Route 557 about 4 miles south of State Route 39 and just a few minutes from Berlin, Ohio.  On the way to Charm stop in at Hershberger's Farm & Bakery, Millers Bakery, Guggisberg Cheese, and have a delicious dinner at Chalet in the Valley Restaurant.

Written by Carol Steffey, Garden Gate Get-A-Way Bed & Breakfast, Millersburg, Ohio (330) 674-7608 www.garden-gate.com

Amish Country Inn Shares Info on Amish of Ohio

If you visit Holmes County, Ohio, be sure to stay at our Amish Country Inn where you will be surrounded by Old Order and New Order Amish families.    Over the years that we have had a bed  and breakfast in Ohio we have learned a lot of information about the Amish and continually learn new things.  As recent article by Russ Zimmer taught us new statistics based on Ohio State University research:

• There are more than 1/4 million Amish in our Nation
• One in four Amish call Ohio home
• Ohio has more Amish than Pennsylvania
• The annual growth rate among the Amish is 3.1%
• In an Amish family with 5 children, 4 of them are likely to remain Amish when they grow up
• There are 54 Amish settlements in Ohio; Holmes County has the largest concentration
• 42% of the residents in Holmes County, Ohio are Amish

When you visit Holmes County, Ohio you can take a back road tour to learn more about Amish culture and customs, visit Behalt - a museum depicting the history of the Mennonite and Amish communities, and shop at Amish-owned businesses.

Written by Carol Steffey, Garden Gate Get-A-Way Bed & Breakfast, Millersburg, Ohio (330) 674-7608 www.garden-gate.com

Amish Country Ohio Bed and Breakfast Offers Labor Day Weekend Special

Are you looking for a special place to go for Labor Day Weekend?  Visit our Amish Country, Ohio bed and breakfast.  When you stay 3 nights (Aug. 31 - Sept.3, 2012) you will receive a $10 per night discount on your room, PLUS a free 2-hour Sunday Sunset Tour for two.  Garden Gate Get-A-Way Bed & Breakfast is a multi-award winning B&B located in the heart of the world's largest Amish community.  While visiting the area you can shop from the Amish, tour wineries, visit cheese factories, go to a chocolate factory, visit an exotic animal ranch, tour museums, and shop for everything from fine gifts to flea markets to bakeries.  At the end of each day, when the shops and restaurants are closed, you can unwind at the evening campfire and watch the stars come out.
Written by Carol Steffey, Garden Gate Get-A-Way Bed & Breakfast, Millersburg, Ohio (330) 674-7608 www.garden-gate.com

Bed and Breakfast Inn of Ohio Shares Cherry Streusel Coffeecake Recipe

One of the guest favorite dishes at our bed and breakfast Inn of Ohio is our Cherry Streusel Coffeecake.  This recipe makes 2 cakes so you can freeze one or share with a larger group of people.

Cherry Streusel Coffeecake
1 1/2 sticks of butter, softened
3 eggs
1 1/2 cups sugar
1/2 t. almond extract
3 c. flour
1 1/2 t. baking soda
8 oz. sour cream
1 can cherry pie filling

Preheat oven to 375 degrees.  Grease two 9" round cake pans.
Cream butter and sugar.    Beat in eggs and extract.
Combine flour and baking soda; add to creamed mixture, alternately with sour cream.  Don't over mix.
Divide batter evenly in the two pans.  Spread the cherry pie filling over the top of each cake.
Sprinkle with Streusel Topping (for topping combine 1/2 c. flour, 1/4 c. sugar, 1 t. cinnamon and 1/4 c. butter until crumbly using a pastry blender)
Bake 25-35 minutes until edges are lightly browned and pulling away from the sides of the pans.
Written by Carol Steffey, Garden Gate Get-A-Way Bed & Breakfast, Millersburg, Ohio (330) 674-7608 www.garden-gate.com

Bed and Breakfast Recommends Sugarcreek Ohio Swiss Festival

Garden Gate Get-A-Way Bed and Breakfast near Sugarcreek, Ohio suggests that you visit the 2012 Sugarcreek Swiss Festival.  This year the festival will be held on September 28 & 29th in downtown Sugarcreek.  There are 2 big parades: the Kiddie Parade on Friday and the Grand Parade on Saturday.  There will be Polka dancing in the streets  at 1 p.m., 2 p.m., and 3:30 p.m. on Friday  Other Polka bands will be at the Pavilion.  Be sure to check out the Steintossen at 7:30 p.m. (stone throwing) which is a Swiss tradition.  Saturday activities will include a 5k run, a yodeling contest, and a Swiss costume contest.  In addition there is an antique car parade at 1:45 p.m. followed by the Grand Parade at 2:05 p.m.  There will be more Steintossen, food, craft tent, carnival rides, and music around town.  Local organizations will be selling specialty foods such as fry pies, apple fritters, homemade soups, swiss cheese, Trail bologna, and more.  The Ohio Swiss Festival started in 1953 and is an annual tradition for many families.
Written by Carol Steffey, Garden Gate Get-A-Way Bed & Breakfast, Millersburg, Ohio (330) 674-7608 www.garden-gate.com

2012 Ohio Haiti Benefit Auction Among Ohio Weekend Getaways

If you look for new Ohio weekend getaways then be sure to visit Amish Country and check out the 2012 Ohio Haiti Benefit Auction.  It will be held September 1st at the Mt. Hope Auction grounds.  The Amish, along with other local individuals and businesses donate furniture, quilts, craft items, food, and more to the auction.  100% of the proceeds benefit missions in Haiti to feed the hungry, relief for the sick, clothing for those in need, and help for the homeless.  While major TV news networks have reported about misuse of funds by a corrupt government in Haiti, there is a board that oversees where the auction proceeds go.  The missions are required to meet standards, provide financial statements, and show that have not misused any of the funds given to them.  All labor is donated and no commissions/salaries are paid out.  The Ohio Haiti Benefit Auction started in 1987 and is an annual event.  The auction starts at 8 a.m. and different items are auctioned at different times throughout the day.  Make it a weekend and explore Ohio Amish Country.
Written by Carol Steffey, Garden Gate Get-A-Way Bed & Breakfast, Millersburg, Ohio (330) 674-7608 www.garden-gate.com

Fall Wine Tasting Weekends

Visit Amish Country, Ohio for Fall wine tasting weekends.  The weekends of September 14th and November 2nd, 2012 you can participate in a weekend wine tasting package.  The guests at Garden Gate Get-A-Way Bed & Breakfast will board their very own tour bus to embarq on a Fall color tour to various wineries, wine tasting showrooms and cheese factories.  Along the route you will make stops for shopping and tasting.  The stops include: Guggisberg Cheese Factory where you can taste their multi-award-winning Swiss cheese; Gateway Place which is a wine tasting showroom and you can sample various Ohio wines; Coblentz Chocolate Company where you can learn how chocolate is made and some to accompany your wine; Breitenbach Wine Cellars where you can tour the winery, do some tasting and have a light lunch; Broad Run Cheese which is one of the oldest cheese factories in Ohio and they also have Swiss Heritage Winery on the same property; Heini's Gourmet Market where you can taste Ohio wine, locally produced cheese, foods made in Ohio, and be treated to some musical entertainment; Pearl Valley Cheese Factory with some of the best prices in the area; Rainbow Hills Winery located in a beautiful, wooded setting and offering some great wine; Unusual Junction which is a gourmet foods market located in an old train depot; and Ravens Glen Winery where you will take a winery tour, do some tasting, and indulge in a 3 course dinner with 3 wines.  The best part is that you will have a designated driver and you won't have to worry about where to go or who is driving.  For more information on the packages at this Ohio bed and breakfast be sure to visit their website.
Written by Carol Steffey, Garden Gate Get-A-Way Bed & Breakfast, Millersburg, Ohio (330) 674-7608 www.garden-gate.com