The largest Amish settlement in the world, centred on Holmes County in northeastern Ohio. The region covers eight counties — Holmes, Wayne, Tuscarawas, Coshocton, Stark, Knox, Ashland, and Richland — and is Ohio's top tourist destination. The landscape of rolling hills, farmland, and back roads is genuinely beautiful, and the Amish communities here have maintained their traditional way of life more completely than almost anywhere else in North America.
The centre of the tourist trade is Berlin (pronounced BER-lin), a small town with quilt shops, bakeries, furniture stores, and restaurants serving Amish cooking. Walnut Creek and Sugarcreek are nearby alternatives. The real interest, though, is in driving the back roads and watching teams of horses working the fields, or stopping at farm stands selling produce, cheese, and baked goods.
The region is known for its solid-wood furniture workshops, and Holmes County is now the leading producer of handcrafted furniture in the US. Auctions are held regularly across the area; they offer a more genuine glimpse of Amish commerce than the souvenir shops.
Best visited in spring or fall when the scenery is at its finest. In summer the main town of Berlin can get crowded.