BACKROADS OF OHIO

     Welcome to the back roads of Ohio!  Whether you are interested in history, culture, wineries, or family fun, there is something here for you.  Begin driving and see where your curiosity leads you.   http://www.ohio.gov/  Take your time and enjoy!  We began in Marietta, on the Ohio River, in the southeastern part of the state.  Marietta is a historic town, founded in 1788, with several museums and tree lined streets.      http://mariettaoh.net/    We stayed at the Comfort Inn, offering an attractive and clean, comfortable room, an indoor pool, continental breakfast, and its own restaurant/pub.   Our room price was $92 with taxes.    For supper at The River City Tavern and Grill, we ate spaghetti with meat sauce and rib eye steak, both tasty.  However, the service was slow.  Our meal total, with a glass of wine each, was $34.50 before tip.  We began meandering until we came to the Ohio Amish country.  The Amish are known for their furniture, baked goods, and cheeses.  The peaceful life they lead seems to cause the pace of life here to slow down.  There are Amish settlements in Holmes, Stark, Wayne, Tuscarawas, and Coshocton counties.  http://www.starkcoohio.com/  Restaurants, flea markets, and wineries abound.  There are plenty of souvenirs shops, too.  Watch out for the horse and buggies and bicycles on the road, as they are the main mode of transportation for the Amish.  Sample some of the cheeses at the cheese houses, or have a meal at one of the Amish –themed eateries.  Enjoy the views from the hilltops, the old fashioned barns, the forests, and farmlands.  Sugarcreek, Ohio is the Little Switzerland of Ohio.   http://www.villageofsugarcreek.com/  There are several places to eat and shop, and the Alpine Hills historical Museum, depicting the early days of the village and its Swiss and Amish history.   http://www.visitamishcountry.com/  With no particular destination in mind, we found flea markets, restaurants, historical sites, antiques, quilt shops and beautiful scenery.  We also found wineries, and had a great time tasting the wines.  We found some we really enjoyed and purchases several bottles to take home.  Later, we can remember our trip on the back roads when we drink the wines.

     In New Philadelphia, Schoenbrunn Village awaits, to show life as it was for Native American Christians in the late 1700’s.  The village is a partial recreation of the one that was founded by David Zeisberger, a Moravian missionary.  He was given the tract by the Delaware Indians.  During the American Revolution, the neutrality of the Indians was called into question, and the village was abandoned.    There are 17 recreated buildings, out of the original 60.  Cornfields and vegetable gardens have been planted as they were during the 1770’s.  Admission is $7 for adult and $3 for children for the self guided tour and museum.  Trumpet in the Land is an outdoor drama depicting the founding of Schoenbrunn and the slaughter of the Christian Indians by the American militia.  This drama has been playing every summer for 40 years.    Adult price is $15, and children are $7.  We recommend both!   The tour takes about an hour, the drama is two hours.   http://www.ohiosfirstvillage.com/    http://www.trumpetintheland.com/  If you are looking for something else to do in New Philadelphia, there is a nice park in town with a pool and a few rides.  There is also the Amish country.  New Philadelphia is a pretty town, and worth a stroll around  town.  http://www.newphilaoh.com/  We stayed at the Schoenbrunn Inn, which offers an indoor pool, exercise room, hot continental breakfast, and evening pub.  Our bill was $89.  We had dinner at the Pro’s Table.  Greg chose mussels as an appetizer and baby back ribs.  MaryJo chose stuffed mushrooms for an appetizer and the pork chop.  The food was very good, and the service was good.  We had a bottle of wine.  Our total was $53. 

      Roscoe Village, in Coshocton, is a living history re created village in the heart of Amish country.  In Roscoe Village, you will return to the early 1800s and discover life in a canal town.   Meet the smithy, doctor, broom maker, and canal boat captain.  Shop and eat.  Take a canal boat ride.  For $29.95 for a family, you can participate in the tour.  The boat ride is $7 for adults and $4 for children.   http://roscoevillage.com/  We stopped at Uncorked for lunch, on the main street, Whitewoman Street.  We enjoyed a glass of wine each, a chicken salad sandwich, a quiche, and one of their “world famous” espresso martinis for desert, for only $39!  Delicious!   http://www.uncorkedwineandcoffeebar.com/home.cfm   There is plenty to do for an afternoon, or a day, at Roscoe Village.

     Of course, there are the wineries!  We stopped at several!  Ravens Glen, on the Coshocton River has a restaurant and gift shop.  A flight, offering five tastes, and the glass, is $5.   Silver Moon Winery, near Dover, has some excellent wines.  Our host, David was very friendly and knowledgeable. A flight, which includes 5 tastes and the glass is only $6.  Gateway Place in Wilmot, is a wine house, serving over 50 Ohio wines.  The host is a gracious and knowledgeable.  A gift shop offers unusual items and Amish made goods.  Brietenbach Winery and Broad Run Winery also are good places to stop and taste the wines.  Broad Run houses a large gift shop.  We found the Ohio wines to be very good, and there is a huge variety.

http://ravensglenn.com/

http://www.breitenbachwine.com/

http://www.silvermoonwinery.com/

http://www.broadruncheese.com/cgi-bin/start.cgi/brhouse/index.html

http://www.oacountry.com/winesandwineries2

       In Brewster, the Station Restaurant offers breakfasts and lunches on weekends.  It’s housed in a 1906 building, and is a 1950’s lunch counter.  The original counter is still being used!  We had a tuna salad sandwich and a burger with soft drinks and fries for less than $10!   There is a museum in the same building with exhibits focusing on the railroad and the military.   http://brewsterohio.com/

Ohio Backroads, Part 1

  Ohio Backroads, Part 2