Amish Door, the entry point for family memories
Twenty-five years ago, a sweet eight-year old with blond curls was taking in the sights of buggy-lined trails and Amish Country's rolling hills during a family vacation. She and her parents had spent a busy morning touring the countryside and discovering towns like Charm and Winesburg along the way.
"I remember being fascinated by this new culture all around us," said Lynne, now 33 but still with blond curls. "We were searching for a place to eat lunch, and I think it was chance that we found the Amish Door. But I vividly remember having broasted chicken for the first time that day."
After that impromptu vacation, Ohio's Amish Country-and Amish Door-became an annual tradition for Lynne and her family. "We returned at least once a year, if not more often," she recalled.
For Lynne, a new tradition has begun. She and her husband recently brought their son to Amish Door for the first time. "I hope this becomes a special place for him, just like it was for me. As soon as we left, he asked when we could come back again, so I think the odds are good for many more return visits."
The Amish Door restaurant has had over thirty years to collect stories like Lynne's, and employees can tell you plenty more similar ones. Since its humble beginnings when Lynne first visited, the Amish Door restaurant has expanded into an entire village that includes shops, a bed and breakfast, a banquet center, a bakery and a marketplace featuring fresh and bulk foods.
Opened in 1997, the 52-room, Victorian-style Inn at Amish Door has been another addition to the village that has given out-of-towners a reason to stay longer in Amish Country. With the banquet center this facility has drawn an increasing number of weddings and multiple-day business conferences for groups interested in the backdrop of a quiet landscape.
In 2005, the Amish Door Village added an array of events throughout the year, including national gospel acts, original plays, and specialty events such as the Princess Tea Party and Harvest Fest.
But the events are just the icing on the cake. It's the food- the roast beef, the incredible salad bar, the broasted chicken rated one of the best meals in the country by "USA Today"-that has Amish Door's patrons returning again and again, even from one generation to the next.
