After I spent my first semester of college at the University of Mississippi, I moved back closer to home and began attending Mississippi State University. Melissa was in my Macroeconomics class and she sat next to me the first day. We struck up a conversation and as we exited Macro, we both started walking in the same direction. As luck would have it, she was in the same class as me again and we were both Political Science majors and Starbucks junkies.
I am embarrassed to tell you the amount of Starbucks coffee we drank as we typed up essay after essay. Melissa was and still is a great friend to me. In college she was always there with a listening ear. She came to my spin classes and supported me when I was a spin instructor. She read my essays and gave me her honest opinions. She was always there with a smile and a Starbucks coffee just when I needed an extra pick me up. I am so thankful that God led us together as friends.
Now, 13 years later, we are still friends and we talk regularly. After graduating from MSU, Melissa moved to Ohio with her husband. Melissa has two boys and I have two boys that are around the same age. Last August, Melissa and her husband Rob, made the 13 hour trek down from Ohio to see their family. She called me and we all met up for dinner. We decided that night at dinner, that we would plan a trip to visit them in October.
Melissa is a wonderful planner and she had the entire trip planned to perfection. We went to Amish country, tasted wonderful cheeses, visited their local zoo in Acron, and went to a pumpkin patch. If you desire to visit Amish country, I suggest going in the month of October. It was around 50 to 60 degrees, which is what I deem as perfect fall weather. The countryside is beautiful and it really gets you in the autumn spirit.
If you look at a map, Barberton is in northern Ohio. We were not far from Canada. My boys thought that little fact was really cool!
Akron Zoo
This zoo is not a super huge zoo, but it offers plenty of animals to observe and activities for the children to enjoy.
Skoops'
Melissa, Rob, and their children, Wyatt and Christopher live in Barberton, Ohio. They have this ADORABLE ice cream place called, Skoops'. It was so delicious and as you can see the boys loved the sweet treat! According to Melissa and Rob, Skoops' is a local favorite. Patrons simply walk up to the window and place their orders.
Heini's Cheese Chalet in Millersburg, OH
Only an hour outside of Barberton is Amish Country. The Amish people do not use electricity, nor do they drive cars. Most of their products are made by hand. It is amazing that people live in a home with no electricity or that they ride around in a horse and buggy. It blew my mind and especially my boys' minds.
This was before COVID-19 so we were allowed to sample most of the cheeses.
The cheeses at Heini's Cheese Chalet are wunderbar!
The Amish people almost remind me of the Mennonite people. In Mississippi we live about an hour away from a Mennonite bakery and their foods are very similar to the Amish.
Hershberger Farm and Bakery
We ate lunch at Chalet in the Valley Restaurant. This is right down the road from Hershberger Farm and Bakery. We stopped here for an authentic German lunch before we made our way to Hershberger Farm.
Make sure to have some cash to purchase some food to feed the animals at the free petting zoo at Hershberger Farm. There are animals roaming everywhere.
The bunnies were our favorites!
The scenery looks like something out of a fairy tale. Check out the horse and buggy in the background!
The bakery side had pumpkins, baked goods, and popcorn for sale. This farm and bakery are run by the Amish people. The popcorn is DELICIOUS.
The children enjoyed watching him make the popcorn and then eating it!
After a fun- filled day with the children, we got a baby sitter for the night and went for a grown-ups only dinner. Of course, we had to find a Starbucks and relive some college memories.
Ramseyer Farms in Wooster, OH
I thought I knew what a pumpkin patch farm was until I was introduced to Ramseyer's Farm. This puts the pumpkin patches in Mississippi to shame. Here is the link to their website:
https://ramseyerfarms.com/. Wow is really all I can say. There are so many activities for the children at this farm, that you need an entire day to really enjoy everything.
They also have food trucks that pull up and serve food. Go to the food truck that is selling the fresh donuts. They are heavenly!
They offer so many slides and jungle gyms here.
Your children will sleep the entire ride home after a trip to Ramseyer's.
This was one of my personal favorite slides!
My boys are already asking when we can go back to visit. I am so thankful for Melissa's friendship. Both Melissa and her husband were so kind to invite us to stay with them and we are forever grateful for the memories that we made!
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