For those of us from Todd County, seeing the Amish in and around the community and shopping at their businesses is pretty much the norm, but it's not the norm for many people even just 20 miles away. I've always felt Todd County was special and it seems as though many things are coming together this year to really be able to promote the county, increase tourism and Saturday's seem to be the best day to come for a visit!
If you have friends coming in from out of town or just know people who would be interested in stepping back in time and slowing things down for a day, here's a good agenda for a day in Todd County with a focus on the Amish and a few others places that you should see.
For ease, we are going to start at Guthrie at the TN/KY state line as you come in from Clarksville, TN on Hwy 79. You will want to start early to cram everything in by mid afternoon!
Map from the Todd County Alliance Amish Experience Day Trip Link
Aim to be at the Country Pantry just north of Guthrie about 3 miles on Hwy 181 by around 8:30 am when they open. This is one of my favorite places to shop for foodstuffs in Todd County. There is something for everyone here, bulk foods that range from whole wheat flour, oatmeal, herbs, organic grains, candy, more stuff than you can image. Their meats are some of the best around, their all natural smoked sausage is a personal favorite. They also carry organic milk, various cheeses and a myriad of other items.....including kitchen knives, utensils, sprouting kits, it never ceases to amaze me what all you find here. This store is owned and operated by a local Amish family.
Still on 181, keep heading North another couple miles and you will see the Penchem Tack Store on your Left. This store caters to the equine lovers, you can find superb hand crafted saddles, tack, and about anything else you could need as it relates to horses. Even if you aren't into horses, they have all kinds of interesting items, perhaps some udder cream for your dry hands is just what you need!
Next head up the road another mile or two till you see Schlabach's Bakery on your left. You will also see a large amount of brightly colored wooden outdoor furniture in the front yard as well. This bakery has been around for as long as I've been in the county and it's known far and wide for their amazing baked goods, jams and apple butters. Make sure to take home some of their cinnamon rolls for breakfast next week, apple are my personal favorite with their mule ear cookies (molasses cookies) being another favorite. You can also pick up an Amish made picnic table, Adirondack chair or swing here as well.
Then continue to head North on 181 another mile or so and you will see Golden Rule Lumber on your right, just across from South Todd Elementary School. Monday through Friday, Golden Rule is your typical lumber and hardware store, owned by an Amish family, but starting on Saturday May 2nd, it's back lot is turned into an amazing Amish Farmers Market. The Market is open from 8:30 to noon on Saturdays and you can find local produce, vegetable slips, flowers, hanging baskets, local hydroponic tomatoes, baked goods and a source for grass feed meat. This is a must see but make sure you bring plenty of cash!
**Edit, the Amish Farmer's Market has decided to move to another location in Oak Grove, KY. I feel like it's a big loss for Todd County, but you can still enjoy their goodies down in South Christian County.
By the time you've toured around the first 4 Amish stops in Todd County, it's probably nearing lunch time. Keep heading North on 181 another 5 miles or so until you run into Elkton's Town Square. Here there are several restaurants open on Saturday but the main attraction is the L&R Soda Shop attached to Weather's Drug Store on the West side of the square. The Soda Shop is not Amish owned, but it's still like a step back in time to an old school soda fountain.
Here you have your pick of hamburgers, various sandwiches, salads even steak on most Saturday's, they have kid meals, and the food is good, but you really go for the ice cream treats! A good mix of flavors that can be had plain, with an array of toppings, in about 5 different cone options, sundaes, milk shakes or malts. You will be glad you stopped to refuel here!
If you are into gift shops and have a few minutes after lunch, stop by Something Special just across the Square on the East Side of the square. A great little gift shop that is nestled in the bottom of what used to be the old Jefferson Davis Hotel. Tell Mrs. Sharon I said hello!
Now back to the Amish. After lunch, head West from the town square on old hwy 68/80 which just west of town will dump you into "new" 68/80 which is a 4 lane highway. Continue West on 68/80 and go about 6 miles to Fairview, KY. You can't miss Fairview, pretty quickly after you turn left on 68/80 out of Elkton you will see an obelisk (think like the Washington Monument but not quite as tall) which looks very out of place mixed in with all the farm land surrounding it. Drive towards the obelisk.
There are several potential Amish "stops" along the way to Fairview if you are inclined to stop. One would be Bluegrass Stables. I don't have their schedule but many Saturday's they have livestock auctions, the last one my family attended was their "poultry" auction where you could buy ducks, geese, chickens, etc.
In Fairview there are many Amish businesses. Two of their main attractions are the Fairview Auctions and the Country Barn, You will come to the Country Barn first on your Left and the Fairview Produce Auction will be another 1/2 mile or so up the road on your Right.
The Auctions are normally during the week and they sell large wholesale quantities of various produce and plants primarily. Again, owned and ran by local Amish.
If for some reason you didn't stop at the Country Pantry on your way in, or you just want to grab a drink and some snacks before heading to finally seeing what the huge obelisk is all about, head west just to the next intersection, across from the Produce Auction on 68/80, turn left and find Dutch Kuntry. The address for Dutch Kountry is actually Pembroke, but it is literally a mile out of Fairview. It is also a Bulk Food store, similar to the Country Pantry, but still there are some noticeable differences.
Now to round out your day with a little history lesson. The huge obelisk that has been looming in the sky for the last half of your day is the Jefferson Davis Monument. This is a small state park in Fairview and for $3 you can take the elevator up to the top of the monument and see for miles and miles in any direction. There's a small gift shop and museum and a playground for the kiddos. Great place to spread out a blanket and enjoy the grounds and have a picnic or snack.
Jefferson Davis (as in the President of the Confederacy) was actually born in Fairview, KY, seems most don't realize this tidbit of historical information. Many tie him with Mississippi but he was actually born here. It's very interesting that Jefferson Davis and Abraham Lincoln were both born in Kentucky less than 200 miles from each other.
For more info just on the Jefferson Davis Monument, see my review HERE.
If you really want to make a full day of it, make sure your Todd County Amish Experience Saturday coincides with one of the MB Rowland Distillery's Picking on the Porch Series. From the Jefferson Davis Monument in Fairview, you are roughly about 10 miles from their location in Pembroke, KY.
This is a great family friendly event with live music, food vendors and of course you can buy some of the regions best liquors like their Whiskey's or famous Kentucky Apple Pie moon shine. Even if you don't drink, it's a fun time. Picking on the Porch is on select Saturday evenings from 6-9 pm and the event is free.
We hope you enjoyed Todd County and all the fun attractions that are definitely not things you can see just anywhere!
A few other details regarding the Amish in Todd County can be found in these links:
The Todd County Alliance Experience Amish Info (map of above locations included in this)
Amish in Todd County
There is some difference between Amish and Mennonite. If I'm not mistaken our Todd Co. is Mennonites!!
ReplyDelete