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While is true that many businesses are closed on Sundays here in Amish Country, there is still plenty to do! In fact, Sunday may be the best day of the week to visit or extend your overnight stay since there’s typically not crowds and has more of a “laid back” feeling.
Are you wondering why a lot of businesses are closed on Sundays in Amish Country? We found this information from OhiosAmishCountry.com:
Why Closed on Sunday?
With the help of Paul J. Miller, former executive director of The Amish & Mennonite Heritage Center in Berlin, many answers to why Amish and Mennonite businesses are closed on Sunday are explained. Miller and his knowledgeable staff at the center deal with many questions about the Amish community. If you’ve got a question or don’t understand as much as you’d like about the Plain People who don coverings and still drive a horse and buggy, The Amish & Mennonite Heritage Center is a definite destination.
With an estimated population of 36,000-38,000 Amish residents in Holmes, Wayne, Tuscarawas, Coshocton and even Ashland counties, the culture is diverse. One question Miller is always asked is “Why are Amish businesses closed on Sundays?” In a world that operates 24/7, locking the doors to potential customers on Sundays makes many visitors scratch their heads.
However, the decision to close on Sundays and not to perform labor goes back centuries to the core beliefs of the culture.
“The Amish believe the Bible speaks to them and is meant to be a guide for everyday living,” explained Miller. “So, when the fourth commandment reminds us to ‘Remember the Sabbath Day to keep it holy,’ and further says the Lord God created the heavens and the earth and all that is in it in six days, and then rested on the seventh day (Exodus 20:8), the only faithful response can be, how can we ‘keep it holy?’
“For the Amish, that means worship, reading the scriptures, prayer, reading other inspirational, wholesome materials—and rest.”
Furthermore, the Amish “do not pursue the goal-oriented, gainful employment or wealth production of daily life. In their view, to keep their Amish businesses open to produce profit and revenue, even if in a public service, does not honor God or keep the Sabbath holy.”
While daily chores such as caring for animals still need done on Sundays, work is kept to a minimum. The Mennonite businesses also close on Sundays for the same reasons. Amish business owners do not fear the loss of revenue on Sunday. Actually, they put their faith in God. “They believe that God will provide all that one needs if they honor God’s commands for balanced, wholesome living. Any revenue lost by being closed on Sunday probably would not be essential for survival,” noted Miller.
Even though a lot of the Amish businesses are closed, there are a lot of non-Amish businesses open that can be enjoyed on Sundays! We’ve compiled a list below:
Hatchet Club
| Sugarcreek, OH
Hours: Wed-Thurs 5-9pm | Fri 5-11pm | Sat 11am-11pm | Sun Open by request; this might change in the winter
Approx 15 minutes from Donna's
Please note: Must make reservation. Can bring own food. Water and soda available for purchase.
Country Acres
| Berlin, OH
Hours: Sun-Thurs 11am-8pm | Fri & Sat 11am-9pm
Less than 5 minutes from Donna's
Please note: Closes for season October 31st (weather permitting). Opens back up in Mid-April. Ice cream and popcorn treats available for purchase.
Cabin Creek Golf | Sugarcreek, OH
Hours: Open 7 days a week 1-9pm
Approx 15-20 minutes from Donna's
Please note: Closes and opens for the season depending on weather.
Spare Time Lanes | Millersburg, OH
Hours: Thurs 5-9pm Fri-Sat 5-11pm | Sun 12-6pm Closed Mon-Tues-Wed
Approx 10-15 minutes from Donna's
Please note: Concessions available for purchase.
Warther's Museum | Dover, OH
Hours: 7 days a week 9am-5pm
Approx 30 minutes from Donna's
Please note: Museum dedicated to wood-carver Ernest "Mooney" Warther, with a next-door kitchen cutlery factory.
Reeve's Museum | Dover, OH
Hours: Wed-Sun 12-4pm (June 2-Oct 31)
Off season (Jan-May) tours are by appointment only.
Approx 30 minutes from Donna's
Please note: 17 room Victorian home, topped by a third floor ballroom, has been carefully restored. Off season (Jan-May) tours are by appointment only.
Roscoe Village | Coshocton, OH
Most shops / attractions are open til 4-5pm on Sundays
Approx 35-40 minutes from Donna's
Please note: Roscoe Village is a restored Ohio and Erie Canal town located in Coshocton.
Fire Ridge Golf Course | Millersburg, OH
Summer Hours: 7am-9pm
Approx 10 minutes from Donna's
Please note: A beautifully maintained eighteen hole layout nestled on the rolling hills of Holmes county.
Black Gold Golf Course
| Sugarcreek, OH
Hours: Mon-Thurs 8am-5pm | Fri 10am-5pm | Sat 9am-2pm | Sun 1-10pm
Approx 15 minutes from Donna's
Please note: A premier 18-hole golf course with a host of amenities including GPS in all golf carts. Also features,
Habaneros on the Green, a full restaurant/bar.
Wilderness Center
| Wilmot, OH
Hours: Tues-Sat 9am-4:30pm | Sun 11am-4pm
Approx 20 minutes from Donna's
Please note: Educates people of all ages to inspire a love of nature, and conserves natural lands for the health and benefit of the community.
Victorian House Museum | Millersburg, OH
Apr-Oct Hours: Tues-Sun 1-4pm | Closed Mon / Nov 19-Dec 31 Hours: Tues-Fri 1-4pm | Sat 1-8pm | Sun 1-4pm | Closed Mon
Approx 10 minutes from Donna's
Please note: Listed on the National Register of Historic Places, a 28 room Queen Anne style home.
Raven's Glen Winery
| West Lafayette, OH
Hours: Sun-Wed 11am-4pm | Thurs-Sat 11am-8pm
Approx 35 minutes from Donna's
Please note: Winery with vineyard. Full service restaurant on site with everything from burgers to pasta.
World's Largest Cuckoo Clock | Sugarcreek, OH
Hours: 9am-9pm April through November *weather permitting
Please note: The clock is over 23 feet tall and 24 feet wide. Every half hour, a cuckoo bird pops out and then you hear Swiss polka music playing as the band emerges and a couple dances.
East of Chicago | Sunday Hours: 11am-9pm
Burger King | Sunday Hours: 7am-11pm
Mexican Grill | Sunday Hours: 11am-2pm
Subway | Sunday Hours: 9am-10pm
DQ Berlin | Sunday Hours: 11am-7pm
Tarragon | Sunday Hours: 8-11am / 5-9pm
Bags Sports Pub | Sunday Hours: 11am-9pm
Wendy's | Sunday Hours: 6:30am-10pm
Cheng's Gourmet | Sunday Hours: 11:30am-8pm *Carry-out only
Fox's Pizza | Sunday Hours: 12-9pm
La Palma | Sunday Hours: 11am-8:30pm
Grover's Tavern | Sunday Hours: 7:30am-3pm
East of Chicago | Sunday Hours: 11am-9pm
Park Street Pizza | Sunday Hours: 11am-9pm
Bags Sports Pub Sugarcreek | Sunday Hours: 11am-8pm
Pizza Parlor | Sunday Hours: 4-8pm
McDonald's | Sunday Hours: Open 24 hrs
Habeneros on the Green | Sunday Hours: 11am-9pm
There's also a handful of wineries open on Sundays; check out
THIS
blog post and look for wineries labeled "OPEN SUNDAYS".
Did we miss any of your favorite Sunday Amish Country destinations? Let us know below!
Please note: Hours were updated on 06/01/22 but we encourage you to reach out to businesses directly to verify.