Beautiful Bainbridge: A Guide to Ohio's Old Order Mennonite Community

Along State Route 41 in rural western Ross County, Ohio is a thriving settlement of Old Order Mennonites. The community features a general store, a bakery, a craft shop, a restaurant, and a produce auction, along with several smaller home-based businesses. This area is gorgeous during the summer wildflower season or when the leaves begin to change in autumn. Ross County is perched on the edge of Appalachia where the flapjack-flat farm fields of central and western Ohio run up against the first rolling ridges to the east.

If you live in central or southern Ohio and haven't been to Bainbridge, it's worth a visit.

It's kind of a fun irony that the nation's first dental school was opened in Bainbridge — it's now a museum — just a stone's throw from where one of my favorite bakeries turns out such sweet treats. Ahh, irony.

I've been coming to this community since at least 2012 and it keeps pulling me back. Here's everything you need to know before you go.

A Quick Note: These Are Mennonites, Not Amish

I'll admit my own rookie mistake here. Years ago, people kept telling me about a great "Amish bakery" near Bainbridge. So one snowy day, as flurries began to swirl down ever more swiftly, I found myself driving by the Country Crust Bakery and stopped in. I introduced myself to the owner and mentioned that my readers had been telling me about this great "Amish bakery" in Bainbridge.

The gentleman took me aside and politely said, "Thank you for the kind words, but we're Mennonites, not Amish."

Rookie mistake. I should have known by the lack of beards — almost all adult Amish men have beards, while Old Order Mennonite men typically do not. The informal name for this particular order, by the way, is the "Stauffer Mennonites" — Stauffer being one of the most common surnames in the community.

The Old Order Mennonites here use horse and buggy for transportation and live plainly, which is why visitors often mistake them for Amish. But they come from a distinct theological tradition with their own history and customs. The bicycle is also ubiquitous among the Old Order Mennonites here — notice the box baskets on every bike, perfect for a few groceries. And I've been amazed at how Crocs and Croc knock-offs have transformed Plain person footwear over the past decade. That's definitely become the go-to summer shoe.

Here are some other favorite stops of mine in Bainbridge

Stauffer's Country Store (aka "The Amish Store" even though they aren't Amish)

Located a good three miles south of the main cluster of Mennonite businesses on Route 41 — which is why I missed it for years despite visiting this community regularly since 2012. Don't make my mistake. Drive further south.

Stauffer's is very much in the vein of a typical Mennonite surplus store, but with some added touches. Some bent-and-dent stores are very no-frills — you go in, get your boxes of crackers, and leave. Stauffer's has a bent-and-dent component but also a section of soft goods, canning jars, fabric, sewing sundries, pre-made clothing catering to the local Mennonite community, and — perhaps the best reason to stop — homemade ice cream.

It was a cold winter day when I stopped by, so I wasn't expecting many ice cream customers. But at only a dollar a scoop I couldn't resist. She had vanilla and black raspberry on the menu, so I selected black raspberry and, wow, it was just amazing. She warned me the ice cream was a little soft, and it was — but to me that just made it better. Sweet, smooth, and out-of-this-world delicious. If they have black raspberry on the menu when you visit, I highly recommend it.

The Stauffer family, incidentally, gives this order its informal name. Stauffer is one of the most common surnames among the Old Order Mennonites here, and the community is sometimes called the Stauffer Mennonites as a result.

More Favorite Stops To Make in Bainbridge

Dutch Kitchen/Crafts Unlimited: A combination Mennonite restaurant and craft store, this place is absolutely worth a stop!

JR's General Store: An amazing Mennonite-run grocery/furniture store. And check out their sandwich board!

Country Crust Bakery: This is one my favorite Plain-owned bakeries. The peanut butter whoopie pies are worth a long, long drive to get them.

And when it season check out the Bainbridge Produce Auction where you can score some super flowers and flats of veggies!

Scenes From Bainbridge