A Northwest Ohio RV Excursion from Sauder Village

Author's Note: This is a guest post from Joe Laing of El Monte RV Rentals. If you would like to submit a guest post for consideration, send me an email to gr8lakescamper@gmail.com.

In the modern world of instant access, constant contact and tuned-in technology, an RV excursion into the past may seem a bit old-fashioned. But when your destination is filled with more than just dusty rooms and glass-encased artifacts - when it actually brings a bygone era into the present - the past can pave the way to an awesome learning experience for the entire family.

You'll find just such a place tucked into the northwest corner of Ohio, a few miles south of the Ohio Turnpike outside quaint Archbold. Here, the state's largest living history village, Sauder Village, brings to life the farming culture of a century ago. Through traditional artisans, costumed interpreters and interactive exhibits that demonstrate the essential skills of the 19th and early 20th centuries, young and old alike come to understand just how far we've come as a country - and just how near a time that was in our relative history. And if 100 years isn't all that long ago, then May 1, 2012 - opening day for the village's annual season - is gonna come fast! Here's what you'll need to know to get rolling:

Destination

Photo by David Guion

In 1976, longtime local Erie J. Sauder, a pioneer in his own right who developed ready-to-assemble wooden furniture, established the nonprofit museum dedicated to the original pioneers of the Great Black Swamp region. He arranged to have dozens of century-old hand-constructed buildings collected from around the state onto a living history farm and craft village. Devised to illustrate the story of the area's earliest European settlers, Sauder Village tells how these brave men and women toiled to transform the vast wilderness into fruitful fields and towns. (Learn more about the man behind this mission at the welcome center's Greenburg Gallery.)

Photo by Dustin M. Ramsey

From Sauder Village, travelers can also follow Township Road E a short stretch west to Goll Woods State Nature Preserve, which encompasses 300-plus acres of old-growth woods showcasing the swamp forest habitat that once defined this region.

Digs
Since its founding 35 years ago, Sauder Village has expanded to include a 350-seat restaurant, a bakery, a 98-room country inn, a performance center, and a lush lakeside campground that makes an ideal place to hook up your vacation time machine. With 47 sites adjacent to the Historic Village, as well as play spaces for children and adults (think volleyball, fishing, shuffleboard and horseshoes, a playground, a pool, and a walking path), you'll be able to park amidst much modern-day action while allowing plenty of time to explore the expansive site.

With all of that excitement, you'll surely develop an appetite; fill up on homestyle supper and other simple meals at the Village's Barn Restaurant, plus soups and sammies from the Village Café and made-from-scratch goods at the Doughbox Bakery. In nearby Archbold, you'll also find a handful of restaurants downtown along North Defiance Street. Try the Home Restaurant for breakfast all day or cozy Carol Ann's City Café for a gourmet cuppa joe and baked oatmeal, Samuel Mancino's Italian Eatery just down the block for pizza and grinders, and the upscale Stella Blue for salty jazz and spicy ribs.

Discover
Throughout the Historic Village, staff donning period costumes play the residents of a rural turn-of-the-century town, from farmers and printers to cooks and craftsmen. On any given day, visitors can help churn butter, hear traditional hymns, duck inside a wigwam, or milk a replica cow. In addition to the welcome center, circle of shops selling everything from baskets to herbs, museum, and quilt shop, there are many distinct areas to discover; each one is chockfull of demonstrations, exhibits, and activities, so allow yourself at least two or three days to work through the entire site. (For a good overview of what's offered, climb aboard the Erie Express train, which chugs "through time" around the village perimeter.)

Photo by Sauder Village

Working your way from the town center - past a train depot, church, doctor's office, schoolhouse, sweet shop, grist mill, and more - you'll arrive in the "Natives and Newcomers" area and be transported back to 1803, when Native Americans lived off this land and the early fur trade was being established. Fast-forward to the mid-1800s at the award-winning "Pioneer Settlement," where you'll hear stories of Amish-Mennonite immigrants, tour log homes, and listen to criminal tales at the two-room jail. For the small fries, the "Little Pioneers Homestead" provides hands-on learning with toys and games, a pretend cabin, farm animals, flower and vegetable gardens, and a child-size farm wagon. Then make your way to the "1910 Homestead" to see how a turn-of-the-century family lived and worked. Finally, a cluster of craft buildings and artisan studios brings you back towards the middle of town. Watch potter Mark Nafziger throw stoneware creations inside a timber-frame studio and marvel at Mark Matthews's intricate glass marbles.

Dates
In May, the Historic Village opens for the season, and the site's special events calendar kicks off with three fabulous affairs worth gearing up for. First up, the popular annual Quilt Show (May 1-6), which pieces together our country's rich quilting traditions into a beautiful show featuring more than 400 displays, as well as demos, workshops, shopping, and music. Then, Spring on the Farm (May 12) awakens your Sauder experience with folk music performances; old-fashioned games; planting, rope-making, and sheep-shearing demonstrations; and loads of hands-on fun. And one week later, Sauder Village welcomes more than 100 vintage automobiles for the Antique Car Gathering (May 19). Take a drive into yesteryear with demonstrations of and rides in cars from as far back as the early 1900s.

Spring is only a few short months away; now's the time to start planning your own "covered wagon" adventure!

About the Author
Joe Laing is the Marketing Director for El Monte RV Rentals. You can see more great RV vacation ideas in their Monty's Musings RV Travel Blog and be sure to check out their RV Camping Pictures.