🇩🇪 St. Jacobs – Ontario’s Enchanting Mennonite Village

🇩🇪 St. Jacobs – Ontario’s Enchanting Mennonite Village 📍 Location: 15min north of Waterloo, ON 🚗 How to Get There: Drive up King St N or take GRT bus 21 (weekdays only) 📅 Best Time to Visit: May-Oct (farmers’ market season) 🌟 Step Back in Time ✅ 19th-Century Charm – Horse-drawn buggies clip-clop past heritage barns. ✅ Mennonite Simplicity – No electricity, hand-sewn clothes, candlelit homes. ✅ Farm Stands – Cash-only for strawberries, maple syrup, quilts. 📸 Must-Do Activities 1️⃣ St. Jacobs Farmers’ Market ✔ Canada’s largest year-round market – Try fresh pretzels + apple butter. ✔ Mennonite crafts – Hand-stitched quilts ($300+ but last generations). 2️⃣ Horse & Buggy Tour ✔ 25-min ride through Amish farms ($15/person). 3️⃣ The Olde Heidelberg Restaurant ✔ Order: Smoked pork hock + house-brewed dark beer. ✔ Live piano on busy nights (but temper expectations – reviews say quality has dipped). ⚠️ Cultural Etiquette ❌ No Photos of Faces – Mennonites believe it violates Exodus 20:4. ✅ Pay Cash – Most reject digital payments (ATMs at market). 🏡 Where to Stay ✔ The Village Inn – Cozy B&B with wood-fired sauna. 🏆 Why Visit? "St. Jacobs is where time travel feels real— one minute you’re texting in Waterloo, the next you’re bartering for heirloom tomatoes with a bonnet-clad farmer." #AmishCountry #OntarioTravel #BackInTime