The sign out front advertises their peaches and ice cream.
One of the best things about Southwest Virginia – besides the views, fresh mountain air, lovely residents, and varied wildlife – is the population of Amish families who sell their crops, bakery goods, and handicrafts to the public. Although our cabin is in Bland, Giles County is right next door.
Giles has a Heritage House museum and furniture store, offering handmade furniture for the inside and outside of your home. And close by is the Nature Way Country Store with hard to find natural seasonings, spices, sugar substitutes and everything else you could possibly need – staples, dairy, produce, snacks, handmade soap and toiletries.
But our favorite is – of course – the bakery goods.
Sticky buns, doughnuts, cookies, breads, cakes, fried pies! Just can’t eat too many of these things, but one or two is usually alright.
On Saturday mornings they are famous for their large trays of yeasty, fluffy, light as air, thickly glazed doughnuts. And since we are here, and it is Saturday, calories be damned!
What a way to start a vacation – a big cup of steaming coffee and a fresh, saucer sized doughnut!
It’s a trade-off though. If you want to see the black horse-drawn buggies carrying supplies and fresh-faced children to the store, you need to visit during the week. And if you head toward the Heritage House, you might catch the Amish working their large horses through their fields – harvesting crops the old-fashioned way.
It’s a bit like time travel and you can almost envy their simple, yet abundant, lifestyle.
Well – almost!
Where have we decided to go from here? Come back tomorrow and find out!
The simple country store takes full advantage of a long porch with nice views.
And if you ride your horse over, or horse-drawn buggy, the hitching post is waiting!
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Writingfeemail's Blog 
Those donuts sound amazing, but I think I’d have to return on a weekday to meet the Amish and buy one of their handicrafts. There is something truly beautiful about the way they live. Thanks for a nice post. My cup of coffee seems a little sparse this morning without the bakery goods! Have fun.