Fall’s return and the coming of winter may bring chilly weather to Cleveland Plus, but the seasons also bring to life the welcoming warmth of Amish Country in Geauga and Holmes counties.

Just southeast of Cleveland, Geauga County’s forested and farm-dotted landscape bursts with autumn. There is the silent, dazzling explosion of fall foliage ideal for touring and the harvest-time bustle of more than a dozen farms and farmers’ markets. Restaurants like Mary Yoder’s Amish Kitchen in Middlefield showcase the fresh local ingredients and traditional cooking in mouthwatering and satisfying fashion.

And if the crisp air suits your style, get outside and explore the Geauga Park District, which boasts 6,000 acres in its 12 parks, with hiking and cross-country skiing trails traversing scenic woodlands and meadows. Or wrap yourself in blankets and the majesty of a snowy winter wood on a horse-drawn sleigh ride through the surroundings of Ma and Pa’s Gift Shack in Burton.

But don’t lose track of time: “Before you know it,” Geauga tourism director Lynda Nemeth (www.tourgeauga.com) notes, “once we’re back into February, they’ll start tapping trees for maple sugar season” at the region’s 20 sugar houses.

Southwest of Cleveland, Holmes County is home to the world’s largest concentration of Amish settlements, making for an immersive cultural experience like no place else. From the famous Lehman’s Amish supply store, which includes three pre-Civil War-era buildings to the dozen shops that take part in the annual make-your-own Amish Quilt Shop Hop, you can put your hands on reminders of a simpler life.

Amish dining offerings include the renowned Amish Door in Wilmot and Berlin’s Farmstead Restaurant, or you can surround yourself in the atmosphere for a whole weekend: Packages like those at the Garden Gate Get-A-Way Bed and Breakfast include a day of meals in Amish homes, buggy rides and shopping, and during the holiday season you can get a taste of a traditional Amish Christmas with a holiday feast and an evening of games and Christmas caroling. –Submitted by John Booth