zoar village state memorial

Although we did not pay for a tour of the homes in the town, we did stop and visited at several shops. We enjoyed walking around the town, seeing the beautiful garden, and tasting jams in the Cannery. It is well worth stopping for a short visit.

We have been to Zoar, Ohio several times in the past few years. We love the tour guides ways of explaining exactly the way these people lived, worked and worshipped. They explain the structured ways of doing everything communally. The homes, communal kitchen, town hall and even the old hotel have been mostly redone to give us the overall feel of how these people survived. The staff all dress in period clothing and some work the different areas like the bakery, gardens and blacksmith shop. The beautiful original church is still standing and I believe services are still held there. After walking a guided tour, you will truely get the feeling that you've been on an adventure back in time to the Village of Zoar, Ohio.There is a charge per person for a guided tour. But you can wander on your own and visit most places on your own. I'd recommend a whole day breaking it in half at lunchtime. We ate at the corner grille just down from the meeting hall building. Delicious cheeseburgers!

We were headed to New Phili to see Trumpet in the Land and decided to make a day of it and visit the Zoar Village..So glad we did...the town looks like a story book! We were a little short on time and did get a chance to watch the video at Town Hall but we covered all the other buildlings..The lady who was located at the bakery did a super job and helped us prioiritze the rest of the stops. The gardens were beautiful...We would like to go back again and finish the visit and drive around the area a bit.. If you are in the area..don't miss this..and make sure to drive on over to Bolivar and have a bite at the Canal Tavern...

Zoar is a "goldmine" for history in the middle of OH.We went for an anniversary getaway and will be sure to go back with our kids as we are certain that they will enjoy all this little gem of a town has to offer!!!!

My two sisters, daughter and granddaughter visited Zoar recently as part of our annual "Girls Day Out"! Since this was on a Thursday, there were no period guides in the buildings.....but, we had the good fortune to have period docant guide, Beverly, just for us. She was a wealth of knowledge and made the village come alive for us. What also made the village fun for us...was that there were many things there that my sisters and I had experienced as children on our grandparents farm. Everyone in our group (age 12 - 73) had a great time learning about Zoar. The village was absolutely lovely and even though we have been doing our annual "Girls Day Out" for a number of years now....all agreed, this was the best one ever ...at Zoar!

Oh, my. A beautiful history of the first successful commune in the USA with outstanding docents in period dress. It was strange touring a village without living people in the structures. It was as if we stepped back in time. A wonderful experience to view a time in history which will never be repeated.

Zoar Village is part of the Ohio Historical Connection. You do a self-guided tour of the several houses/structures of the village but there are costumed friendly docents inside each of the buildings to give information and answer questions. Some would call this "an open air museum". Great way to decide your own pace.You buy tickets at the Zoar Store. The Town Hall has introductory video to explain how the Germans from Wurtemburg came into the area and settled. For those interested in genealogy, this is gold mine as there are lots of photos and artifacts donated by various families. Also interesting history about the Ohio-Erie Canal system.The beautifully restored Zoar public garden is not only a nature feast but has deep meaning. The Bakery does sell baked goods. Take time to walk around the streets of the historical village because the persons who bought the other Zoar buildings to make into their private residences have done a great job in renovation and contributes to the village quaintness.Worth the time to stop and visit.

I was in town as part of a ghost tour event given by Haunted Heartland Tours. As a part of that, they had arranged for the Ohio History Connection to have 5 of the OHC owned buildings open and staffed by costumed docents. The story of the village was interesting, and it was cool getting to go inside the buildings and get a sense of what life was like for the German Seperatists who settled there. I cannot say enough good things about the docents. They were friendly, helpful, and had an indepth knowledge of the place's history. I would love to go back in the daytime to hear more about it. A friend of mine is still talking about the behind the scenes tour he took there last summer.Zoar itself is a mix of museum buildings, open to the pubic businesses (lots of antique shops in particular), and private residences. You won't get to go into every building there, but just looking at the buildings from the outside is fascinating. The oldest ones are log houses dating back to 1817. Some of the buildings have a half-timber construction that I have never seen before in this part of the country. The huge garden and the 1830s greenhouse is a must see. We had a great time even wandering around the village in dreary weather before the official tour started. It must be stunning on a sunny day. A visit here would make a really nice day trip for anyone who is interested in history.

The flowers were beautiful, the costumed hosts are very informative and know there stories. Appreciate what we have now, by appreciating what Americans went through before us. Great learning for the children as well.

Interesting to learn about the society who lived here over a century ago. Few people know much about the German separatists who came here to build a community for their people. Arriving in late October we found a number of building still open with period dressed guides to enhance your knowledge. A visit to learn more about the Zoarites worth a stop in this small by quaint village. During summer months they have reenactments to learn more.

We visited Zoar Village for the 150th Anniversary of the Battle of Chickamauga. Over 1,500 Civil War soldiers and civilians came to Zoar for the September weekend, We walked amidst the tents and camp fires of the north and the south; watched the artillery and cavalry demonstrations; watched the troops march toward battle; heard the drummers gather the troops; and visited the Civil War tent shops. In addition to attending the Civil War Event Zoar is a great location to visit because of it historic buildings to tour and craft demonstrations to watch. We hope to return for the Christmas in Zoar in early December. The people of Zoar are working to make history come alive in their village.

i was thinking this was a village with shops & stores. I wouldnt have paid $8.00 for a walking tour. we drove around looking at the buildings, people lived in the houses so you couldnt go inside them. that took the fun out of it.

I had one of the most pleasant visits to Zoar Village the weekend of August 3 - 4, 2013. I toured all the historic buildings, rode in a wagon pulled by draft horses, shopped in delightful gift shops, enjoyed bakery made in the old world way with the latest ingredients, watched a tin smith and wagon maker was amazed going back in time in lovely museums, watched a broom maker and visited extraordinary antique shops, gardens and homes. Zoar has a few very excellent restaurants and so much to see and do. One day was not enough when the town grew full with antique vendors, an art show and classic car displays. The people we so helpful and friendly. I am coming back at Christmas time and making visiting Zoar a frequent stop. Zoar is only minutes south of Akron and Canton and my new best place to rest, relax, and enjoy Ohio's past.

We stumbled upon mention of Zoar in an Ohio visitors' guide and are glad we did. A small village in the middle of nowhere but very interesting for history fans. We arrived early and found the general store before it opened. The staff member was very helpful and answered all of our questions; one staff person even called another Ohio attraction to check visiting hours for us. Very nice and helpful. Guided and unguided tours are available from the general store; start there.The village has a variety of buildings open to visitors, e.g., the bakery, the town hall, the Number One house. Docents in each building are informative and friendly...and you can buy stuff!The town hall museum was chock full of exhibit items but has a second floor that isn't wheelchair accessible. The helpful guide played a video that highlighted 2nd floor items -- very helpful.Since we were short of time for this unplanned trip, we were only able to see the town hall, the Number One house -- huge, interesting features and furnishings, the "magazine", the laundry, and the bakery. Each of these buildings have furnishings that the docents provide insights about.Parking at each building is somewhat limited. We were on the unguided tour so we just parked in the lot across from the general store. Buildings are not really wheelchair accessible but we were able to "wheel" to each building with not much trouble.We recommend sneakers and a large portion of the day to explore the variety of buildings (and sample the goods.) Fascinating! We'll go back (if the US Army Corps of Engineers hasn't allowed the place to be leveled.)

I had done some advance research on the Zoarites to prepare for my Zoar Village visit, but I learned so much more while I was here! The building docents are encyclopedic in their knowledge. They were amazingly helpful and informative. I went a few weeks ago, and I recommend a trip on such an off-season day. I believe the admission was $7. You don't see it at first, but there is loads of parking in several free lots, then you buy the wristband in the gift shop, where you are given a map to explore where and when your interest takes you. There is a short film in the village hall, a large, furnished house, bakery, weaver's workshop, laundry building, tinsmith shop and blacksmith. There are private homes there, too, but all are beautifully preserved. I spent several hours here, and could have stayed longer, but I wanted time to walk along the canal on a really nice trail, and there are parts of the old locks from the canal. I had a wonderful time, and I plan to go back. I wish I had some kids to take there. I recommend leaving your cell phone in the car and truly contemplating what it would have been like to be a Zoarite.