Barn Quilt Tour of Champaign County, Ohio

Quilts on barns? - What an unusual idea!

The Barn Quilt concept started as a way to bring visitors to Champaign County to experience all that our community has to offer. Designed to highlight the agricultural heritage of Champaign County as well as the important folk art of quilting, the Barn Quilt Tour features large painted patchwork quilts blocks hung on the side of barns and other farm buildings. The Barn Quilts are visible 365 days a year. 

Champaign County Barn Quilt Tour Offers Full Weekend of Events, October 8 and 9

The sixth annual Champaign County Barn Quilt Tour, October 8 and 9, stands out in a growing field of barn quilt tours in the Midwest. The tour offers locals and visitors a full weekend of activities for children and adults at eight locations through scenic, rolling farmland at the height of harvest and fall color.

Stops on the tour include a working dairy farm; two historic limestone mansions, the Piatt Castles, which showcase 200 years of local history; a working maple syrup camp; a farm market that features local produce and food products and Ohio wines; an historic farm that is the home to Belgian draft horses; Robert Rothschild Farm’s 170-acre raspberry farm and production facility that makes the company’s award-winning gourmet food products; and three other barn sites.

One $10 ticket covers admission to all eight stops from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Saturday, October 8 and noon to 5 p.m. Sunday, October 9.

Tickets will be on sale:

• On the days of the tour at all  of the stops and on at a tent in the southeast corner of Monument Square in historic downtown Urbana
• In advance through the Champaign County Chamber of Commerce and Visitors Bureau, 113 Miami St., Urbana; 937-653-5764; 877-873-5764

The tour was established in 2006 to celebrate Champaign County’s agricultural heritage, the folk art of quilting and the unique features and history of Champaign County. The tour has grown to include 75 barns and other buildings that display large vibrantly-colored patchwork quilt blocks, each one a unique design, that adorn all sections of the county.

Throughout the year, visitors can drive through the county to view the barn quilts, guided by a map available from the Chamber of Commerce and Visitors Bureau. In this aspect, the Champaign County Barn Quilt Tour is similar to others around the Midwest.

But unlike the others, the Champaign County tour every fall features one weekend during which selected barns and other participating sites are open for tours, displays and special activities.

Here’s a brief review of this year’s tour stops, which will all include displays of quilts: 

11. Freshwater Farms

“Fish Are A-Swimmin”
2624 N. U.S. Hwy. 68, Urbana
Sponsor: Freshwater Farms
Tour Ohio’s largest indoor fish hatchery and a restored 19th century barn. Quilt display.  Shop at the farm market.  Get up close with fish.  Pet the sturgeon.  Feed the trout.

13. Mad River Farm Market

“Goose Tracks”
7538 North U.S. Hwy. 68, West Liberty
Sponsor: Mad River Farm Market
Explore the market.  New and vintage quilts featuring the Champaign Quilter’s Guild.  Sample Ayars ice cream (Sat. only).  Petting zoo.  At extra cost on Sat.: wine tasting, 4-8 p.m., and box dinner, 5-7 p.m.

40.  Piatt Castles

“Mac-A-Cheek Logo”
10051 TR 47, West Liberty
Sponsors: Piatt Castles & Bauer Stoves & Fireplaces
Experience the early 19th century on the grounds of one of the limestone mansions.  Explore agricultural history.  Antique farm equipment.  Kids’ games & activities.  Extra fee for castle tour.

70. Stan Mar Dale

“Century Dairy Farm”
5077 S. Kennard Road, Urbana
Sponsors: Dale & Marilyn Smith and families, Stan Mar Dale Holsteins, Pam’s House of Beauty, Heritage Coop Tour a working dairy farm.  Check out family quilts.  Have fun with the kids at petting farm, games and crafts.  Also baby calves and goat milk soap.

45. Johnson Barn

“Maple Leaf”
7012 Stevenson Road, Mingo
Sponsor: Johnson’s Maple Syrup
Tap into history at an active maple syrup camp – on a family farm that dates back to 1805.  Syrup demos & samples.  Tour 1800s log cabin & barns.  Watch local artist at work.

53. Huhn Barn

“Huhn’s Early Dawn”
6108 Black Road, Cable
Sponsors: Evans Fence, Peoples Bank, Bill’s Flowers, Imelda’s Bakery, Kyte Realty & Insurance
Beautiful hillside water garden, perennial gardens, 1830 barn and 1834 house.  Artist, wool spinning, (Sun. only), alpacas and herb gardening demos.  Mums for sale by Four Seasons.

38. Black Barn

“Broken Path”
7793 Brush Lake Road, North Lewisburg
Sponsor: Dairy Queen
Buy locally-grown goodness from farm market vendors.  Show your Buckeye spirit at the OSU Alumni Association tent.  Also, historic barn and antique tractors and an array of antiques on display.

73. Woodruff Barn

“Red Gate Park”
6721 U.S. Hwy. 36, Urbana
Sponsor: Westfall Farms and Heath Farms
Tour historic barns on this draft horse & beef cattle farm – and ride an antique horse-drawn wagon.  Antique corn shucking and grinding equipment in action and other antiqe machinery.

1. Robert Rothschild

“Art Square”
3143 E. U.S. Hwy. 36, Urbana
Sponsor: Bauer Stoves & Fireplaces
Taste Rothschild’s award-winning gourmet products.  View displays of mini quilts, vintage aprons and wall hangings.  Quilted items for sale and sewing demo featuring Champaign Quilter’s Guild.

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