Need a place to slow down as a family? Northern Indiana Amish country should be on your must-visit list! Shipshewana, Elkhart, Middlebury and the surrounding towns in this area of northern Indiana are the perfect destinations to enjoy a slower pace of life, delicious food, family-friendly activities and unique experiences that you won’t find anywhere else.
Here are some ideas for what to do, eat and experience in northern Indiana Amish country, whether you’re planning a family vacation or a quick weekend getaway.
THINGS TO DO IN
NORTHERN INDIANA AMISH COUNTRY
Make a Wooden Basket at Teaberry Wood Products
Don’t think you’re crafty? You might change your mind when you visit Teaberry Wood Products for one of their popular basket-making classes. With locations in Shipshewana and Middlebury, this family-run Mennonite woodworking business is known for their handcrafted wooden baskets, puzzles, cutting boards, nativities and personalized gifts. Visitors can also experience the basket-making craft firsthand through one of Teaberry’s classes, offered for all ages. All of the supplies to make a basket are included, and staff will guide you from start to finish to make a functional and beautiful wooden basket.
Create a Custom Doll at Kids Kreations
At Kids Kreations in downtown Shipshewana, you can create your own doll, name it and adopt it, all at this one adorable children’s boutique. This shop offers unique dolls (including Madame Alexander dolls), clothing and hands-on experiences for kids and doll lovers of all ages. The “Make Your Own Doll” experience is popular with families, which lets you create a personalized doll by choosing the size, skin tone, facial expression, eye color, hair color and outfit. Each doll includes a cloth heart and birth certificate. The doll-making experience takes about 30 minutes, making it a fun activity for even young children with short attention spans. Many of the doll clothes offered at Kids Kreations are handmade, including Amish-inspired options.
Take a Guided Tour of a Working Dairy Farm
at Amish Country Dairy
See where Amish Country Dairy products come from at Stutzman Dairy Farm, a sixth-generation Amish dairy farm located a mile from downtown Shipshewana. Take a guided tour to learn how a modern dairy farm functions, watch the daily milking process from an upstairs viewing room, and discover how milk is produced. Guests can also meet the herd of dairy cows, taste samples of milk and watch the animals play. At the end of the tour, you can buy some of Amish Country Dairy’s products, including their extensive line of flavored milks, like root beer, salted caramel and blackberry. Tours are offered May through December, by reservation only.
Visit Wellfield Botanic Gardens
Located in Elkhart, Wellfield Botanic Gardens is a must-see when you’re in northern Indiana Amish country. Originally a city well field (hence the name Wellfield), the area has been transformed into a botanic garden with more than 20 themed garden spaces, ponds, waterfalls and walking paths. Visitors can explore areas such as the Japanese-style Island Garden, Children’s Garden (which has been recently renovated and is new and improved), and English Cottage Garden, while enjoying the changing beauty of each season.
Go on a Stroll with Shipshewana Buggy Rides
One of the sounds you get used to hearing everywhere you go in Amish country is the clip-clop of horse hooves on the pavement. Experience your own clip-clop buggy ride with Shipshewana Buggy Rides, which offers visitors a memorable way to experience the area from a horse-drawn buggy. Located in downtown Shipshewana, the Amish-owned business has a few different tour options: a 15-minute ride through town, a 30-minute countryside tour through Amish farms and backroads, and a hands-on working dairy farm experience. The farm tour includes a ride to the family farm, where you can see Holstein cows, milk a cow and taste fresh milk, help feed the calves, and take pictures of the farm animals and Belgian work horses.
Tour the Locally Famous Bonneyville Mill
Bonneyville Mill in Bristol is a fun and historic place for families to check out when visiting the area. Located within a 222-acre county park, the historic mill is Indiana’s oldest continuously operating grist mill. Bonneyville Mills churns out lots of products, like stone-ground flour, corn meal and buckwheat, which you can purchase in their gift shop. Families can explore the mill and see how water power turns grain into stone-ground flour. Outside, check out the seven miles of wooded trails, wetlands, meadows and natural areas along the Little Elkhart River.
See a Play or Concert at a Historic Theatre
In the mood to see a play, concert or other performance? Northern Indiana Amish country is home to some great historic theatres. The Lerner Theatre, located in downtown Elkhart, has been restored as of 2011, and has been entertaining visitors since it originally opened in 1924. One neat fact about the Lerner Theatre is that it features a historic Kimball pipe organ, one of only three still in its original location.
In Shipshewana, Blue Gate Performing Arts Center is a 1,500-seat venue that houses some bigger-named concerts, ranging from country, gospel and contemporary Christian, to rock and tribute shows. Pro tip: Be sure to check out the venue’s classic car museum, which is amazing in and of itself, and is included with admission.
Attend the Shipshewana Trading Place & Flea Market
Going once … going twice … sold! The Shipshewana Trading Place & Flea Market is a whirlwind, but it’s a must-visit when you’re in Indiana’s Amish country. Spanning 40 acres, this place offers fast-paced live auctions and also hundreds of vendor booths that you can browse at your own pace. This is the Midwest’s largest flea market, so you’ll find everything from one-of-a-kind treasures and home décor to furniture, clothing, antiques, collectibles, crafts, tools, jewelry, plants and much more. Lots of food vendors are located on site, so you can make a day of it at Shipshewana Trading Place & Flea Market.
Find Fall Fun at the Nappanee Apple Festival
If you happen to be in Northern Indiana during the third week of September, be sure to stop by the Nappanee Apple Festival. This beloved fall tradition is four days of family-friendly fun, featuring all-things apples, including a famous seven-foot baked apple pie. You’ll also find lots of apple treats to purchase, food vendors, shopping, live entertainment, carnival rides, contests and a parade. This is the place to gorge yourself on apple pie, apple dumplings and apple cider donuts!
WHAT TO EAT IN
NORTHERN INDIANA AMISH COUNTRY
A Taste of Shipshewana
Shipshewana, IN
One of the more popular ways to experience Amish country is to enjoy a home-cooked meal in an Amish home. You can do that with A Taste of Shipshewana, which caters to groups of 15 or more people. Offering family-style meals at a real Amish home, this unique experience offers a “Thresher’s meal” of hearty dishes like noodles, fried chicken, meatloaf, mashed potatoes, dressing and vegetables, all ending with your choice of pie.
The Black Sheep
Shipshewana, IN
The Black Sheep in Shipshewana is one of the few restaurants in town where you can enjoy an adult beverage, along with amazingly delicious food. This restaurant makes dishes in-house using fresh, local ingredients, when available. They also smoke their own meat and change their menu weekly.
Blue Gate Restaurant
Shipshewana, IN
Get a taste of the Amish country at Blue Gate Restaurant in Shipshewana, which offers a big buffet full of comfort-food favorites like fried chicken, roast beef, mashed potatoes, noodles, vegetables and hearty soups. The restaurant also offers menu and family-style dining options. After your meal, stop by the on-site bakery for homemade breads, cookies, fudge and pies.
Das Dutchman Essenhaus
Middlebury, IN
Popular with the Amish and visitors alike, Das Dutchman Essenhaus is where you can find hearty, traditional Amish-style dining in Middlebury. The restaurant, which is Indiana’s largest Amish-style family restaurant, is known for its family-style meals and huge buffet, featuring favorites like fried chicken, meatloaf, mashed potatoes, noodles, vegetables, salads and fresh-baked bread that’s brought to your table. End your meal with a slice of pie, or visit the bakery to take home some cookies, Amish peanut butter or other sweet treats.
Goshen Brewing Company
Goshen, IN
The food menu at Goshen Brewing Company is creative, with a nod toward Asian flavors (think pad Thai, which is only served on Tuesdays). But it’s also a brewery, so you can find traditional styles of beer blended with unique ingredients, including sours and ciders.
West on Warren Gallery + Grill
Middlebury, IN
Located in a renovated filling-station building, West on Warren Gallery + Grill in Middlebury is a place where everyone in the family will find something they like. On the menu, you’ll find American brunch, lunch and dinner favorites like burgers and nachos, and also lots of vegetarian options, like breaded pickles and fried cauliflower. Like the name suggests, you’ll also find plenty of original artwork on the walls, and fun family-friendly activities like trivia nights.
The Vine
Elkhart, IN
When you’re looking for an upscale yet still casual meal, The Vine in Elkhart fits that bill. There’s something for everyone on the menu, including steaks, fish, pasta, salads, sandwiches and desserts.
Rise’n Roll Bakery
Multiple locations
Cinnamon Caramel or Crunch Delight? It’ll be a hard decision to choose between these two most popular donut flavors (and almost two dozen other flavors) when you visit Rise’n Roll Bakery. Although there are several locations all throughout Indiana, the first Rise’n Roll Bakery began in Shipshewana in 2001, when an Amish couple started baking family recipes and selling their goods from their home. The first Rise’n Roll Bakery storefront opened in 2004 in Middlebury, and originally operated without electricity or refrigeration, and everything was prepared entirely by hand. In 2009, the Amish owner sold the business to a non-Amish family, which expanded the operation, and the rest is history. You can still taste the old-fashioned, Amish-style quality in every bite!
WHERE TO STAY IN
NORTHERN INDIANA AMISH COUNTRY
Blue Gate Garden Inn
Shipshewana, IN
Located in the heart of Amish country in Shipshewana, Blue Gate Garden Inn is a fun place for families to stay that has lots of kid-friendly amenities. This cozy hotel features an indoor pool, hot tub, arcade, outdoor patio and firepit, an ice cream shop (open seasonally), and a complimentary hot breakfast with a made-to-order omelet station. The inn is just steps from the Blue Gate Restaurant and Blue Gate Bakery, and adjacent to the Blue Gate Theatre.
Essenhaus Inn
Middlebury, IN
Essenhaus Inn is the place to stay in Middlebury. This inn has large guest rooms and charming details, like a cozy fireplace and complimentary cookies in the lobby, an arcade, a swimming pool and whirlpool spa, and a big family area with board games. A complimentary breakfast buffet is served every morning. The inn is on the same campus as Das Dutchman Essenhaus restaurant, as well as cute country shops, a bakery, a quilt shop and lots more.
