-
Take a buggy tour through the heart of Amish Country
- Farm tours
- In home Amish dining
- Feed and pet large animals
- Experience the life and history of Indiana’s Amish and Mennonites
- Live Entertainment
- Shopping Paradise
Take one of the many custom tours and hear the stories Amish culture, offering a stress-free day in and around Shipshewana, excellent homemade food and meet some of the local artisans and craftspeople.
Hidden away are gems of both history and gastronomy (much of it hearty country style of course). Though Country Lane Bakery, just seven miles south of Shipshewana on County Road 43, doesn’t have electricity, it buzzes with visitors who all know to arrive early for the freshly baked rolls, breads, cakes and unbelievable pies.
Just a few miles north on the same country road, Green Meadow Farms, an Amish farm, sells Lady-Finger Popcorn, a tender, very small hull-less heritage popcorn as well as fresh eggs, cheeses and meats (depending upon the day) from their self-serve back porch.
For house prepared Amish style meals, both Blue Gate in Shipshewana and Das Dutchman Essenhaus in Middlebury, know how to cook classic country such as homemade noodles topped with beef or chicken and served with real made-on-site mashed potatoes, biscuits, fried chicken and, of course, more pies. Both places have a bakery, inn, offer carriage rides and shopping and Blue Gate also has a theater offering family entertainment.
On County Road 16 which covers the short distance between Middlebury and Shipshewana, watch cheese being made every morning at Guggisberg Deutsch Kase Haus. Then head west to the Dutch Country Market, owned by the Lehmans, an Amish family of eight. Here you can see noodle making using a hand-cranked noodle machine (and buy some too), fresh-from-the-hive honey products as well as nut butters. The noodles, made of only Duram wheat flour, eggs and water, are packaged under the name of Katie’s Noodles, in honor of Mrs. Lehman who cranks out 48,000 pounds each year with the help of her six children.
Go to www.shipshewana.com or call (260) 768-7589 for lodging and more information.
Story by Jane Ammeson
