The Heritage Trail in Northern Indiana cuts through green squares of farmland and small towns with courthouse squares, but what sets the trail apart isn’t the scenery—it’s the Amish buggies. With more an estimated 37,000 Amish residents, the Elkhart and LaGrange counties that the Heritage Trail travels through boast the third largest population of Amish in the United States, not far behind Lancaster County, Pennsylvania, and Holmes County, Ohio.
While the Amish in Northern Indiana set themselves apart through their dress and selective use of modern conveniences, they welcome interactions with the English (those outside their faith), and the Heritage Trails opens the door to their world.
Elkhart
Whether you travel across Interstate 80/90 or come south from Indianapolis to the Heritage Trail, Elkhart makes the most logical starting point. Start at the Elkhart County Visitor Center to pick up a self-guided map or an audio guide for the trail, then heading to the nearby RV/MH Hall of Fame.
Elkhart County produces roughly 80 percent of the world’s recreational vehicles (RVs), and the RV/MH Hall of Fame serves primarily as a museum where you can learn about RVs and manufactured homes (MHs). Surprisingly, many of the industry’s workers are Amish, who are allowed to drive forklifts and use power tools for work. You can see them in action on a factory tour of Jayco, Inc. in neighboring Middlebury.
The city also offers an introduction to quilt gardens, floral designs inspired by Amish quilts, along the Heritage Trail. In Elkhart, you’ll spot them at the Elkhart County Visitor Center, Wellfield Botanic Gardens, Elkhart Environmental Center, Rushmere Mansion, and downtown from May 30 through September 15. The floral quilts also appear in six other communities, including Middlebury, Goshen, and Shipshewana.
As a contributor to The Saturday Evening Post, I took a special interest in the Midwest Museum of American Art. Rockwell’s work appeared 321 times on the cover of the magazine from 1916 to 1963. Today, the Midwest Museum of American Art contains the largest public collection of signed and numbered Rockwell collotypes and lithographs in the country.
Middlebury
After an evening at Hotel Elkhart, I continued on the Heritage Trail to Middlebury for breakfast at Das Dutchman Essenhaus, the largest restaurant in Indiana. Besides its size, it stands out for its Amish and Mennonite servers, buggies converted into dining booths, and traditional Amish dishes such as chicken and noodles over mashed potatoes.
The entire Essenhaus complex spans several acres and includes the restaurant, 89-room inn, theater, conference center, pickleball courts, and Essenhaus Village Shops. Don’t miss the Quilt Shop here. It sells authentic Amish quilts, fabric, and quilt kits to make your own.
As you leave downtown Middlebury, buggies become more prevalent. I watched several pass as I stopped at the Dutch Country Market, an Amish owned store that stocks local honey, homemade jams, their dried egg noodles, and bulk goods.
Karleen Richter, The ShipShe Tour Lady, says the color and style of the buggy depends on the area. While the Amish in Northern Indiana usually drive black covered buggies, other communities might drive gray or yellow buggies.
Shipshewana
Because Shipshewana has so much to see and do, it’s a good base for multi-day tours of Northern Indiana Amish country. I stayed at the Blue Gate Garden Inn, which has the advantage of being right next door to the Blue Gate Theatre & Performing Arts Center and minutes from the Menno-Hof information center and Shipshewana Auction.
Menno-Hof is a must to learn about Amish culture. The information center starts with several short film presentations on the Anabaptist movement, which birthed the Amish, Mennonite, and Hutterite religions, and continues with museum-like displays. Amish and Mennonite staff are on hand to answer any questions.
If you can, plan your visit to attend the Shipshewana Trading Place’s antique and miscellaneous auction, held every Wednesday at 9 a.m. Anyone who purchases a $5 buyer card can bid at the auction from one of the six to nine auctioneers selling items simultaneously. Behind the 15,000-square-foot auction barn, the flea market sells some Amish-made products and is open Tuesday and Wednesday from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m.
Shipshewana offers several hands-on experiences. I crafted a wooden basket at Teaberry Wood Products and made pretzels at Ben’s Soft Pretzels. (You can purchase a pretzel-making kit to bring home instead.) Although not a makers experience, the Amish-run E&S Sales is an opportunity to shop for dried egg noodles, baked goods and bulk items alongside local Amish.
Off the Beaten Path
For a deeper dive into Amish country, pick up a self-guided map of LaGrange County’s Off the Beaten Path Tour at the Shipshewana Visitor Center or download the audio version on Spotify. The tour covers more than 100 miles of backcountry roads, introducing visitors to backroad shops, barn quilts (quilt patterns painted on homes and barns), and Amish cottage shops.
I took some of my favorite photos on these backroads and met Amish entrepreneurs like Carolyn Yoder of Carolyn’s Kitchen, which sells no-sugar-added jams, and Anna Miller, whose Amish Kuntry Fried Pie averages 2,000 handheld pies every day except Sunday. North of Shipshewana, Loren and Dorcas Yoder sell handcrafted purses, belts, and leathergoods at Silver Star Leather. And that’s just the beginning.
The Off the Beaten Path Tour currently lists about 120 Amish cottage shops — family-run businesses that operate out of the home — but many others go unlisted. As you drive, it’s not uncommon to see a roadside pop-up business selling anything from birdhouses to flowers. Bring cash. Most of these operate on the honor system, asking you to leave a specified amount in a box for each item.
Some Amish families welcome you into their homes. Yoder’s Homestyle Cooking hosts family-style meals of ribs, meatloaf and other comfort foods while The Carriage House treats guests to fresh cinnamon rolls for breakfast and baked chicken, pork roast, and ham later in the day. To experience a meal with a family, contact either Visit Elkhart County or Visit Shipshewana.
Goshen
From Shipshewana, the Heritage Trail continues to Goshen, the seat of Elkhart County. I didn’t see any Amish buggies or families downtown, but it’s worth spending an hour or two there exploring the shops. One of my favorites was Janus Motorcycles, retro motorcycles handmade with parts crafted by Amish businesses.
Before leaving downtown, treat yourself to chocolate-covered cherries, turtles or other sweet treats at Olympia Candy Kitchen. The business is also a soda fountain and popular diner serving burgers, sandwiches and shakes.
Not far from downtown, The Bag Factory houses 15 businesses in its historic brick building. I bought a small, handmade planter from Goertzen Pottery and admired the tables, chairs, desks, and other Amish-built furniture at Legacy Home Furniture.
Other Communities
The Heritage Trail heads southwest from Goshen to Nappanee, home to Coppes Nappanee Cabinet Co. While you can still purchase cabinets from the company, the real draw for visitors is Coppes Commons, located inside the cabinetmaker’s former factory. Not only does this historic building contain several boutiques and antique shops, but its upper-level houses the free Coppes Legacy Museum dedicated to Coppes furniture and its workers, many of whom were Amish.
Just north of Nappanee, Wakarusa offers the small-town experience. Every spring, it holds their Maple Syrup Festival, and every fall, it erects a pumpkin tree of more than 200 uncarved pumpkins. The rest of the year, Wakarusa Dime Store draws people into town with its old school candies and jumbo jellybeans.
Continuing north on State Route 19, the Heritage Trail ends back in Elkhart.
Tips for Traveling in Amish Country
Because the Amish adhere strictly to their faith, they restrict their business hours, limit their use of technology, and maintain private lives. Here are some things you’ll want to keep in mind when driving the Heritage Trail:
- Most Amish businesses close at 5 p.m.
- All Amish businesses are closed on Sundays.
- Some Amish businesses only accept cash or check.
- Always ask before taking photos.
- Buggies and bicycles share the road with you. Drive safely.
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Comments
Amish and Mennonite cooks are the greatest! We are fortunate to have small settlements in rural TN.
Dear Editor:
Your columnist missed mentioning the “round barn theater” in Nappanee below Shipshewana……….just EXCELLENT !!
Best memory of Shipshewana, was the morning when a teenager -girl came down the highway in her buggy and
chatting to someone on her cellphone !! Marvelous collsion of culture. Also, seeing a farm which, technically was no t hooked up to the local power company, but, there was a very large John Deere tractor chortling away, well hidden by the barn with a very large generator hooked up to its PTO, hilariously funny.
The other “mish mash” of cultures was the sight of dozens upon dozens of very expensive recumbent-type bicycles.
But, the food in the restaurants, was beyond description, and, so much on the plate !!
And the Jelly Bean Factory in Wakarusa was also missed. According to sources, Wakarusa was the first Studebaker dealership in the state. Wish we could revisit.
Good memories and so well worthwhile to have gone.
Sincerely.
Gord Young Peterboro-Canada [still not in the 51st state]