Amish Country – Shipshewana, IN

Visiting Shipshewana is like taking a step back in time to a quieter, simpler way of life. This small town has a population of just over 500 people and is at the very center of Northern Indiana’s Amish and Mennonite communities. Quaint and picturesque, one of Shipshewana’s claims to fame is the Shipshewana Flea Market. It’s reported to be the largest outdoor flea market in all the Midwest and features 1,000 plus vendors hawking their wares. The flea market opens May-October on Tuesdays and Wednesdays, but livestock and horse auctions are held year round!

This village offers plenty of small town charm with its appealing downtown area and winding back country roads dotted with cultivated fields and charming Amish homesteads. Buggy and trolley tours abound and whisk visitors away to a time and place where livestock care, home cooking, and quilt making keep neighbors busy all day long. Over 50 stores line the streets of downtown Shipshewana and offer shoppers a wide array of goods, including handmade linens, homemade peanut butter and pies, handcrafted furniture, and antiques. Family style meals are served at the Blue Gate Restaurant, where families enjoy feasting on tables laden with Amish specialties, and the Menno-Hof Museum helps visitors to understand the histories of the Amish and Mennonite people.