Explore Shipshewana’s Off the Beaten Path Trail: Cottage Shops and Countryside

Explore Shipshewana’s Off the Beaten Path Trail: Cottage Shops and Countryside

Have you been to Shipshewana, Indiana? In the third-largest Amish community in the United States, you shared the roads and parking lots with Amish buggies. You probably filled up on huge Amish meals and perhaps browsed Amish-owned shops. But have you explored outside of Shipshewana proper? That’s what Shipshewana’s Off the Beaten Path Trail is all about. We traveled the trail recently during a sponsored Shipshewana visit. As the narrated audio recording directed us through the backroads of LaGrange County, we found Amish cottage shops, barn quilts, parks, and small-town charm.

Normally, we do a trail like this all in one shot. But, because our itinerary included visiting attractions in town each day, we did it piecemeal, which worked just fine. Read more

Our dinner with an Amish family

Our dinner with an Amish family

I have visited Amish communities several times over the years. Although I’ve chatted with the folks in shops and restaurants, I’ve never had an opportunity to really get to know them. However, on our recent trip to Elkhart County, Indiana, my husband and I were invited to have dinner with an Amish family. This wasn’t one of the commercial, large group events that you see advertised in Amish areas. This was just my husband, me, and another man who was a guest of the Murphy Guest House where we were staying. Read more