"In the heart of Amish country" a Shipshewana Travel Page by Dabs

My most recent visit to Shipshewana was on a Tuesday with Jo (jo104) who was visiting from London and her friend Sandy from New York City. We stopped 1st at Essenhaus for a look through the shops and for an Amish family style lunch and then headed over to the flea market and a brief stop at Mennohof.

My husband and I try to make it out to Shipshewana at least once a summer for the auction held on Wednesdays. Sometimes we find a good bargain, sometimes not, but it's always fun to watch. It's an easy day trip to take from Chicago or some people spend the whole weekend. Since I like the flea market and auction, we do it as a day trip.

Essenhaus in nearby Middlebury is a must for lunch or dinner, the food is plentiful and excellent and there is a bakery next door so you can take home what your stomach didn't have room for.

Shipshewana and the surrounding communities of Goshen, Elkhart, Nappanee, Bristol, Middlebury and Wakarusa is home to more than 20,000 Amish, the third largest Amish-settled area in North America. You will see some of them working in the stores and restaurants in the nearby towns and along the roads with their buggies and horses. We didn't have enough time to visit Mennohof but if you are interested in the history of the Amish in this area, they do guided tours that last for approximately 1 1/2 hours.