Tour Experiences
An Authentic Amish Experience
Give your group the experience of the picturesque splendor and quiet tranquility of the Amish countryside as you take them Off the Beaten Path where they can unplug, unwind, and embrace a slower pace. Here, they can meet the Amish people who live and work here and offer authentic experiences and products.
- Experience the stunning gardeners’ handiwork art form of the Quilt Gardens along the Heritage Trail.
- Discover the unique artful quilt square designs of the Barn Quilts and cottage shops.
- Watch Amish craftsman and artisans at work making expertly crafted furniture, exotic leather handbags, wooden baskets, rag rugs; or turning reclaimed or re-purposed barn wood or other recycled materials into masterpieces.
- Experience a one-of-a-kind Amish one-room schoolhouse, exotic animal park, or a working dairy farm.
- Enjoy in-home Amish meals, baking and cooking demos, and maybe even watch a game of ‘marbles’.
- Give your guests the opportunity to tour, observe (and sample) Amish food crafting such as cheesemaking, handmade noodles, pretzels or candies, jams and jellies.’
- Buggy craftsman, furniture builders, and casket makers will welcome your group in to look and listen to how they build their products.
A Perfect Shopping Spot
Many of the qualities that make Shipshewana and LaGrange County special are the same things that make it a perfect shopping spot. A belief in quality workmanship, a slower pace of life, and goods that last a lifetime mean that there is likely something for everyone here.
Shipshewana’s Downtown Shopping District
Let your guests “shop ‘til they drop” walking the quaint Harrison Street Shops for assorted gifts and apparel at Lasting Impressions, practical and pretty items at Cornucopia, and even re-purposed home décor at 2 Chicks and a Chair. These plus many more shopping delights are waiting in downtown Shipshewana.
The tour group WILL LOVE the Davis Mercantile: four floors (with elevators) containing 21 shops and a fully restored antique carousel. Moving on to Historic Morton Street, your group will find the extraordinary Teaberry Wood Products, Riverwood Pottery, Scherger’s Kettle Jams & Salsas, and many antique shops, including Rebecca Haarer Art & Antiques.
Magnificent Mega Mile
Head down the main road through Shipshewana to find more extraordinary shopping opportunities, including Yoder’s Shopping Center featuring quilt shops and a hardware/general store, Yoder’s Meat & Cheese, E&S Bulk Food Sales, and Yoder’s Popcorn which is located at the corner of 5&20.
Amish Cottage Shops
If you’d love your itinerary to include artisan-made products, Amish cottage shops, or quilts and quilting supplies, Shipshewana has plenty of them! Our Group Tour Specialists can customize any itinerary to meet all of your needs! The tour can stop at fantastic locations like Silver Star Leather, Carolyn’s Jams, or B Honey. These are just a few of the incredible Amish shopping options available on the country roads.
Shipshewana Trading Place Flea Market
Possible options include the Midwest’s Largest Flea Market, open seasonally from May through September, and the year-round Weekly Antique Auctions. The Flea Market has plenty of convenient bus parking, and someone from the flea market will be happy to meet your bus group to introduce the market, answer questions, and assist the group in whatever they need:
- FREE admissions and motor coach parking.
- FREE tote bags for the driver and group leader.
- FREE shuttle service to mobility scooters.
- Convenient drop-off and pick-up.
- On-site restaurant and food courts.
- Vendor directories with maps.
A recent, crazy-fun addition to the Group Flea Market experience is the (group exclusive) Flea Bag Trail Scavenger Hunt! Expect grins and giggles galore as your tour group hunts for the six locations noted on their map, individually or in teams. They get their Trail Card stamped and earn a free shopping bag by answering fun questions from the vendor at each location. It’s unusual, not too difficult, and just challenging enough to captivate participates as they discover treasures at the Flea Market. All successful participants can collect their unique prize before heading out to enjoy the rest of their day!
Small Town Charm with Big Town Entertainment
The Blue Gate
In addition to an amazing restaurant, bakery, and hotel, Blue Gate Hospitality also provides first-class entertainment in the Music Hall and the Performing Arts Center. A year-round schedule of Amish-based musicals, traveling entertainment acts, and world-class singers and performers mean that there is never a lack of fun to be had.
The Menno-Hof Museum
The Menno-Hof Amish Mennonite Museum is where visitors to Shipshewana can learn the dark and complex history of the Anabaptists- the precursors to the current Amish and Mennonite iterations, as well as what their lives are like today. It is an impressive and interactive venue, with real Mennonite hosts and narrators. It’s a true ‘can’t miss’ for anyone interested in Amish culture.
Michiana Event Center
The MEC is ‘Built for Big’ and that’s where you’ll find the really big shows: horse shows, rodeos, festivals, vendor events, truck pulls, tractor shows, large concerts, aerial and equestrian extravaganzas. If it’s the really huge stuff you’re looking for, The MEC is where you’ll find it.
In addition to the world-class performances, there’s a full schedule of fun events to attend in Shipshewana and surrounding towns, including:
- Ice Festival
- Pajama Day
- Maple Syrup Days
- Mayfest
- Northern Indiana Steam & Gas Show
- Buggies & Bluegrass
- Corn School
- The Lighting of Shipshewana
- Lights of Joy
Shipshewana is magical at Christmas…
The entire small town of Shipshewana is lit up with beautiful Christmas lights during the holidays and looks like something straight out of a Hallmark Christmas movie! The Christmas celebrations here truly showcase the towns small-town charm and kind-hearted people, as well as its bright and sparkling Yuletide joy.
We’d like to invite you to experience everything the holidays have to offer in Shipshewana, Indiana! We can’t promise snow, but we can promise a magical Christmas experience that you won’t find anywhere else.
