The Shipshewana Slow-Down and Unplug Challenge

A Weekend Itinerary for Trading Screen Time for Porch Time 

Notifications can wait. Pie can’t. 

Some trips leave you needing a vacation from your vacation. This is not that trip. 

The Shipshewana Slow-Down and Unplug Challenge is your invitation to trade the rush for backroads, the inbox for porch time, and the endless scroll for actual conversation. 

No packed schedule. No pressure to do it all. Just a weekend built around simple things that feel good: good food, fresh air, quiet roads, and time with the people beside you. 

Ready? Here’s your challenge. 

Friday Evening: Arrive and Unwind 

Check into a cozy stay like Blue Gate Garden Inn, Farmstead Inn & Conference Center, Van Buren Hotel, or SheWana Tiny Homes. 

For dinner, keep it easy. Nearby LaGrange has great options like Fireside Craft Burgers & Brew, Linder’s Tavern on Main, or Destination 814. They are not in downtown Shipshewana, but they are close — about 8 to 9 miles, or roughly a 15-minute drive. 

Then ignore the “just one email” urge. That email can wait its turn. 

Ease into the evening: 

• Build a campfire if your stay has a firepit. Campgrounds make this easy, and Blue Gate Garden Inn has an outdoor firepit patio for guests who bring their own s’mores supplies. For Farmstead Inn, Van Buren Hotel, SheWana Tiny Homes, or private rentals, check with the property first. 

• Grab campfire gear at Yoder’s Shipshewana Hardware before 5:30 p.m. 

• Pick up s’mores supplies at E&S Sales. 

• Skip the fire and swim, play cards, take a walk, or sit outside doing absolutely nothing. 

That counts. That may be the whole point. 

Saturday Morning Challenge 

☐ Sleep in
☐ Eat breakfast slowly
☐ Sip coffee without scrolling
☐ Read a book
☐ Watch the sunrise
☐ Skip email until 10 a.m. 

Saturday Morning: Rise and Slow Shine 

No alarms. No rushing. No work email before coffee. 

Start with breakfast at Corn Crib Cafe, Country Corral Restaurant, or grab a latte or boba drink at Fawn River + Morton. 

Take it to a porch, bench, or quiet corner and let the morning stretch out a little. 

Around here, even the horsepower moves at buggy speed. 

Saturday Lunch: A Taste of Amish Country 

By lunchtime, settle in for a meal that feels like Shipshewana. 

Head to Blue Gate Restaurant & Bakery for homestyle cooking, fresh bread, hearty sides, warm hospitality, and pie worth planning around. 

This is not a grab-and-go lunch. This is a pass-the-rolls, save-room-for-dessert kind of meal. 

Saturday Lunch Challenge 

☐ Eat without checking your phone
☐ Order something homemade
☐ Try pie
☐ Have one real conversation
☐ Buy a bakery treat for later 

Saturday Afternoon: Choose Your Own Slow Adventure

Now that lunch did its job, pick the kind of afternoon your brain has been begging for. 

Want water? Stay close with T & L Country Canoes for a canoe or kayak trip on the Fawn River. Reservations are required, so plan ahead. 

Want a bigger river day? Head toward Mongo with Trading Post Outfitters and grab treats, snacks, or drinks from Mongo General Store. Nothing says unplugged weekend like a river, a tasty treat, and pretending you meant to paddle in circles. 

Before heading in for the evening, don’t forget to grab the best Amish-made cinnamon rolls from Country Lane Bakery 2.0.  

Not paddling? Stay dry and still get outside: 

• Walk the woods at Delt Church Park 

• Swim or enjoy the beach at Dallas Lake Park 

• Bike the Pumpkinvine Nature Trail 

• Ride with Shipshewana Buggy Rides 

• Feed animals at Dutch Creek Farm Animal Park 

• Ride the 1906 carousel inside Davis Mercantile 

• Try a fun popcorn flavor at Shipshewana Popcorn Company 

• Hit the backroads with the Off the Beaten Path Audio Tour 

Saturday Evening Challenge 

☐ Pick up Sunday snacks and baked goods
☐ Swim at your hotel
☐ Play a board game
☐ Go one hour without your phone
☐ Sit outside until the fireflies show up
☐ Let the night be quiet 

Saturday Evening: Bring Back Boredom 

Remember boredom? That quiet little space where conversations, card games, and fireflies used to live? 

Bring it back. 

Since many Shipshewana businesses are closed on Sundays, Saturday is the time to grab baked goods, snacks, coffee, gifts, or road-trip treats for the next morning. Future You will be grateful. 

Then keep the night simple. Swim. Sit outside. Let the kids swim longer. Play a board game. Let the conversation wander. 

Bring a game from home or buy one earlier at Red Wagon inside the Davis Mercantile or Yoder’s Shipshewana Hardware. 

The goal is not to fill every minute. 
The goal is to notice them. 

Sunday Morning: The Slow Goodbye 

Sundays in Shipshewana are quiet by design. It is the scheduled day of rest around here. Now is your chance to do the same. 

Sleep in. Have hotel breakfast if available. Pack your treats. If you stopped at Country Lane Bakery 2.0, those cinnamon rolls are now road-trip treasure. 

Take the scenic route home. Watch for buggies, barns, gardens, and backroads that make you want to drive slower. 

No shopping list. No packed schedule. No rush. 

Sunday Challenge 

☐ Sleep in 
☐ Enjoy a slow hotel breakfast 
☐ Pack cinnamon rolls or baked goods 
☐ Take the scenic route home 
☐ Keep your phone on Do Not Disturb 
☐ Choose one slow habit to bring home 

Your Final Challenge 

Before you leave, notice one slow moment. 

The porch.
The quiet road.
The horse and buggy.
The kids laughing in the pool.
The sunset you almost missed.
The conversation that happened because no one was staring at a screen. 

That’s the Shipshewana Slow-Down and Unplug Challenge. 

Not to do more.
To notice more. 

Ready to trade screen time for porch time? Plan your slow weekend in Shipshewana, book your stay, and start building your unplugged getaway today.