The busier our lives get, the more fascinating the Amish become. The Plain People, as they are sometimes called, enjoy full and rich lives despite lacking most of the modern conveniences we take for granted. While most of us wouldn’t want to join their world forever, touring Amish Country gives groups the chance to sample the simplicity and harmony of an earlier era.
About 250,000 Amish live in the United States. While traditionally they’ve been farmers, many now operate small businesses ranging from furniture making and baking to quilting and market gardening.
Elkhart County and LaGrange County, Indiana
“As long as visitors are respectful, they’re welcomed into Amish areas,” said Terry Mark, director of communications for Elkhart County Convention and Visitors Bureau. “The Amish don’t like to be photographed, and drivers need to take care when passing horse and buggies on roads. Other than that, many of the Amish are very entrepreneurial and are happy to welcome groups into their businesses.”
[/media-credit] Menno Hof, Shipshewana, Ind.
Elkhart and LaGrange counties in northern Indiana have about 23,000 Amish residents, making it the third-largest Amish community in the U.S. In Shipshewana, the Menno-Hoff makes a good first stop. Built in the shape of a barn, it gives an overview of the history and culture of the Amish and their closely related brethren, the Mennonites. Both groups trace their origins to the Anabaptist reform movement that began in Switzerland in 1525, but the Amish are more conservative in their rejection of many modern conveniences, their old-fashioned dress and their firm boundaries with the outside world.
From Shipshewana, take the Heritage Trail that leads through the surrounding rural countryside and towns that include Middlebury, Nappanee and Goshen. Popular stops include Dutch Country Market near Middlebury, which sells noodles made on site as well as homemade jams and fresh produce, and Lera’s Rugs in Nappanee, where groups can buy Amish rugs, placemats and other woven items.
Groups will also enjoy touring Amish Acres Historic Farm and Heritage Resort near Nappanee. While the business is not Amish-owned, it offers tours of a former Old Order Amish farm, craft demonstrations, wagon rides, a restaurant and musical theater.
Kalona, Iowa
Kalona, Iowa, is home to one of the largest Amish-Mennonite communities west of the Mississippi, with about 1,200 Amish living in the area. A drive through the rich farmland surrounding the town gives views of farmers working the land with horses and women in black dresses and bonnets hanging up voluminous loads of laundry on clotheslines.
Photo: iStock
Groups will enjoy the Kalona Quilt Show and Sale, held each April. One of the Midwest’s largest quilt shows, it features hundreds of new and antique quilts made by local Amish and Mennonite women. At any time of year, the Kalona Historical Village gives information on the unique culture of the area, with a dozen restored, 19th-century buildings on its grounds. It also includes the Kalona Quilt and Textile Museum, which has three or four shows a year showcasing the creativity of generations of women, and the Iowa Mennonite Museum and Archives, which includes information on Amish history. A good time to visit is during the Kalona Fall Festival, a September event that has craft demonstrations, foods, live entertainment and children’s activities.
The town’s historical society sponsors Kalona Byways Tours. Led by local guides, the trips wind through the region’s back roads and include stops at local Amish-owned stores.
Lancaster County, Pennsylvania
Lancaster County, Pennsylvania, is the oldest Amish community in the U.S., having been founded around 1720. About the same size as that of Holmes County in Ohio, it’s the best-known Amish region in the U.S.
Photo: iStock
At the Mennonite Information Center, the three-screen film Who Are the Amish explains the customs and history of this religious group. Next, head to the Amish Experience at Plain & Fancy Farm, an interpretive center offering a variety of activities and attractions. The movie Jacob’s Choice focuses on a boy caught between the world of the Amish and that of the English (as non-Amish are known). Groups also can arrange for a “Chalk Talk” at the Plain & Fancy Farm Restaurant, a presentation that tells stories of Amish life through a work of art created on site. After visiting a traditional homestead and one-room schoolhouse, groups head out into the countryside for a guided tour of surrounding farmland, with stops at small, Amish-owned businesses.
Lancaster Central Market is the country’s oldest continuously operating farmers market. Located in a historic red-brick building, its vendors serve traditional Amish dishes such as scrapple (a breakfast dish with pork scraps and cornmeal), shoo fly pie, apple dumplings, and chicken pot pie, as well as homegrown produce and baked goods.
Finally, a Mud Sale is a not-to-miss Lancaster County tradition. Usually held in the spring (hence the name), Mud Sales are auctions that often include antiques, furniture, farm equipment, livestock, crafts and quilts. Even if groups aren’t in the market for a new buggy, the auctions are great places to rub shoulders with Amish people. The food is an added draw, from delicious homemade donuts and pretzels to chicken corn soup.
Touring Amish communities will leave groups with a new appreciation for the unique culture and traditions of one of America’s most admired religious groups.
Holmes County, Ohio
Holmes County, Ohio, is the center of a cluster of settlements that together are home to about 40,000 Amish, making it one of the largest Amish communities in the world.
[/media-credit] Morning buggy ride, Holmes County, Ohio
“Businesses are happy to accommodate group tours, which are very popular in our area,” said Laurie Judson, group tour coordinator for the Holmes County Chamber of Commerce & Tourism Bureau. “The town of Berlin has a variety of hotels and restaurants and provides a good base for touring. From there motorcoaches can easily head out to a variety of sites.”
One of the major attractions in the area is the Farm at Walnut Creek. This working farm does planting, plowing and thrashing with horses. Guests can also take part in activities such as canning and quilting. Another popular draw is its collection of exotic animals, which include more than 500 animals from six continents. On a horse-drawn wagon ride, guests can see species ranging from camels and giraffes to kangaroos.
Groups will also enjoy Yoder’s Amish Farm, which is owned by Eli Yoder, who was raised Amish. Along with his wife Gloria, he leads tours of the farm’s two houses, barn and schoolhouse, giving insights into the distinctive traditions of Amish communities, including the differences between sub-groups. While all Amish have much in common, individual groups follow different customs depending upon their interpretation of religious doctrines, especially relating to what kinds of technology are allowed.
The Holmes County Trail is a touring option for active travelers. Fifteen miles in length, it accommodates both bikes and buggies, offering panoramic views of the surrounding rural countryside dotted with Amish farms. And at Homestead Furniture, groups can see Amish craftsmen making handcrafted, heirloom quality pieces.
Article by Lori Erickson
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