Take a family trip to Northwest Indiana’s Amish Country, where women in bonnets steer buggies past luxuriant green farmsteads and young boys, dressed in black hats, ride their bikes to school. Hitching posts are just as important as parking meters and there are times when the streets, lined with lorries laden with summer produce, resemble a scene out of the 19th century much more than one of today.
Take a two-hour cruise on the St. Joseph River aboard the Elkhart River Queen, a historic 1948 paddleboat. See how grain was ground almost two centuries ago at the 1832 Bonneyville Mill — the oldest continuously operating gristmill in Indiana. Then sample jumbo jellybeans at the 103-year-old Wakarusa Dime Store.
To experience Amish family life, go for a horse and buggy ride at Das Dutchman Essenhaus, share a family-style Amish meal and pick up goodies including fresh fruit pies, homemade noodles, jams and jellies at the Essenhaus Bakery.
For a taste of Amish Colby or Swiss, stop at Deutsch Kase Haus and see master cheese makers at work. Also explore nearby Shipshewana, the third largest Amish community in the world and the hub of local Amish tourism — including the largest outdoor flea market in the Midwest. Shipshewana is also home to Menno-Hof, a cultural center where you can learn about the history of the Amish and Mennonites who settled here.
Most importantly, make sure to travel on as many back roads as possible, for a true glimpse into everyday Amish life.