Homeschool Trip to Indiana's Amish Community!!

My girlies and I took a "field trip"...or one might call it a "road trip" yesterday. For months I've been wanting to revisit the Amish areas of Northern Indiana so I decided yesterday would be the day! We didn't get as early a start as I would have liked to have but we still had a wonderful day and beautiful weather.

Jennie worked on her crocheting project as we drove several hours and Becca read her latest novel until we got there. (I also was able to stop and look at two fairly modest model homes that we are considering having built. We'd love to get back to the country at some point! But we're trying to leave it for God's direction in our lives.)

So, anyway, we drove to Shipshewana, Indiana. There is a large community of Amish in Northern Indiana stretching throughout many many towns and countryside. We weren't able to spend a tremendous amount of time this trip. Used to be, my daughters and I would spend part of spring break there each year but since Roger and I have been married, he has opted to go to Florida...

In Nappanee, Indiana, there is a place called Amish Acres that shows you how the Amish live/lived throughout the years. It is kind of pricey, though, and we chose not to do it this time.

In Shipshewana, there is a large building shaped like a big red barn that you can go through and it takes you back to the beginning of the the separation of the Amish. That is a really interesting place to go and if you are ever in that part of Indiana, I would highly recommend it. It makes a very educational homeschool trip! There is also a huge flea market there...I believe on Mondays?? I have never gone but I understand it is incredible.

Wouldn't you just love to take a ride in this buggy? Well, not on the highway...the semis were going by so fast and my girls kept saying "Don't those semi drivers know that they could just blow those buggies off the road?"

We always go to "WanaCup" restaurant in Shipshewana and to the Yoder's department store across the street. We bought fabric and I bought a denim split skirt for me! I plan to use it to make a pattern from as well. The restaurant is a nice diner for the Amish and "English" alike. We were served by a very pleasant young Amish lady named Lisa.

We drove throughout the countryside appreciating their lovely well kept farms and gardens and waved at the Amish as they drove by in their buggies or rode by us on their bikes. Of course, out of respect for their beliefs, we did not take any pictures of the people themselves. They were very friendly and smiled and waved back at us.

My favorite little town is Emma. It is so tiny and just full of Amish and Mennonite houses. There is a little corner store there that I would have loved to have stopped in. However, it was getting late, I had many hours to drive home AND I had already spent too much money! We will have to keep that for another trip! Can you tell that it was near evening...with the long shadows on the road? I had to hurry back home!!


If I could live anywhere I wanted, I would certainly choose northern Indiana. It is just beautiful...full of neat farms, horses, gardens, horses, country roads, horses, did I mention Horses????
It would be pretty far to visit our married children and our tiny grandkids. Not TERRIBLY far...but far enough to really have to plan a trip to visit. I really believe that especially in this day and age, it is important to be active in grandchildren's lives so it is unlikely that we will ever live there. But I am grateful to be able to be able to visit every once in a while!