topic Re: Amish Country in Among Friends

Amish Country

Mom2Dogs — Wed, 05 Jul 2023 01:13:13 GMT

My husband went to a flea market today (July 4th) in Shipshewana Indiana...a few hours from home.

We really debated about going, one year we went and waited on the road for quite a while just to get into the parking lot! We did not want to do that this year but took a chance and went...we both wanted to get out of the house.

We were really surprised that the flea market was not overly busy nor was the restaurant downtown...we even remarked to our waitress, she was surprised as well.

As we left, the restaurant was filling up but usually the place is elbow to elbow.

Glad it was not busy and that we took the chance, it was warm but we got there early and made it home by 3:00.

Re: Amish Country

4kitties — Wed, 05 Jul 2023 01:33:58 GMT

Sounds like fun! And nice with fewer people.

I have never been to Shipshewana, but love to go to Parke County, Indiana for The Covered Bridge Festival in October. I highly recommend it.

The Bridgeton covered bridge and the mill are my favorite!

Re: Amish Country

PA Mom-mom — Wed, 05 Jul 2023 01:56:58 GMT

@Mom2Dogs How great for you! Sounds like a wonderful time!

DH and I went to Roots in Manheim, and it was wall to wall people. I hadn't been there in about 8 years and forgot the claustrophobic feeling of being shoulder to shoulder, front to back with hundreds (thousands?) of my new best friends in sweltering heat. We bought dollar bags of Lebanon bologna and cheese chunks at Glicks and hightailed it out of there.

Re: Amish Country

KingstonMom — Wed, 05 Jul 2023 08:30:28 GMT

I'd love to go to Amish country, I adore their quilts and would buy several!

But I live in Coastal GA, so that would be quite a drive for me!

Lucky ya'll!

Re: Amish Country

haddon9 — Wed, 05 Jul 2023 09:22:23 GMT

@4kitties wrote:
Sounds like fun! And nice with fewer people.

I have never been to Shipshewana, but love to go to Parke County, Indiana for The Covered Bridge Festival in October. I highly recommend it.

The Bridgeton covered bridge and the mill are my favorite!

We have about a dozen covered bridges in Bucks County, PA that have been maintained from the 1800s. A few times DH and I did a self guided driving tour around the area's back roads to cover most of them then stopped for lunch. It's a fun thing to do to explore particularly in the fall with all of the foliage and autumn colors.

We also have a local Amish farm market but the Amish live about 1 1/2- 2 hours away.

Re: Amish Country

4kitties — Wed, 05 Jul 2023 10:32:32 GMT

@haddon9

Oh I love Pennsylvania, it is a beautiful state. Wish I lived closer and could explore there more often. I think the New England area is one of my favorites. That whole area is gorgeous.

Parke County has 31 covered bridges. Such fun to see them! Some can be driven through and of course one may walk through them all. And the fall foliage.🍁🍂🍁🍂

All around the county there are vendors selling just about everything one can imagine. And the food vendors and restaurants too. I am in downstate Illinois and it makes a great day trip.

Re: Amish Country

haddon9 — Wed, 05 Jul 2023 10:34:14 GMT

@4kitties It sounds lovely!

Re: Amish Country

Mom2Dogs — Wed, 05 Jul 2023 10:59:21 GMT

Thanks, I will have to see how far it is from home..

Re: Amish Country

JeanLouiseFinch — Wed, 05 Jul 2023 12:48:19 GMT

@Mom2Dogs Shipshewana is our home away from home! We visit many, many times throughout the year, attending concerts and events, eating at The Blue Gate, and staying at the inn. I like to joke that we go there so often that our car knows how to get there by itself. And we've even told our kids to cremate us when the time comes and sprinkle us around town. LOL. Since it was a holiday, I'm not too surprised at the lack of traffic yesterday. Normally it's a busy town. Mel has turned that little town into a goldmine.

Re: Amish Country

Mom2Dogs — Wed, 05 Jul 2023 14:52:12 GMT

@JeanLouiseFinch Last year at Christmas we had plans to stay Christmas night...but the weather turned just awful and we had to cancel. Maybe this Christmas....we do Christmas before the actual holiday so Christmas day is quiet at our house.

We enjoy the BlueGate Restaurant as well. Shopping downtown, well, it is not what it once was and we miss the large building that was once an antique store..individual vendors. I think it was turned into an event center.

Re: Amish Country

drizzellla — Wed, 05 Jul 2023 15:40:50 GMT

@Mom2Dogs You just brought back a wonderful memory.

The end of November, 2022, we stayed in Lancaster and Chester County, in the middle of Amish country. We ate at an impressive smorgasbord called the Shady Maple.

I don't care to eat at smorgasbords generally. I have seen too many people act crazy trying to grab all the crab legs or any high end item. After watching that display, it would take my appetite away.

BUT this place was a whole different atmosphere. There were about 5 different manned slicing stations for prime rib, crab, steak, salmon, etc. Then there were also 5 different areas with about 10 different selections at each. And then an area that circled all the areas with different items.

I would go back there in a heartbeat. Lots of good food. We really had a good time. And then checked out the gift shop. Lots of goodies in there too.

Re: Amish Country

patbz — Wed, 05 Jul 2023 17:12:53 GMT

We've been to Lancaster PA a number of times but I'll never forget our first trip. DH asked at a gas station for Amish restaurant recommendation; it was for Good and Plenty ( since closed: sad). We were told it was half way between Intercourse and Paradise ( small towns) and we went round and round for 45 mins, sometimes following horse and buggies, until we found it. You could see the outlet mall in the distance from there!

Re: Amish Country

PA Mom-mom — Wed, 05 Jul 2023 18:39:40 GMT

@drizzellla We love breakfast at Shady Maple.If you get a chance to try it, don't hesitate. They have omelet stations with your choice of combinations, scrapple, cornmeal mush, creamed dried beef or sausage gravy, shoo fly pie and many other stick to your rib items. You will probably wait in line to get in, but the line moves pretty quickly.

Also, the gift shop is amazing. When our kids were little, we couldn't get them out of there.

Re: Amish Country

qualitygal — Wed, 05 Jul 2023 18:52:24 GMT

We use to ride down for a 1/2 day break and lunch. The stores we use to visit, seem to be nonexistant now and even the lunch place we enjoyed. I'm glad it worked out for you.

Been to Intercourse, PA too. Great Amish area.

Re: Amish Country

chrystaltree — Wed, 05 Jul 2023 20:37:25 GMT

That sounds like a lovely way to spend the Fourth.

Re: Amish Country

drizzellla — Wed, 05 Jul 2023 21:20:50 GMT

@PA Mom-mom wrote:
@drizzellla We love breakfast at Shady Maple.If you get a chance to try it, don't hesitate. They have omelet stations with your choice of combinations, scrapple, cornmeal mush, creamed dried beef or sausage gravy, shoo fly pie and many other stick to your rib items. You will probably wait in line to get in, but the line moves pretty quickly.

Also, the gift shop is amazing. When our kids were little, we couldn't get them out of there.

If their breakfast is as good as their dinner. I am going. Will have to start chatting it up. Won't be hard to gets others to make a repeat visit.

But I must admit we stayed in the area for 4 days. I forgot the name of the hotel. And we were pleased with every meal that we ate.

My Dad used to drive home to Philadelphia from Maryland by way of Lancaster just to buy shoo fly pie.

Re: Amish Country

Catiele — Wed, 05 Jul 2023 21:34:44 GMT

Years ago my husband and I went to Amish Country. We stayed in a house like setting. We saw the children on their way to school in their uniforms. Horse and buggy came first. Cars waited. We also went to Lilly Langtrys. It was a memorable vacation.

Re: Amish Country

depglass — Fri, 07 Jul 2023 18:17:48 GMT

This thread brings up fond memories except for one. That wooden bridge must be the longest in the country. We used to live down the block from one until some local kid burned it down. But Shipshewana was one of our frequent trips back when I was an antiques dealer and antiques were hot. Not so much now.

Re: Amish Country

shoptilyadropagain — Tue, 11 Jul 2023 13:33:05 GMT

I'm probably a couple of hours from Shipshewana and have been there several times. I haven't been to the flea market in years as we mostly just do the shopping in town or go to a concert. I'm not overly fond of the Bluegate Restaurant but I love Millie's Market Cafe that is located in Davis Mercantile. I've been wanting to get up there again and now I really want to go.

Re: Amish Country

Irmasdc — Thu, 13 Jul 2023 00:56:25 GMT

@4kitties

Your reply caught my attention for 2 reasons, 1 bc the post is about the Amish and the covered bridges but 2, bc you're in downstate IL. I'm from downstate IL & I'm moving back. Anytime I do make the trip I stop in Arcola & Tuscola for any Amish food that they happen to have or sell. Not sure if you've ever been but just wanted to add that little bit of info. I think Lake Shelbyville also has a small community but I could be wrong and probably am..