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Where can you find a buggy ride in Amish Country? I am asked that question often, so here are the places in Amish Country where you can find a buggy ride.
Buggy Lane Tours
I hope you enjoy this Amish experience. And if you have had a buggy ride in Amish Country, where did you go?
July is National Hot Dog Month, National Ice Cream Month, National Horseradish Month, National Grilling Month, and National Blueberry Month. Wow, that’s a lot to pack into one month, but here are our tips to help you celebrate this month in style.
Try the blueberry pie at Das Dutchman Essenhaus. You can’t go wrong with pie at the Essenhaus.
For Ice Cream, go to Yup’s Dairyland in Middlebury. I know there are lots of people in Middlebury who swear by Yup’s.
Mattern’s Deli in Goshen serves a wonderful London Broil Sandwich with a horseradish sauce that is wonderful. Our group tour leader, Sonya Nash, personally recommended it.
Old Hoosier Meats will have everything you need for grilling, from ribs to steaks. Tell Randy you need help celebrating National Grilling Month. He’ll help you all month long.
Goshen and Elkhart now have great hot dog stands. You can find Goshen’s hot dog stand on the corner of Lincoln and Main, on the side of Lake City Bank. Elkhart’s hot dog stand is on the Civic Plaza.
I’m dying to try the London Broil Sandwich at Mattern’s. I just found out about it today. I hope find something on this list that you enjoy, and if you find somewhere to celebrate that isn’t on my list, let me what you prefer.
Twitter Party! We’ll be online and in person at the Elkhart County Visitor Center talking about our Quilt Gardens and Hope Along the Heritage Trail.
The 2010 Quilt Gardens and Vera Bradley Foundation for Breast Cancer are partnering to raise funds for breast cancer research by raffling an original quilt wall hanging.
Please join Heidi Floyd, Development Ambassador for the Vera Bradley Foundation and Sonya Nash, Quilt Gardens Project Manager. Heidi will be talking about The Vera Bradley Foundation, the latest cancer research, inspirational stories, Vera Bradley products and more! Sonya will be on hand to answer your questions about the Quilt Gardens event. Of course we will have lots of fun prize opportunities for our Twitter Party guests!
WHEN:
Date: Wednesday, May 26th
Time: 12:30-1:30 (light lunch provided)
Hashtag: #QuiltGardenTour
Follow us on Twitter: @QuiltGardenTour @AmishCountry @FollowHeidi
Event Tweet Grid: Use the following link to set up a unique TweetGrid to follow the party hosts. http://is.gd/c3eGi
Registration: To be eligible to win great prizes!
1. RSVP by leaving your Twitter handle/username below where it says Click here to enter.
2. Tweet the details of the party before the start time and share the details with your friends. Be sure to include @QuiltGardenTour, @AmishCountry, @FollowHeidi and post a link back here to RSVP. (Be sure to add @QuiltGardenTour in your tweet).
3. Sit back and tweet with us during the party or join us at the Elkhart County Visitor Center during the event as we learn all about the 2010 Quilt Gardens Tour and Hope Along the Heritage Trail campaign!
Pre-register to win our Grand Prize! Anyone registering (according to the directions above) between now and May 25th by Noon EST will be entered to win one of our great prizes!
Winners will be selected using Random.org from all party attendees following the instructions. Must be 18 or older to register. Open to residents of the US and Canada. Canadian winners will be required to pay shipping. Registration is not required to attend the Twitter Party.
Elkhart County Visitor Center
219 Caravan Drive, Elkhart, IN 46561
We’re located in Elkhart at North Pointe Plaza, just off the I80/90 Toll Road (Exit 92) behind the Cracker Barrel Restaurant.
To RSVP and be registered for party prizes enter your Twitter username and link to your Twitter username below.
Example:
Blog or Link Title: @UserName
Link: http://www.twitter.com/UserName
RSVP with your Twitter Link and Twitter ID below! Click here to enter your link/RSVP for the party!
The Elkhart County, IN CVB was just named the winner of the 2010 Efroymson Award for Excellence in Cultural Tourism Development for the Quilt Gardens Along the Heritage Trail. The announcement was made today at the Annual Indiana Cultural Tourism Conference held in Indianapolis, IN.
You’re Invited to the Indiana 500 Tour Kick-off
Tuesday, May 11, 2010, 1:30 – 3:30 PM at
Amish Acres Historic Farm & Heritage Resort
Join us for Free Ice Cream at The Log Cabin Soda Shop and Fudgery – Classic Vehicle Display – Wagon Tours – Opening Remarks by State Representative Wes Culver
*Classic car owners and motorcycle enthusiasts are encouraged to bring your vehicles!
The Indiana 500 Tour spans 500 miles and over 100 stops chronicling Indiana’s transportation and motorsports heritage.
Elkhart County is pleased to announce its 2010 Trail participants:
RV/MH Hall of Fame & Museum
New York Central Railroad Museum
Simonton Lake Drive-in
Elkhart River Queen
Amish Acres Wagon Farm Tour
Nappanee Railroad Depot / Nappanee Center
The nationally-recognized Heritage Trail
Event Location: Amish Acres Historic Farm & Heritage Resort (1600 West Market Street / Nappanee, IN 46550)
Please RSVP by May 5, 2010
Elkhart County Convention & Visitors Bureau
574.262.8161 or ecconv@amishcountry.org
Airport hassles are in the news. Be it restrictions imposed on carry-on luggage, charging for checked baggage, announcements of airlines charging for carry-on luggage, or just trying to squeeze too many carry-ons (and people) into too little space, it’s all generating a lot of media attention and a lot of flap from travelers. Add to that, heightened security means more time spent getting to the gate. Some airline passengers are warned to arrive at the airport as much as three hours before their flight.
Are fliers fed-up? Apparently Roger Dow, U.S. Travel Association CEO thinks so. The U.S. Travel Association has appointed a panel that includes heavy-weights such as Tom Ridge, former secretary of Homeland Security and Robert Crandall, former CEO of American Airlines plus others, to address airport hassles. “When consumers decide it’s too much trouble to fly, they hop in their car and visit mom and pop,” says Dow. Of course, this may fare well for driving destinations like Elkhart County.
Will you be driving rather than flying for your vacation? Let us know!
Sweet Creams Soda Shop
700 S. Main @ State Street / Elkhart / 574.970.5568
-Step back in time
-Try the lunch-time grilled cheese with sautéed peppers & onions
-Best noon ‘till 1:30 pm
Michael’s Italian Restaurant – since 1957
Corner of 6th & Harrison / Elkhart / 574. 522.3664
-Great local feel with “Wednesday night regulars” – mayor, former police chief
-Best Wednesdays 7 – 8:30 pm
Tabletop Soignee at Flytrap’s
505 S. Main Street / Elkhart / 574.295.1400
-Check out the beef “brutzli” served on a cooking stone @ table
-Great a-la-minute Swiss methods
-Cool original art
Thirsty Thursdays @ The Vine
214 S. Main Street / Elkhart / 574.970.5006
-50% off wines by the bottle each Thursday, free tastings – very popular
-Great retro interior
Power Lunch Fridays
McCarthy’s on the RiverWalk / Elkhart
333 NIBCO Parkway @ Elkhart Avenue bridge / 574.293.2830
-The place for bankers/ developers/ players to launch deals
-Best Fridays 12 – 1:30 pm
The snow if falling in Amish Country, and we’re suppose to have 6 to 12 inches by tomorrow night. The weather man says the snow isn’t so bad, but the blowing and drifting that will follow will make traveling difficult.
The Visitor’s Center is also off Exit 92. We can update you on current road conditions and make recommendations where to stay and eat. There are lots of hotels and restaurants in the immediate vicinity. It makes the decision to stop much easier.
For your safety, here are tips from AAA on winter weather driving to make the next couple days of driving that much easier for you.
Mindy, Amish Country Northern Indiana Contributor and Visitor Center Specialist
The Wakarusa Historical Society’s Educational Days in Wakarusa, Indiana is now open to everyone. This is usually a program for 2nd to 4th graders, and now, everyone has the chance to attend Educational Days. These tours are offered each year several weeks prior to our annual Maple Syrup Festival celebrations. 2010 tours will be available from Tuesday, March 16 through Friday,March 19.
The tours are designed for quality educational experiences and include the following FREE opportunities:
Tour the Wakarusa Historical Museum Buildings
Tour the Maple Sugar Camp. Sweet maple syrup will be available for purchase.
Popcorn fresh from the kettle.
Tour Historic Downtown Wakarusa.
A visit to the Wakarusa Dime Store. (shop at own discretion)
A bus will be met by a tour guide at the Wakarusa Town Cabin, located on Walnut Street next to the Town Park, then transport you to the Maple Syrup Camp and/or to the Historical Museum Buildings and back again.
For more information, please call the Chamber office at (574) 862-4344 between 8:00 A.M. and noon, Monday through Friday. The deadline for reservations is February 1, 2010.
-Deb Shively, Wakarusa Chamber of Commerce
Fifteen quilts made by the Material Girls Quilt Guild will be displayed at the Elkhart County Historical Museum from January 23 – June 23, 2010. The participating guild is from areas of Middlebury, Shipshewana and LaGrange. The goal of the exhibit is to demonstrate the continuation of quilting traditions in Northern Indiana as old patterns are renewed through interpretation and fabric selections. Although all the quilts were made in 2009, many of the patterns themselves are over 100 years old and are family heirlooms.
The exhibit was first conceptualized by Material Girls Quilt Guild member and professional quilt appraiser Donna Kooistra. Each quilter had to select a traditional quilt block pattern. Altogether fifteen members of the guild participated in the challenge and made either bed sized or wall hanging versions of their selected quilt. The participants had the choice to develop an exact replica of a quilt or provide a modern interpretation. Some quilters took a literal analysis of the quilts by replicating every piece of fabric, but others reinterpreted traditional patterns like Dresden Plates that will include a new twist with modern fabrics. When possible a photograph of the original pattern will be shown alongside the replication.
“I brought the challenge concept to my local guild and they happily embraced the idea and spent countless hours in 2009 researching and reproducing their chosen quilts from history,” says Kooistra. “You’ll be amazed at the various projects and styles of reproductions.”
The exhibit is the first to be developed in a new second floor gallery at the Museum. Starting in June 2009 the Museum began moving objects from a dilapidated storage room into the new modern storage annex. The space that was opened after moving an estimated 1,000 items provided over 700 square feet. Remodeling began in December. The refurbished space includes new flooring, infrastructure and track lighting. Long range plans for the space include a permanent exhibit on Elkhart’s band instrument industry.
The exhibit is open during the museum’s regular hours on Tuesday through Saturday from 9:00 a.m. – 5:00 p.m.
- Rebecca Oestreich, Elkhart County Historical Museum
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