Amish Country Blog

I know.  You’ve called us for the Travel Guide, and you’ve mapped out your entire stay.  You have the map in the middle of the guide, and you go on your way.  Coming to the Visitor Center is not on your list of things to do.

The great thing about the Visitor Center is that everyone here is knowledgeable about the area.  We can give you easy directions to anywhere you want to go in the area.  We know about events that are happening in the area, and we can pass that information along to you to enhance your trip.  We have some regional information here so if you are here for a few days, you can find more options for your stay.  We also have a great quilt exhibit for your enjoyment in the Visitor Center.

We are the most knowledgeable about the Heritage Trail Route and the Quilt Garden Tour, and can give you tips about both tours.  We have maps and plenty of information.  We’re also very friendly and love talking to visitors.  So when you’re in the area, come and visit us.
The Visitor Center is located at 219 Caravan Drive, Elkhart, IN, and I hope to see you soon.

I went for a ride on The Elkhart River Queen.  It was a nice, relaxing ride on the upper St. Joe River.  There is beautiful scenery, lots of friendly boaters and natural wildlife to look at while taking this two hour cruise.   You also get to learn a little about Elkhart’s history on the water, something I didn’t know before.

So if you have a couple hours on a Sunday afternoon, and want to relax, take a ride on the River Queen. And while we’re talking about relaxing, let us know how you like to relax on a Sunday afternoon.

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!

1. Grand Prize – A One Night’s Stay at Jameson Inn Elkhart!
2. Set of 2 Quilt Gardens Tour Travel Mugs (black)
3. Set of 2 Quilt Gardens Tour ceramic coffee mugs (red & blue)
4. Quilt Gardens Tour rain guage & reusuable grocery bagVera Bradley Clutch (retired pattern) & A Vera Bradley Lipstick holder (Loves Me pattern)
5. Vera Bradley Clear Lotion Bag (Hope Garden pattern) & A Vera Bradley Lipstick holder (Loves Me pattern)
6. Vera Bradley Mini Notebook (Hope Garden pattern)

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!

Our museums do a great job.  They have great exhibits and are run by people who are extremely passionate about what they do.  Two of our museums are offering series so you can learn more about each collection in the museums.

The Ruthmere Museum is offering a lecture series about the hidden treasures of Ruthmere on Wednesdays for the month of May.  The cost is $10 a session.

The Midwest Museum of American Art is offering Noon Time Talks by curator Brian Bryn on Thursdays for the summer.  This is a free series.

These events are great ways to learn more about the collections in each museum.  Let us know what you learned at the talks.

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

I took a much needed break this weekend.  I stayed at the Staybridge Suites, and it was a wonderful experience.

The front desk attendants were friendly, and helpful.

I enjoyed the room layout.  I had a full kitchen, with a full fridge.  That was a convenient since I didn’t want to leave the room that weekend.  I had two flat screen TV’s in my suite–one in the common room and one in the bedroom, both flat screens.  The rooms was quite, I couldn’t hear any outside noise although the property is by a major road.

For breakfast, there were lots of choices, from hot items to fruit and cereal.  They didn’t have hot tea, but I muddled through without it.  It was a good way to start my day.

I had the pool to myself for most of the weekend.  Because this property is new, most travelers don’t know to stay here yet, and I got to take advantage of lots of pool time.  The property also has a theater room, and a workout room, neither of which I used.  There is also on site guest laundry facilities.

So when you want a good place to stay, check out Staybridge Suites.  I’m sure you’ll enjoy the property.

Mindy, Amish Country Northern Indiana Contributor and Visitor Center Specialist

The Elkhart County Historical Museum invites girls to bring their American Girl Doll to the museum and learn together what life was like for children growing up in the 1970s.  On Saturday, Februrary 27th the museum will host “The Groovy ‘70s: Featuring American Girl Julie!”

The program will focus on some of the things that helped define the ‘70s.  One example is the environmentalist movement which made great strides in the 1970s.  1970 marked the first celebration of Earth Day and the Endangered Species Act was passed in 1972. “In recognition of the environmentalist movement, the girls will be making kites just like Julie did in her book Julie and the Eagles,” says Oestreich.  “Julie made and sold the kites to try and raise money to save endangered bald eagles.”

Girls will also be making projects featuring some of the fads of the 1970s. “Two of the more famous fads are lava lamps and pet rocks,” says Oestreich.  “So each girl will get to make a lava lamp and pet rock to take home.”  Other fads included roller skating, homemade ribbon barrettes, and pong.  In addition, many girls in the seventies read Judy Blume books and watched Little House on the Prairie.

Girls are welcome to come dressed in seventies inspired attire.  For girls this means bell-bottomed pants, platform shoes, turtle neck shirts, and flower prints.  Hair for girls switched from long and straight in the first part of the decade to more loose and feathery like the hair of Charlie’s Angel Farrah Fawcet in the latter part of the seventies.

Several American Girl related prizes will be awarded to participants including a grand prize of the Julie doll.  Additionally there will be prizes of American Girl story books, activity books, and clothing.  If anyone is interested in donating items to allow for more girls to go home with prizes please contact the museum.

While the bringing of an American Girl Doll to the program is encouraged it is not required.  Everyone is welcome to attend the program whether or not they have a doll.

The cost to attend “The Groovy ‘70s: Featuring American Girl Julie!” is $3/girl. Participants may choose from a morning session from 10:00 to 12:00 or an afternoon session from 1:30 to 3:30. Pre-registration is required.  To register or for more information, please contact Rebecca Oestreich at 574-848-4322 or Rebecca@elkhartcountyparks.org.

Rebecca Oestreich Elkhart County Historical Museum

I love watching the Olympics, and the ice skating competitions are my favorite.  After that I love watching speed skating.  It’s amazing how much talent these athletes have in working a thin little blade against ice. After every jump, spin and dance I wonder how they stay upright.   Then, I want to go out and try these moves myself.

In Elkhart, we have a great facility for working on all your ice skating dreams.  The NIBCO Water and Ice Park is open through March.  It is a beautiful facility on the Elkhart River.   It has a rink, but the best part of the rink is the ice path that goes out of the rink.  I love this feature.  It makes me feel like I’m a great skater…There are no sides to hold onto on this path.  I feel like an Olympic Skater after completing it and not falling down!

I hope when you visit the NIBCO Water and Ice Park you enjoy your moments on the ice.

Mindy, Amish Country Northern Indiana Contributor and Visitor Center Specialist

The ECCVB has long recognized the importance of cultural and heritage travel and developed the Heritage Trail to increase visitor volume, diversity, spending and economic impact for the entire destination. It’s the cornerstone for many programs. The nationally recognized route, along with a self-guiding audio tour, takes visitors into the downtowns of our cities and towns and along country roads introducing them to the area’s history, heritage, and people while directing them to must-see attractions. It’s dynamic; it’s popular; and it’s free. In 2009 alone, we’ve distributed over 3,200 Heritage Trail CDs. Add to that over 3,000 audio downloads from our website. When you consider our average visitor spends $52 per day and stays 2.8 days, then multiply that by an average 2.5 persons per vehicle, the economic impact of heritage travel is significant

-Diana Lawson, FCDME, ECCVB Executive Director

Have you driven the Heritage Trail Audio Driving Tour? Leave a comment and tell us about your experience.

Linton’s Enchanted Garden is one of my most favorite places in Amish Country. There is so much to look at, and many things to do there. The garden center is packed full of items for the house. There are always unique and lovely things to help make the inside of your house beautiful, especially during this time of the year. They have lots of fall and Christmas decorations. The Garden Center also holds the floral shop, so you can pick up your fresh flowers too.

Outside, are all the plants, trees, shrubs and flowers you could want. At this time of the year, there are also pumpkins, and you can get whole or half bales of hay. I bought 3 small pumpkins, one medium, and a half of bale of hay. I don’t know if we’re going to decorate the pumpkins, but it’s as festive as I’ve gotten in five years.

October 24 and 25 is Spooktacular. You can save on plants and flowers, and the kids get treats too.

So when you need that plant or flower, go to Linton’s. You’ll find the perfect plant, and a few other things to go along with it.

- Mindy, Amish Country Northern Indiana Contributor and Visitor Center Specialist