Amish Country Blog

June is National Dairy Month.  I love this month, a reason to eat ice cream and cheese.  Here are a few places in Amish Country to help you celebrate this month.

Guggisberg Deutsch Kase Haus in Middlebury has award winning cheese.

Yoder’s Meat and Cheese in Shipshewana has over 100 different cheese selections.

Olympia Candy Kitchen in Goshen is family friendly soda shop that will be great for malts and milkshakes.

South Side Soda Shop in Goshen has lots of different ice cream treats that will make any ice cream lover happy.

Ramer’s Bed and Breakfast in Goshen is a dairy farm.  Enjoy talking with the Ramer’s about their farm as you stay the night in Amish Country.

Hope you enjoy this month, and let us know where you go for your favorite dairy treats.

Valentine’s Day is one of my favorite times of the year–roses and chocolate, chocolate and food, food and a night out, a night out and no toddler.  What a great way to spend a day.  And the best part is that your significant other usually has to say yes to your ideas for fear of ruining the day.  The Valentine’s package at the Das Dutchmen Essenhaus has all my requirements met, and it is a great place to be when the weather is cold outside.

You can have a wonderful dinner of prime rib, prosciutto wrapped chicken breast, or their famous family-style dinner.   The Mike Vaszari Ensemble will be there to play dinner music–get up and dance if you feel the urge.  A chocolate fondue fountain and a dessert buffet are also on the menu.  Each female guest receives a long stemmed rose- which is great if your partner has forgotten to get you flowers.  Then spend the night in the Essenhaus Inn.  I love that they have thought of everything on my list, and I don’t have to drive more than 20 minutes to get there.  This year, they are even offering massages!

The next day, you can walk over to the bakery and take home some of the best doughnuts you’ve ever tasted.  I think this is a great way to spend Valentine’s Day, and I hope to see you there.

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.

You can always find something to do in Amish Country.   September is full of Festivals.  So here is just a listing. For details, please go to our event page at amishcountry.org/events.

Bristol Storytelling Festival September 11-12
Nappanee Apple Festival September 17-20
Borkholder Dutch Village Fall Furniture Festival September 18-19
Middlebury Fall Festival September 18-19
Mennonite Relief Sale September 26
Pumpkin Chase Race September 27

If you’ve been here for one of these festivals, let us know what you enjoyed about it.  I love the Mennonite Relief Sale.  Although I can’t afford any of the auction items, I love the feel of having all those people in one place helping a great cause.  I know many people love the Nappanee Apple Festival’s 7 foot pie.  Whatever your looking for, I’m sure one of our September festivals has something to enhance your trip.

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

I love going to the Essenhaus to eat.  The meals are yummy, the service is great, but I’ve never been there for breakfast before.

I loved the breakfast buffet.  Of course, in Essenhaus style, there were plenty of choices – scrambled eggs, biscuits and gravy, mush, potatoes, bacon, country ham, sausage, pancakes, French toast, fruit, and all kinds of breads, and it was a great deal for under $7 per person.   I have learned with buffets, I get little bits of what I like, and then I can go back for more.  I think return trips are important to when eating at a buffet.

We were there at 10am, and people were still waiting to eat breakfast.  We had a group of 6, and were seated promptly.  Our waitress was attentive, and our plates were cleared off quickly.  As we were sitting there talking, we realized that lunch time had started.   However, after  breakfast, we no longer had room for anymore food.

When you need to start your morning, the Essenhaus will give you plenty of fuel for your day.

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

This past weekend while I was out and about, I stumbled upon the new Middlebury Community Farmers Market!  What a delight!

This market is truly authentic with all locally made and grown products.  Amish and English set up booths side by side, as the market offers a little something for everyone. We took home some delicious Cinnamon rolls from Sunrise Bakery and beautiful fresh flowers for our dining room table! Visitors to the market will find fresh local meats, an abundance of produce and hand made crafts!

The market was created to help with the local economy and give folks a way to share their talents with the community.  Stop in on a Saturday morning, the market will run through October, vendors and offerings will change weekly depending on what’s in season.  Located right on Main Street in Downtown Middlebury, You will be surely fall in love with this Amish Country Hidden Treasure!

Middlebury Community Farmers Market is located at 108 South Main Street in Middlebury, IN

Hours: Saturdays – 7:30-Noon
Call: 574.825.4300 for more information

- Amy Rasler, Middlebury Chamber of Commerce

We spend SO much time outside in the summer sunshine that our patio becomes a safe haven.  Shouldn’t the entrances to our homes and our flower gardens be welcoming, entertaining, visually stimulating, and functional?

We will find out how at the Das Dutchman Essenhaus Home, Garden & Fashion Show, April 29 – 30th

Outdoor solar powered art to light walkways, water features to enhance tranquility, sun hats and a unique line of garden tools, as well as birdhouses, wind chimes and personal care items created to soothe gardeners damaged hands will be featured in the show.

You’ll pick up the latest trips and trends in apparel, accents and inspirations for your home and self for spring. Sit back, relax, and enjoy a delicious meal with your group of friends before you begin shopping.

Since this is close to Administrative Assistant’s Day and Mother’s Day, do you have a mother, daughter, sister, co-worker, or an especially close girlfriend? Consider this unique outing to say thank you for all they are and do! Purchase a pair of tickets and enjoy the event together…

Non-refundable tickets will soon be available! Be sure to mark your calendar!

What is your big outdoor project this summer? Leave a Comment and let us know

-Jessica Miller
Amish Country Northern Indiana Contributor

I’ve been told that Hoosier use the word “enjoy” more than anyone other Midwest state I thought that was a strange observation, until I realized how much I use the word enjoy when I’m talking. So here are some things that I enjoy.

I enjoy all the good homemade baked items that we can buy in this area from the rosemary garlic cabatta bread at Artisan’s Bread in the American Countryside Farmers Market, to the doughnuts and pies from the Essenhaus Bakery. I also know too many people who enjoy all of our homemade baked-goods and now enjoy a trip to the gym five times a week to keep with their habit.

I enjoy all the festivals that come up in the spring through fall. The first one of the Spring is the Wakarusa Maple Syrup Festival, April 17 and 18th. and I hope you all go and have fun.

I enjoy this area. I enjoy living by the St. Joe River and being able to walk beside it every day. I enjoy how the ducks see a human, automatically recognize the human as a source of food, and come quacking. I enjoy living in a city that has three parks within walking distance of where I live. I enjoy having county parks within minutes of where I live.
This is just some of things that I enjoy about this area. Can you let me know what you enjoy when you visit this area? I can’t wait to hear from you – and if I receive enough responses, I’ll put them in a future blog.

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

Make room for lunch and dinner during your Elkhart County stay! Just travel down any Main Street in our hometowns and you’ll find a variety of “taste-full” dining choices.  At Culinary Treasures restaurant in downtown Middlebury, it seems like owner/chef Tami Osborn is always making something fabulous, like her tempting crème brulee bars.

Blending comfortable yet upscale décor with a creative, well-priced menu is earning brothers Tony and George Anagnos plenty of happy customers and compliments at their recently opened 523 Tap & Grill in Elkhart.
And on Goshen’s Main Street, an old-fashioned butcher shop/deli combo soon takes residence in a renovated historic building. Mattern’s, know for custom-cut meats, will be offering sandwiches, soups, and salads to enjoy in an inviting atmosphere that combines old and new. For sure, you won’t go home hungry! Start planning your trip today by finding a great place to stay.

-Jessica Miller
Amish Country Northern Indiana Contributor

It’s been awhile since I’ve spent time with my girlfriends. Life has become busy with work and family, and I forget to connect with those people who know me well and can regenerate my spirit.  It’s been even longer since I’ve had a girls’ only weekend. You remember those weekends – way back in high school, when you could spend the whole weekend doing whatever you and friends liked – usually shopping, and then spending the rest of the night talking into the early part of the morning.

That’s why it’s a good thing that the Essenhaus Inn and Conference Center has a Girlfriends Getaway Package.  You get to spend time with those people who know you well, and reconnect, while their professional staff waits on you.  Call the Essenhaus and ask about their Girlfriends Getaway Package, available now through May 1, 2009 at 800.455.9471.  It will be one of the best weekends you and your girlfriends will have.

If you have stayed at the Essenhaus Inn and Conference Center, leave a comment and tell us about it.

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