I loved our time in Indiana, because we were in Amish country. People who have lived in parts of the country where there are Amish may not understand my intrigue with them. But, I grew up in the South, and I never saw an Amish person until I got married and visited Pennsylvania with Ray. They speak German to each other, live without electricity, don plain clothing and head covers, ride in horse and buggy, and don’t have telephones (much less smartphones) in their homes. Their ability to live in this modern world and reject technology and other advancements is just fascinating to me.
Shipshewana, IN (and neighboring towns) is an interesting place. The Amish live among their “English” neighbors, still maintaining their own interesting culture, but thriving in a community that has embraced modern life. We went to the Shipshewana Flea Market, the Midwest’s Largest Flea Market, which was so humongous it was almost overwhelming. On the way out there, we saw buggy after buggy on the road. Once we arrived, we found there were hundreds of vendors, and to my excitement, some of them were Amish. Also, there were plenty of Amish families shopping. I was even able to buy some Amish bread.
We took a break from shopping to eat at the Auction Restaurant, where we had some delicious Amish food (the best meatloaf), and our waitress was Amish. I was also able to find four books on the Amish at a used book vendor after lunch. I have read many books on the Amish in the past, but being in this area sort of rekindled my love of all things Amish. Before leaving the flea market, we noticed a whole, separate parking lot just for horses and buggies. This, quite honestly, blew my mind. Ask Ray. We have been joking that he’s going to wake up one day to find that I’ve run off to become Amish.
After the flea market, we headed across the street to the Menno-Hof, an interpretive center where we learned all about the Anabaptists, including the Mennonites, Hutterites, and Amish. According to Ray, I already knew everything there was to know about them. I’ve read countless books and watched documentaries, and I have this strange fascination going on and all, but this was extremely informative. This tour took about an hour-and-a-half, and we all walked away understanding these groups a little better (and knowing what the differences between them are). I’m still most intrigued by the Amish, because they are the strictest of the three. However, Hutterites, who live communally, are pretty interesting, as well. The Mennonites are a great bunch of people, who are very philanthropic Christians, who have teams in Houston working with hurricane survivors at this very moment. They believe many of the same things as the Amish, but they wear more modern clothing and drive cars (for the most part).
My take away: I’m never going to be Amish, but we can all learn something from them. They put God, family, and community above self. They do not focus on the individual, but concentrate on things greater than themselves. They do not let the modern world or technology get in the way of family time and what truly matters. I think these are all important lessons they can teach us.
We changed gears, drastically, for our other big Indiana adventure. From horses and buggies to recreational vehicles! We learned that the RV/MH Hall of Fame was just down the road from our campground in Elkhart, IN. How could we not go?!
This place was gigantic, but the best part for me was all the vintage RVs! We got to check out the first RVs (from the early 1900s) to the really cool ones from the 60s and 70s to what we have today. This place is an RVer’s dream!
If ever in Northcentral Indiana, I highly recommend making a stop at the RV/MH Hall of Fame! It’s a great way to spend a couple of hours.
On a side note, our campground was pretty amazing, too. Packed to capacity for the Labor Day Holiday, this 500+ site campground was full of fun things to do. Pla-Mor Campground, in Bremen, Indiana had playgrounds, a swimming pond, putt-putt golf, hayrides, and a golf cart parade! It was a wonderful place to spend our evenings after exploring the area!
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