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| Shishewana, 2002. (1) Rob & Rachel & buggy. (2) Flea Mkt with my Mom & Rachel |
This month, the "Sistahs", aka your humble blogger and my cousins, Dianne and Kathy, planned a trip to Shipshewana for our "Spring Adventure". Although it's never a challenge to have a grand time with these ladies, we once again raised the bar on our quarterly excursion. We traveled to Amish country in Indiana and filled our days with a buggy ride, delicious dinners, in-town shopping and a walk through the famous flea market that just opened for the season in May.
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| Sistahs: Shipshewana Bound, May 2026 |
Returning to Shipshewana after two decades:
Although neither of my Sistahs had been to Shipshewana before, I had visited almost a quarter of a century ago. In 2002, my son, Rob, just shy of 18 years old, went on a camping trip with some friends in Indiana. On their return home, Rob was pulled over for speeding (and, for the record, it wasn't just five miles over) and given a ticket. Although I don't remember all the details, I know the "punishment" required my son to come back to an Indiana small court to pay restitution with family representation.
In the lemons-into-lemonade category, I told Rob if I was to take a day off work to bring him to Indiana, he was going to have to endure a Shipshewana side-trip, complete with a buggy ride and quilt shopping. I don't know what Rob feared most, but he agreed to the terms and we headed to Indiana with my Mom and daughter, Rachel for the post-court fun.
Honestly, the courtroom was more Mayberry than big city intimidating. The judge was friendly and understanding, offering a fair compensation with some sage advice. Rob understood.
After that, it was a buggy ride, fresh dairy ice cream and the flea market. We shopped for quilts, baskets and dolls. You know, the things that an almost 18-year old boy dreams of. :) To this day, Rob is not a speeder.
(Top picture, from 2002: time of my first digital camera and scrapbook software - spent more time on
those albums that I care to admit. However, good for a few fun memories.)
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| Buggy ride with Thunder in the background. |
Sistahs Shipshewana
I was excited to return to Amish country with my Sistahs, take in the region's cooking, crafting and, yes, the buggy ride!
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| Shipshewana Flea Market, more "traditional" flea market than I remembered. |
A few things have changed in over two decades: more hotels, more restaurants, more stores, but the flea market was different, too. Much of the handcrafted items have moved to retail stores in town and the flea market is more of a traditional flea market: thrift stores, novelty items, T-shirt vendors and assorted odds and ends (emphasis on "odds"). But we did find an amazing tea vendor, Indian Jo's, and we all purchased a bag of their loose tea blends.
The highlights:
Horse drawn buggy ride: Our guide, Emmet, graciously allowed photographs and welcomed questions. He held the reigns of Thunder - our literal horsepower - and guided us through town and country.
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| Blue Gate Garden Inn, front lobby. |
Blue Gate Garden Inn: Although the weather did not allow us to take advantage of our patio room, everything else had much to recommend. There's a pool, a breakfast room, and a bustling campus of activities, including a theater for the performing arts.
Blue Gate Restaurant: Just down the road from the Inn, is this welcoming restaurant with what I'd term Amish comfort food: noodles, meatloaf, mashed potatoes and, my favorite, absolutely delicious fried chicken. (For those who have visited Frankenmuth, a Bavarian-inspired town, in Michigan, this venue has much of the same vibe - large portions, great service and homey decor.)
Indiana Jo's tea: One of the great finds at the flea market. See more in our blog earlier this month: Indian Jo's Tea.
There's more to discover in Shipshewana and the playhouse has a variety of programs throughout the year. I'll be back - but, won't wait another two decades. :)
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