Quaint Small Towns in Indiana’s Cool North
Posted on January 15, 2025 by Dina Miller
Indiana's Cool North is home to charming small towns that offer a blend of history, culture, and natural beauty. Towns with Amish heritage, and Indiana Dune communities with scenic beauty, attract visitors with their quaint shops, peaceful streets, and welcoming atmospheres. Perfect for your getaway, whether you seek relaxation or adventure!
Shipshewana, Middlebury and Nappanee – Shop, Dine, and Discover the World of the Amish
Visitors love to shop for Amish quilts, furniture, food and other unique creations in this busy community where the Amish come to shop and work in horse-drawn buggies and on bicycles. Shipshewana, Nappanee and Middlebury offer a wonderful chance to learn more about the unique culture of people who live life faithfully and simply, without many modern-day conveniences such as electricity and cars. You’ll find it at the Menno-Hoff – the Amish and Mennonite Visitors Center, on buggy tours that introduce you to Amish life, and in meaningful stage performances with Amish themes at the Blue Gate Theatre.
Shopping and food take center stage in businesses large and small throughout the town, where you’ll find stores selling everything from Amish peanut butter and freshly baked bread to handcrafted cabinets and clocks. Bountiful Amish food draws diners to restaurants where tables almost seem to groan under platters of roast beef, ham, chicken, potatoes, noodles and other favorites. And then there are all those incredible pie choices. Every Tuesday and Wednesday from the first of May through September, the huge Shipshewana flea market offers everything from fine creations to curious finds.
