Amish Getaway

My wife and I recently enjoyed a wonderful Amish getaway!

I can't offer you a whole week on an Amish farm like the Heller family experiences in my novella Amish Park, but I have a great suggestion.

We spent a weekend in Shipshewana, Indiana. Let me tell you what to look for and offer ideas about where to stay, shop, and eat.

We stayed just a mile or two north a Shipshewana in one of these little log cabins.

Shipshewana North Park Campground

They were about the same price as an average hotel room and so cute!

The sound of horses pulling buggies can be heard as you sit on the front porch.

I have no connection with this campground and I'm not getting anything for suggesting it... I just want to help you enjoy a fun Amish getaway.

After waking up and savoring a cup of coffee on the porch swing, head on into Shipshewana for a family style meal.


We love the Blue Gate Restaurant located at the only stoplight in downtown Shipshewana.





Be sure to try the Amish peanut butter on homemade rolls. I promise you it is authentic and exactly what you would have if you visited an Amish (on the farm) church service. Some of the cooks and servers are actually Amish.

For entertainment: There are usually plays depicting Amish life on stage at the Blue Gate Theater

Downtown Shipshewana has several shopping malls and a plethora of gift shops to stroll through.

You will see Amish buggies clip-clopping past as you walk. Not to mention Amish families shopping alongside you.

This display (these are dolls about two-foot tall) of Amish girls playing volleyball is in a front yard between the campground and the restaurant. Amish young people LOVE volleyball and they are good at it! (Notice the girl rising above the net to spike the ball.) Almost every one of my books mentions Amish teens playing volleyball because it is a huge part of Amish teenage life. Check out my books. They are authentic, based on my nearly forty years of experience in an Amish community.  Author Thomas Nye

My favorite thing to do while visiting Shipshewana is driving around the countryside.

You will find scores of Amish owned stores that welcome the public. These businesses are scattered around the area on Amish farms.






Take time to drink in the beauty of Amish farms in the area. (And they are BEAUTIFUL.) Listen to the wonderful melody of horse hooves and the rumbling of buggy wheels. It has to be about my favorite sound in the world. If you are interested in Amish life, I promise, you won't be disappointed.

Amish (Horses) Paradise

 If you love horses... you need to visit Shipshewana and the surrounding area.

My wife and I visited Middlebury and Shipshewana last weekend and for me, it's an Amish Paradise!

Draft horses are everywhere! I saw a few Percherons but for the most part, the Amish here use Belgians.

 My wife is not horse crazy like me. However, she enjoyed our drive that lasted for hours... I mean hours! There are miles and miles of Amish farms. Gardens with vegetables and flowers. Hundreds of shops to visit in town and on Amish farms. Buggies coming and going to and fro. Amish people on bikes. Little children driving ponies. Yes, I kid you not, it IS an Amish Paradise!

 Pastures were lush and green.

 White houses and barns set off the green fields.

 Fences and horses are close to the road in areas.

Streams, ponds, rivers, and lakes make everything even more heavenly. This is the area that inspired my novella, Amish Park. A story about one modern family's experiences as they vacation on an Amish farm. This part of Indiana is an Amish (Horses) Paradise!

Amish Characters

Sony: Character in Whispering to Horses.

 I've met a few Amish characters in my life. Here are a few drawings of characters in my novels.

When I write Amish fiction, I create characters that remind me of real people that I've had the pleasure of knowing. As my story progresses, I add personality traits borrowed from other acquaintances. Suddenly, a character begins to emerge with a personality completely unique and separate from anybody I've ever known.

Many authors experience this strange sensation, of having created characters seem to take on a life of their own.
I guess it makes sense? We spend so much time trying to make characters seem real that we end up believing it ourselves.
Afterall, if we don't, why would our readers?

Eli and his horses.

 As far as names are concerned, I try to use common Amish/ Mennonite names. In fact, the names I use are so typical that anyone with an Amish/Mennonite background will, quite likely,  have friends with the same names.

Please be assured, my novels are from my imagination and none of these characters, or names, are people you know. Yet, they all have characteristics of someone you might know.

One evening I received a phone call from an older Mennonite fellow. He had read Under the Heavens and wanted me to tell him who the real-life people were. I struggled to convince him that they didn't exist in our community, or anywhere else.

Lenny and Leah, Amish Horses Series.

Lenny and Noey talk horses.

Yes, there are some interesting Amish characters out there in the real world. Mostly, they have shown themselves to have incredible integrity.

Sometimes, Amish folks word things in such a way that sound odd to English people. This might make people chuckle. Keep in mind, what you say may seem odd to them.

A sweet moment: (I'm not telling what story this is from.) I drew this while looking at a photograph of a real-life Amish couple, the moment he proposed. They are friends of mine.

Fanny Ella and her beloved pony.

One common aspect of my writing, I always have characters in a variety of ages. Amish families are usually quite large. Communities are tight-knit and old folks interact with young children. Teens hold babies and care for toddlers. Everyone seems valued. This drawing below doesn't appear in Amish Park, however, this scene does. I drew this after visiting an Amish church service and witnessing a little girl seated near the minister and listening intently to him preach.

Jonas speaks, and a little Amish girl listens intently. Amish Park.

Amish Vacation?

        Morning light faintly glimmered on window shades. A 5:30 a.m. knock on the door woke Pete from a deep sleep. "Time to rise and shine," a voice called from beyond the door.
       "Lisa, they are trying to wake us," Pete said.
       She pulled the sheet up over her head.
           Pete spoke louder, "Lisa, wake up."
           She moaned and sat up on the edge of the bed. "I hope they don't plan on waking us up this early every day."

        (What would it be like to vacation on an Amish farm for a week? Pete and Lisa Heller, and their family find out!)

       Pete and Lisa headed out into the kitchen and were greeted by the wonderful aroma of breakfast food sizzling on the stove.

       Carrie snuck close to her dad and whispered, "My phone is almost out of power."
       "Plug it in," Pete answered with what seemed a simple and obvious solution.
       "They don't seem to have electricity anywhere in this house."
       "Oh, that's a problem." Pete looked at his phone and realized it would be dead soon, also. He asked out loud, "Is there a place we can plug in our phones? They are about ready to die."   
       "We have a phone booth less than a mile away if it turns out you need to make a call," Cephas said.
        Pete tried to think of how he could explain that he used his phone for a lot more than calling people.
        Lisa smiled at her husband and commented, "That will be enough phone calls for our family this week."       
       Carrie pulled her dad aside, whispering angry words into his ear. "They shut off their lanterns at 9:00 last night. I couldn't get to sleep for three hours, but at least I had my phone."

       You have been reading a snippet from Amish Park.
Take this short novel along on your family vacation and read a chapter every day.
    
       Pete and Lisa's teenage daughter, Carrie, is a cell-phone zombie, like most American girls her age. An Amish lantern sheds a strange light on a whole new world, once her phone dies.
       This trip to an Amish theme park is ten-year-old Natalie's idea. She loves horses and thinks that a visit to an Amish farm might save her parents marriage and keep their family together.

Is God still in the miracle business?
Let the wisdom of an aging Amish man encourage you and your family.

(click on the highlighted words) Amish Park, and join the Heller family's Amish vacation.

Amish Park (revealed)

 Once you've clicked on the picture all you need to do is scroll down to see the full cover revealed




Be sure to continue scrolling to read more about Amish Park, a novel.

-What a difference one week can make- 

         Pete and Lisa Heller have already decided to end their marriage long fight with a divorce. However, their 10-year-old daughter has another plan. Natalie believes that Amish Park, a theme resort offering guests a realistic experience on an Amish farm, may be the answer to all her family’s problems. Her 16-year-old sister, Carrie, is uninterested and absorbed with her phone until the power fades and an Amish lantern sheds new light. The Heller family gets a little more than they bargained for when their aging tour guide uses a team of draft horses to soften Pete’s heart. Slip on your work boots and join the Heller family’s Amish vacation; an unexpected journey to a better place.

        (Amish Park is a fictitious theme park. It would be fun if there was a real place like it!)

Amish Park, a novel, will be released this October, through Dove Christian Publishers

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