A Little Slice of Paradise

I think of Shipshewana, Indiana, as a horse lover's paradise.

There are miles of beautiful Amish farms in Indiana near Shipshewana, Middlebury, Topeka, and all the way down to Napanee. If you enjoy gorgeous vistas of lush green pastures and farm fields, graced with sprawling farmsteads of white houses and barns edged with brilliant flowerbeds, this is your destination. 

There are more horses and ponies per square mile in this area than I have found anywhere in my lifetime. 

I have visited Holmes County, Ohio, and Lancaster County, Pennsylvania, as well as Davis County, Indiana, and Arthur, Illinois. All of these areas are excellent destinations. In fact, any Amish community in America or Canada will have very similar sights. However, my favorite is the Shipshewana area. 

My Little Slice of Paradise

My wife and I spent some time in Shipshewana the first few days of August. I took these photos as we toured the sideroads. I have been looking to buy a team ever since I lost my best horse.

I kept saying to my wife, "Look at all of these Belgian draft horses! Those are exactly what I'm looking for." Every farm had at least 10 of these beautiful creatures. I told her, "I just want two." 

Before I fell asleep on August 3rd, I was lying there thinking that there may be a way I could buy a team here and haul them to Iowa. I said, "Lord, I'm praying for just the right team of horses. If there's a way to purchase some of these Indiana Belgians, help me ."

We got up on August 4th and drove towards home through Topeka and Millersburg, enjoying the views of "Amish Horse Paradise." I didn't have any inspired ideas about how to purchase a team.

I knew that there was a special workhorse sale in my hometown of Kalona, Iowa, on August 5th. 

All I could do was hope to find a similar team of horses, and I didn't have long to wait. 

The horse sale starts at 9:00 am. Before the sale, sellers harness and hitch their horses and ponies and drive them through an arena in a merry-go-round fashion. A team caught my eye immediately. I said to myself, "There's the style I'm dreaming of."

An Amish man about my age was hitching this team to a cart, and I approached him. "How old are these mares?"

"They are both four."

I asked, "Where are you from?"

"Millersburg, Indiana, near Topeka."

I couldn't believe my ears. "I was just there yesterday," I said. 

He told me that he hadn't planned on bringing horses to Iowa, but a neighbor stopped in a couple of nights ago and said he was hiring a driver to take some horses to a sale in Iowa. "There would be room in the trailer if you want to join me."

It seems like more than a coincidence to me. I choose to believe these horses were an answer to my prayer.

By the end of the day, I had a team of Belgians, my personal slice of horse paradise imported from Indiana.

Honey and Bella

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!