Indiana's Amish

Day 1

Sit back and relax as we drive across Pennsylvania to our lodging this evening in Maumee, OH.

Day 2

Today we will travel to Elkhart, IN. We'll join a local expert gardener and get "all the dirt" on a guided tour of the official Quilt Gardens and Murals along the Heritage Trail. Some of the stops included will be Wellfield Botanic Garden, Ruthmere, Linton's Enchanted Gardens, Elkhart Central Park, and Premier Arts. Lunch will be on your own at a location determined by the guide based upon the route. Following our tour we will check-in to The Essenhaus Inn & Conference Center in Middlebury, our lodging for the next three nights. This evening's dinner and entertainment will be at the Das Dutchman Essenhaus.

Day 3

This morning we will depart for Shipshewana where we will meet our local guide for an Amish Backroads Tour. On the backroads tour you will get a behind-the-scenes look at how Amish buggies are made, pet & feed a variety of animals at a local farm, and peek inside an Amish coffin. Lunch will be on your own. This afternoon you will have the option of either attending the Shipshewana Quilt Festival or the Shipshewana Flea Market & Auction. This evening we will feast at a traditional Amish wedding dinner served family style.

Optional Activity

The Shipshwana Quilt Festival.
This option is available for an additional $15 per person. Please let the Perkiomen reservationist know if you are interested in including this option.

Day 4

After breakfast our guide will meet us at the hotel for our Munch a Bunch in Amish Country tour. No one goes home hungry on this tour that samples the culinary specialities of Amish Country. We will begin at a bustling Amish bakery famous for its addictive cashew crunch candy and cinnamon-caramel donuts that satisy every connoisseur's sweet tooth. A stop at an Amish cheese factory is awarded with tastings of Baby Swiss and Colby Jack cheeses, among others. At a nearby country market, watch the Lehman family roll-out made-from-scratch noodles and put them on racks to dry. They also specialize in fresh-from-the-hive honey and rich nut butters. Top off this food foray with a cooking demo and hearty meal in an Amish home. It's the perfect end to a scrumptious tour. This evening we will take a hay-wagon ride to hand feed the great American Bison in their own habitat at Cook's Bison Ranch. Dinner will be an old fashioned chuck-wagon bar-b-que featuring bison roast and pulled pork.

Day 5

After checking-out of the hotel, we will depart for a leisurely ride catching summer breezes aboard the Elkhart River Queen, a 65-foot riverboat, as we cruise along the Saint Joseph River. Hear a bit of area history and learn how the river influenced Elkhart's development while gliding past beautiful riverside homes. The boat has two decks, one enclosed and air-conditioned, and one outdoors with a covered canopy - perfect for catching summer breezes. (Passengers must be 12 years or older to ride the Elkhart River Queen) Lunch will be at the South Side Soda Shop, a restored diner with dining car & a 1940s soda fountain with classic American eats, shakes & malts. This diner was featured on The Food Network's "Diners, Drive-ins and Dives" and in Gourmet magazine. Next, we will begin our journey home. Our lodging this evening will be Elyria, OH.

Day 6

Our arrival home is scheduled for late afternoon on our final day of travel.

Please note

Our intention is to run each tour as originally planned and published. However, if deemed necessary to do so, Perkiomen Tours reserves the right to make changes to tour components, schedules or itineraries without prior notification.

Tips for Perkiomen motorcoach drivers and tour escorts are not included in the price of this tour. We feel that these gratuities should be extended on an individual basis and dictated by the level of service provided.

Motorcoach seating is assigned at the time of reservation but cannot be guaranteed. Although we do our best to keep each traveler in the seat assigned at the time of reservation, there are times that it is necessary to move seat locations. Please be sure to verify your final seat number(s) with your driver at the time of boarding. Historically, daily seat rotation was practiced on most multi-day tours. We have suspended this practice for a period of time. Seat rotation will be explained by your driver or tour escort if reinstated.

Perkiomen Tours recommends that you consider purchasing Travel Insurance for your tour. Travel Insurance is purchased directly by you from a third-party of your choice. One option is Travel Safe Insurance. You can purchase insurance directly from Travel Safe through our website. www.perkiomentours.com.

CB=Continental Breakfast, L=Lunch, D=Dinner