One flea market in northern Indiana quietly became the state’s most visited attraction

It’s three hours from Chicago

Shipshewana, Indiana, sits in LaGrange County with a population of about 850. Don’t let that number fool you.

This little town in northern Indiana pulls roughly 2 million visitors a year, and you’ll understand why the moment you share the road with horse-drawn buggies, pony carts and bicycles.

LaGrange County is home to over 28,000 Amish residents, the third-largest Amish community in the country after Lancaster County, Pa., and Holmes County, Ohio.

The flea market gets most of the attention, but it’s the slower pace that keeps people coming back.

Named for a Potawatomi chief who walked 665 miles

The town carries the name of Chief Shipshewana, a Potawatomi leader whose band lived near what is now Shipshewana Lake.

In 1838, the Potawatomi were forced from northern Indiana on the Trail of Death, a 665-mile march to Kansas. Chief Shipshewana returned to his homeland in 1839 but died there in 1841.

A memorial south of the lake honors him and his people. The town was originally called Davistown before residents renamed it.

That same year, the first Amish families arrived from Pennsylvania.

Walk 40 acres of flea market with 700 vendors

The Shipshewana Flea Market covers more than 40 acres, roughly the size of 30 football fields. Nearly 700 vendors fill open-air booths with furniture, home decor, clothing, crafts, produce, tools and jewelry.

You can spend a whole morning weaving through rows and still not see everything.

The market runs Tuesdays and Wednesdays from May through September, 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. Parking runs $5 per vehicle, and admission is free. Select weekends and holidays bring extra openings throughout the season.

Six auctioneers sell at once every Wednesday

Every Wednesday, year-round, the Shipshewana Antique Auction fires up inside the auction building on the flea market grounds.

Six to 10 auctioneers work different rings at the same time, so you can wander from one to another as vintage furniture, glassware and collectibles go to the highest bidder.

The whole tradition started back in 1922 as a small livestock sale.

If you’ve never bid at a live auction, this is the place to try it, because the energy in the room moves fast.

Step aboard a replica sailing ship at Menno-Hof

Menno-Hof sits on State Road 5 across from the flea market grounds, and 200 Amish and Mennonite volunteers built it in a traditional barn-raising style.

Inside, interactive exhibits trace the Anabaptist movement from 16th-century Europe through migration to America.

You’ll walk through a replica 17th-century sailing ship, a recreated dungeon, a 19th-century print shop and a tornado simulation.

Guided tours start every 15 minutes, and the full experience takes about an hour and 15 minutes.

Ride a buggy down Amish backroads

You can book a horse-drawn buggy ride and travel the same backroads the Amish use every day.

The route passes farms, open fields and Amish homesteads, and the clip-clop of hooves on pavement sets a pace your car never will.

Several operators run rides around Shipshewana, and pricing varies by buggy and tour length.

It’s one of those things that sounds simple on paper but hits different when you’re actually sitting in the buggy watching the farmland roll by.

Bike 17 miles of old railroad through rolling farmland

The Pumpkinvine Nature Trail runs about 17 miles on a paved path from Shipshewana to Middlebury and on to Goshen. It follows a former railroad corridor through rolling farmland, wooded stretches and Amish country.

You’ll share the trail with Amish cyclists and pass horses, barns and farms along the way. Bike rentals are available in downtown Shipshewana if you don’t bring your own.

The trail is open sunrise to sunset and flat enough for any skill level.

Find 80 hand-painted barn quilts across the county

More than 80 colorful barn quilts hang on barns, homes and public buildings across LaGrange County.

Each one is hand-painted with traditional patterns chosen by the property owner, and the tradition traces back to Pennsylvania-Dutch immigrants who displayed quilt patterns on their barns.

You can follow a self-guided driving tour that connects six communities through scenic backroads.

Free maps are available at the Shipshewana Visitors Center, and a free audio narration tour is available through Spotify or on CD.

A 370-year-old log stands inside this rebuilt mercantile

Davis Mercantile is a four-story shopping destination in downtown Shipshewana with more than 20 shops inside. Its roots go back to 1891, when Hezekiah Davis built a hotel with shops near the train depot.

The building burned to the ground in 2004, and locals rebuilt it barn-raising style. A 56-foot Douglas Fir log, estimated at over 370 years old, stands at the center of the grand staircase.

On the top floor, a carousel built on a 1906 Dentzel framework holds animals carved by local Amish craftsman Al Bontrager.

Try the Amish peanut butter spread

Amish cooking in Shipshewana is simple, hearty and made from scratch.

You’ll find fried chicken, mashed potatoes, chicken and noodles, fresh-baked bread and homemade pies at restaurants around town.

If you want the full experience, book a thresher’s dinner inside an Amish home, a multi-course family-style meal that requires reservations.

Ask for Amish peanut butter, a sweet and creamy spread that tastes nothing like the store-bought kind. Locally made meats and cheeses are available at Amish-run shops to take home.

The whole downtown runs from a four-way stop

Downtown Shipshewana centers around a four-way stop, and you can walk the whole thing in minutes. More than 95 specialty shops line the streets, selling quilting fabric, handmade furniture, home goods and candy.

Art murals are scattered throughout as part of the Art in the Heart trail.

Out on the backroads, Amish cottage shops sell baked goods, candles, handwoven baskets and leather goods.

Keep in mind that most businesses close on Sundays in keeping with the Amish and Mennonite tradition of observing the Sabbath.

Eighty-six lakes and a bison ranch next door

LaGrange County has 86 lakes and rivers where you can fish, kayak and canoe. Cook’s Bison Ranch in nearby Wolcottville runs wagon rides and lets you feed bison by hand.

Dutch Creek Animal Farm gives you time with domestic and exotic animals.

Ten campgrounds, cabins and RV parks are scattered throughout the county if you want to stay a while.

The real draw here is the pace, a place where your phone can stay in your pocket and the biggest decision is which pie to try next.

Plan your visit to Shipshewana, Indiana

You can reach Shipshewana in about three hours from Chicago, Indianapolis or Detroit.

The Shipshewana Visitors Center at 350 South Van Buren Street hands out free coupon books, maps and local tips to get you started.

A couple of things to know before you go: Shipshewana is a dry town, so no alcohol is sold anywhere in town. Most businesses close on Sundays.

And the Amish follow a Biblical teaching against graven images, so don’t photograph Amish people without asking permission first.

This article was created with AI assistance and human editing.

Read more from this brand:

• America’s first-ever monument to the ordinary soldier has an extraordinary story behind it
• Visit the Indiana town where Fortune 500 money created a living architecture museum
• The unlikely alliance that saved Indiana’s ancient forest