Shipshewana, IN: An unlikely coming together of two different cultures

Last year, we spent several months journeying around the Midwest, and one of those months consisted of hopping among local businesses as part of our Harvest Hosts challenge. A state we visited during this challenge was Indiana, the location of many RV and RV supply manufacturers, including our manufacturer, Aluminum Trailer Company (ATC). It came as no surprise that many of the RVers we met at Harvest Hosts were going to or coming from repair appointments, supply hauls, and factory tours. What did surprise us, however, was the frequent mention of one specific Indiana town: Shipshewana. We met a couple at a brewery in Indiana who said they were on their way to Shipshewana to pick up some RV furniture. They asked if we had ever been there and we said no. After that, the town's name followed us on our journey. It seemed like everywhere we went, someone mentioned Shipshewana. It's obviously a name that's hard to forget.

This year, we returned to the Midwest in June and jumped right back into finding fun Harvest Hosts, attempting to avoid severe weather, and dealing with heatwaves. As the heat rose to dangerous levels, we decided to grab a full hookup RV site so we could enjoy our air conditioning and unlimited water supply. At that point, we had traveled through Minnesota and Wisconsin and had the goal of landing in Indiana after hopefully avoiding the sheer chaos that is Chicago. We had no real preference of where in Indiana and thought about Shipshewana, the town that seems to be on every RVer's route to and from repairs. We'd also be getting repairs soon, so this would be the perfect stop! We booked an overnight at Shipshewana RV Park.

There are a few RV Parks with a similar name: Shipshewana Campground North, Shipshewana Campground South, and Shipshewana RV Park. Ours, the latter, is located adjacent to the town's flea market, the largest in the Midwest. As luck would have it, we'd arrive on a Saturday, the day the flea market was open. Our plan was to catch the tail end of the market and then head into town to see what we find.

Returning to Indiana means returning to Amish Country. The state has the third largest Amish population in the US, and many reside in the very towns that house RV-related companies. Our horse and buggy shared the road with real horses and buggies as we made our way to the RV park.

We didn't realize that our last-minute booking at Shipshewana RV Park would mean crashing a massive Keystone Cougar rally! 165 sites at this park, and we saw only 2 other RVs that weren't Cougars. They had tents set up with lots of fun entertainment, and people's sites were adorned with signs introducing themselves. We felt very out-of-place, even more than we usually do, but we commended all these Cougar owners for braving the blazing heat and enjoying some time with their community.

The flea market was closing at 4pm, which gave us only about 45 minutes to walk over and see what was for sale. We were in the market for consumables, namely produce, but the market was known to have tons of clothing, furniture, and goods crafted by the Amish. Unfortunately, many of the vendors were already closing up shop by the time we arrived. They were probably sick of being in the 90+ degree heat, and we can't blame them. However, we did quickly grab some fresh fruits and vegetables.

Horse and buggy parking is the norm in this region, but we were surprised to see no water trough for the horses in the large open field. We imagine this horse was "parked" there for a long time. At the flea market, the Amish are more often the vendors, not the consumers. This sparked our wonderment about the rules and regulations in the Amish community, which led to a bigger discussion on how the RV community seems to coexist rather seamlessly with the Amish, despite so many differences in how we live our lives. Perhaps there's a lot more to Shipshewana than we might think.

We brought our flea market finds back to the RV and then headed back out to continue our grocery shopping downtown. We have a delicate relationship with Amish foods, as they are usually delicious but contain ingredients we don't eat on a regular basis. On the other hand, we can expect local, natural ingredients, which is a big plus for us. We first headed to Yoder's Meat and Cheese Co to see what would please our palates but not steer us too far away from our diets that we had strayed from far too much in recent weeks.

This was a great start! Tons of local cheeses and meats, and even a decent selection of grassfed beef. We also found a company that makes seasoned salt mixes using only unrefined salts and no junky additives or preservatives. Chef's kiss! Of course, we also found a display of baked goods that looked delectable, including the softest cookies and fluffiest cinnamon rolls, but those were unsurprisingly a lot less clean, as the Amish baked goods tend to be. We needed to resist.

The Meat and Cheese Co is located in the Red Barn Shoppes, which houses a variety of stores containing household items, furniture, decor, and more food. The craftsmanship of both building and furniture were top notch. We already started thinking about our future mountain home and how we hope we have the money to spring for some custom furniture items.

We browsed for a little while before heading upstairs to grab a famous Yoder hand-rolled soft pretzel. As soon as we saw them, we knew why they have such stellar reviews. They were huge and looked extremely soft and fluffy.

This place has more than just pretzels. They have desserts and dips for the pretzels. You can even get a sandwich on a pretzel bun! We went for the classic, and it was not just one of the best soft pretzels we've ever had, but one of the best anything we've ever had. Scrum-diddly-umptious!

After that, all bets were off. We decided that we could "balance" our healthy grocery items with a few yummy items that would bring us immense joy. We headed over to Shauna Rae's Bakery and Cafe and came away with what would hopefully be a few days' worth of desserts: 2 cheesecakes and 3 cupcakes. Don't worry, the cheesecakes weren't that big. No, we don't have photo evidence. What's your point?!

The heat was starting to get to us, so we finished up our errands and returned to our nice air-conditioned RV, where we prepped some food for the following week with our newly purchased local Amish ingredients. We could have done so much more in "Shipshe," but we did what was most important during our limited time. We saw what the town was all about, bought some delicious food, and observed the merging of two unlikely cultures: Amish and RVers.

Naturally, we had to look into the history of this merger further, because we noticed some interesting offerings in this town. Shipshewana is a dry town, so no alcohol is allowed to be served in its establishments. However, one vendor tent at the flea market was selling alcoholic thirst quenchers. Perhaps a loophole in the regulations? Across from the bakery was a horse and buggy ride tour company, very much catering to tourists. And up the street from the RV park, several Mennonite Centers offering historic tours. Clearly, the Amish have found ways to financially benefit from tourists who come to the area, but with all the RVers, many of whom have very different values, is the relationship a positive one? We dove into our research.

Amish and Mennonite settlers established the town in the 1830s. They were drawn to the fertile farmlands and potential for a strong community life, which still thrives to this day. Shipshewana is known as the "heart of northern Indiana Amish Country," where the lifestyle is slowed down and priorities are placed on traditionalism.

About a century later, the first RV companies came to northern Indiana. While growth began almost immediately, the industry saw a boom after WWII. Then, in the 1960s, many companies brought their headquarters to Elkhart, now known as the RV Capital of the World. Surrounding towns like Shipshewana became meccas for RV companies and the consumers of RV products – us and our fellow campers.

At first glance, we had to wonder if all these "big machine" companies flocking to Indiana was a boon for the traditionalists who established a community here so many years ago. Economically, we can see that the Amish have catered many of their services and goods to the RV community, as we discovered last year when our Harvest Host neighbs mentioned buying RV furniture in Shipshewana. RVers are also often drawn to the products, purchasing food and souvenirs from the Amish shops. Then we have the tours, whether it's of an Amish or Mennonite establishment, or a buggy ride around town.

This all makes for an efficient symbiotic relationship, but what about our differing values? We have literal fuel-guzzling big rigs driving up the street next to horses! The RV community is also notorious for alcohol consumption, which is off-limits to the Amish. We RVers take pride in nomadism, with some of us abandoning our roots entirely and others taking frequent vacations from them. The Amish pride themselves on a tight-knit community with lots of roots.

But then we thought about it some more, and it turns out that our cultures probably have a lot more commonalities than we might see at first glance. RVers understand the importance of a slower-paced, simple life. We prioritize time in nature. We see a need for self-reliance, often living off the grid ourselves. The Amish were the first group to demand exceptions to formal education laws so they could homeschool their children. Many RVers opt to "road school" their kids. Perhaps most importantly, we all understand the value of community, even if our way of life looks different to mainstream society. We all remain thoughtful of which aspects of society we want to engage with, and we form and maintain close ties with those who live our similar lifestyle.

The relationship is nuanced. With the exception of friendly exchanges at shops and events, everyone maintains their space and privacy. However, we can rely on all of our shared interests and mutual respect to keep this region a thriving mecca for all who live and visit there. We don't need our two groups to fully embrace one another, but rather seek coexistence. Both groups contribute to northern Indiana's cultural charm and financial success. Shipshewana is a wonderful example of the vibrancy that can result from this type of harmonious living.

We hope that RVers will open their eyes and minds to this fascinating relationship the next time they come to the area for repairs and supplies. We certainly have a greater appreciation of the community forces at work to keep the economy thriving and everyone living happy, fulfilling lives based on their most precious ideals. This is exactly what trips to Shipshewana and surrounding towns should be all about...with a few hand-rolled pretzels to really seal the deal.