Hi, I’m Erik Wesner, and if you are looking for information on

  • Amish communitiesErik Wesner About Page
  • Amish culture
  • Amish beliefs

…you are in the right place.

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Here at Amish America you’ll find:

  • Posts on just about everything Amish, including news stories, photos, and slices of Amish life
  • Useful resources, including a 31-state Amish guide, business finder, and encyclopedia of Amish questions
  • A great community of commenters and contributors
  • Original interviews with authors and experts, including Donald Kraybill, Mose Gingerich (NatGeo’s Amish: Out of Order), and Amish friends
Erik Wesner In Pinecraft

Walking with friends. In Florida’s only Amish community, Pinecraft

What others are saying

  • “If you want to know anything (and everything) about the Amish this is the website for you.” – Tricia Goyer, notquiteamishliving.com
  • “…considered one of the most reliable sources to learn more about the Amish.” – author Karen Anna Vogel
  • “I don’t usually comment but I am an avid reader! Love all of your posts…” – Joseph Toth
  • “I just wanted to comment for once and say that I LOVE your site. I read it all the time. I’m completely intrigued with the Amish and you’re living my dream by, well, living with them!” – reader Kenzi

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Who is Erik?

I’m not Amish, but for 10 years now, I’ve been fortunate to learn about Amish life firsthand.  Back in 2004, I met the Amish in an odd way–by accident, selling books door-to-door in the middle of Illinois.

Amish Door

Knock knock.

It turns out the Amish like Bible story books.  Over the next few years I crossed the country visiting over 5,000 Amish homes, gaining hundreds of Amish customers and some friends along the way.

My favorite comment was “you’re not like other salespeople” (Amish get a lot of them)…I guess because I was easy to get rid of.  I started this site in 2006 to share observations on Amish life.

In 2010 I published my first book on the Amish, Success Made Simple: An Inside Look at Why Amish Businesses Thrive.  It was covered in media including the New York Post, CNNMoney, and TIME magazine.  Sixty Amish entrepreneurs contributed wisdom.

North Carolina is my home state–not exactly Amish Country.   I make regular visits to communities across America, staying in Amish friends’ homes, playing “Amish taxi”, and eating anything not nailed down (if you’ve had Amish food, you get it).

Buggy Driver View

Still don’t have a buggy license though

So far, I’ve visited over 50 Amish settlements in 15 states.  If I could tell you just one thing I’ve learned about the Amish, it’s that the Amish are not all the same, but they are all human.  And like the rest of us humans, they have a sense of humor.  I appreciate that.

Come see us again

New posts appear 3-5 times each week.  With over 2500 articles in our archives, you can find nearly any topic on the Amish (use the “search” box at the top of each page).

Some things we’ve covered recently:

  • Inside an Amish Home
  • 10 Amish Quilt Buyer’s Tips
  • Why Amish don’t talk about God as much as you’d think
  • Amish in Texas
  • 3 Head-scratching Amish Myths
  • The Amish “Mystery Supper”
  • What’s a good gift for an Amish person?
  • 10 Common Amish Surnames
  • Do Amish vaccinate?
  • And much more

The easiest way to keep up? Just enter your email below and click “sign me up”.

We look forward to hearing from you soon!

Contact Info

1. Amish Questions: I love hearing from readers. If you have a general question, please leave it in the comments section on an appropriate page (use the sidebar search box to find your topic).

Please note that I’m not able to help in selling or marketing products to Amish communities. I offer advertising on this site (see below) but it is primarily to a non-Amish online audience. If you’d like to reach Amish people, you might consider advertising in a widely-read-by-Amish paper publication, such as The Budget newspaper.

Also, due to the sheer number of requests, unfortunately I can’t help out with finding an Amish family to stay with, joining the Amish, pen pal connections, or related requests. For what it’s worth, in the final 2 minutes of this video I do give a couple ideas on staying with the Amish (though neither is an “easy fix” solution).

Because of the volume of email I get, if you ask the question in the comments, I’m twice as likely to reply than to an email. I regularly check all comments. You’ll also have the benefit of other readers’ knowledge.

2. Contribute to Amish America: If you have photos, Amish information, etc. that you’d like to contribute as a possible post, great. We often run guest posts. Please email me at ewesner(at)gmail(dot)com.

3. Media: Email me at ewesner(at)gmail(dot)com. I often help with articles on the Amish and other media.

4. Advertising: Advertising and consulting inquiries welcome. Email me at ewesner(at)gmail(dot)com.

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