Amish Country: Where To Go (25-Community Guide)

So you’re thinking about a visit to Amish Country. There’s one thing you’ll need to figure out first: where should you go?

There are over 600 Amish communities, after all. Narrowing down your choices will depend on different things – like driving distance, what you want to do in Amish Country, and so on.

To make things easier, I’ve put together my best ideas on which Amish places to visit – in three categories: 1) large, tourist-oriented communities; 2) smaller, also tourist-friendly places, and 3) “off-the-beaten-path” communities. Use this guide to help make the best choice for your visit.

  1. Option 1: Large Tourist-Friendly Communities
  2. Option 2: Smaller Tourist-Friendly Communities
  3. Option 3: “Off-the-Beaten-Path” Communities
  4. Two others worth considering
  5. One Amish Community I wouldn’t visit…
A yellow Amish buggy warning sign
Welcome to Amish Country. You’ll see signs like this one in over 600 places in America. Photo: Don Burke

How to use this Amish Country Guide

In this bird’s-eye view guide, I share the attractions of each community, and give you an idea of what to expect. You’ll find over two dozen Amish community options listed below.

I’ve also linked to a full listing of 600+ Amish communities below. You might be surprised to find there is an Amish community in your neighborhood – or not too far away.

The goal of this guide is to give you a general bird-eye view of the types of Amish destinations out there – to help you choose a community, based on what you’re looking for in your Amish Country visit.

  • For example, some people find a larger, tourist-friendly place more appealing. Do you want to eat at an Amish-style restaurant? Are you interested in buggy rides and farm tours?
  • Others are drawn to smaller, lesser-known communities, which don’t offer those attractions – but do give you a slice of Amish life, out of the spotlight. With this guide, I give you an idea of what options are out there, and what to expect.

Once you’ve narrowed down your options, you can tap local resources for more information. Many of these communities have local websites built to help visitors find accommodation, activities, etc. (I’ve linked some of those sites below).

I hope this guide helps you make the best choice for your Amish Country trip! ~Erik


An Amish woman rides a bicycle on a gravel road with a buggy approaching
Photo: Jim Halverson

Option 1: Large Community

A large Amish community gives you a lot of advantages, including:

Pluses

  • Many Amish stores & shops to visit
  • Many accommodation options
  • Variety of PA Dutch and Amish-style restaurant options
  • Other activities like buggy rides, farm tours and more
  • No need to “hunt” for the Amish like in a smaller community – they are everywhere

There are also some drawbacks, including:

Drawbacks

  • Can be a little too “touristy” in some areas
  • Can be relatively crowded in peak seasons
  • Generally higher prices
  • Geographically restricted to the Midwest and eastern PA

So in this section we’ll focus on the largest, and arguably most tourist-friendly Amish communities. And there are really three that stand out above all others.

Three Amish toddlers standing on the back of a simple wagon
Photo: Jim Halverson

The 3 largest (& most tourist-friendly) Amish communities

The three largest Amish communities are also the best-known of Amish communities – one each in Pennsylvania, Ohio, and Indiana.

Each of these settlements is home to tens of thousands of Amish people. Their Amish populations are so large, that they would form small cities of Amish – if they all lived close together.

Each of these has many options for lodging, food, activities, and Amish stores and businesses to visit. So read on for more on the three largest, and most popular, Amish Country destinations.

1. Lancaster County, Pennsylvania

A young boy guides a two-horse team with an Amish farmhouse in background
Lancaster County, Pennsylvania. Photo: Don Burke

Lancaster County, PA is home to the largest Amish community of them all. It is located on the East Coast within an easy drive of many major population centers. It has a highly-developed Amish tourism industry with many things to do.

There is no shortage of Amish shops to visit, buggy rides and farm tours, and other attractions here. All-you-can-eat PA Dutch restaurants including Shady Maple Smorgasbord, Miller’s, Bird-in-Hand Family Restaurant, and others keep visitors well-fed.

The area is home to picture-perfect Amish dairy farms with 200-year-old stone barns, many covered bridges, and other charming rural scenes. Come at the right time, and you can attend an Amish mud sale or other auction.

Various fruit pies on the shelves of an Amish store
Pies for sales in a Lancaster County-area Amish store.

For all these reasons and more, it’s no surprise that Lancaster County is the most-visited Amish tourism destination in the country. I have visited Lancaster County many times, and I like much about it. I’m fond of visiting Amish stores, and there are many of them here – food places like Emma’s Gourmet Popcorn, Gordonville Book Store, dry goods and variety stores, and many more.

The community has many beautiful and quaint small towns, some of which you’ve probably heard of – Intercourse (the most “tourist” town of them all), Bird-in-Hand, Strasburg (maybe the most beautiful, with its many historic homes), and Churchtown, to name a few.

There are also attractions like theatre shows at the Plain & Fancy Theatre, Amish Experience Theatre, and Sight & Sound Theatres. The area can get “busy”, however (for an Amish community at least), with a lot of traffic in certain parts of the county.

That’s because a half-million people, most of them not Amish, live in Lancaster County. So while it is a rural area, it is relatively highly-populated, especially compared to other communities on this list. Add that to the tourist traffic, and it can feel a bit cramped at times.

That said, this community is definitely one of the top choices for an Amish Country visit for all the reasons listed above. For a full guide to visiting this community, including information on places to stay, things to do, where to eat and more, check out discoverlancaster.com or a similar website.

I’ve also done a more in-depth comparison of Lancaster County and the next community on the list, Holmes County, which you’ll find here: Which Community Should You Visit? 7 Differences Between Lancaster County & Holmes County.

2. Holmes County, Ohio

A black horse-drawn Amish buggy
Holmes County, Ohio. Photo: Don Burke

The Amish settlement in Holmes County, Ohio is not much smaller than the one in Lancaster County, having about 40,000 Amish people. It also gets a lot of visitors, but has a less-busy “feel”. That’s because the area is more rural, and more heavily Amish, with fewer non-Amish living in the area. That is one of its main appeals, in my opinion.

Another one is the diversity of Amish groups you’ll find here. While Lancaster County is home to one major Amish affiliation, Holmes County has nearly a dozen different horse-and-buggy Amish groups – from the very conservative Swartzentruber Amish to the progressive New Order Amish.

After a little while you’ll start to notice differences between these groups – in clothing, hair, buggies, homes, and more. This is a special aspect of this community and, in my opinion, one of its biggest appeals.

An exhibit telling the story of the Ausbund Anabaptist songbook
An exhibit at the Amish & Mennonite Heritage Center on the Ausbund, a church hymnal used by the Amish. Berlin, Ohio

Like Lancaster County, there are many options for food, stores, accommodation, shopping, and so on. Popular small towns in this community include Berlin, Walnut Creek, Mount Hope, Mount Eaton, Sugarcreek, Charm, and Millersburg.

Berlin is the most famous tourist town here, at the center of the Amish community. Mount Hope holds regular auctions at its auction center, well-attended by the Amish. Sugarcreek is nicknamed the “Little Switzerland of Ohio” and this is reflected in the Swiss-style buildings in town.

Popular places to eat include Mrs. Yoder’s in Mount Hope, Der Dutchman in Walnut Creek, and Boyd & Wurthmann in Berlin (great local spot with a small-town feel and Amish waitresses). To learn about the history and culture of the Amish, the Amish & Mennonite Heritage Center in Berlin (home to the famous “Behalt” cyclorama painting), is a great choice.

All in all, Holmes County has a very “rural” feel, and is generally very friendly towards visitors – on the whole, I’d say more so than Lancaster County. There are many Amish craftspeople in this community. You’ll come across furniture making, leather goods, quiltmaking, and other family cottage industries.

The Holmes County community actually spans multiple counties, including Wayne, Tuscarawas, and Coshocton, each of which have sizeable Amish populations. Holmes County is a great place to go for a drive (GPS) and just see what you’ll come across down the gravel roads and over the rolling hills.

For more details on where in Holmes County to stay, eat, and more, check out visitamishcountry.com, or a similar site. And for a more in-depth comparison of the two largest Amish communities, check out my guide to Holmes County vs. Lancaster County.

3. Northern Indiana: Elkhart & LaGrange County (Shipshewana) + Nappanee

Amish woman in buggy approaching Menno-Hof Amish center sign
A woman in an Amish buggy passes the Menno-Hof informational center in Shipshewana, Indiana. Photo: Jim Halverson

The third of the “Big Three” Amish communities, the Amish of northern Indiana (Elkhart and LaGrange County) also draws millions of visitors annually, many of whom descend on the area’s most famous town, Shipshewana. Besides being more-or-less the center of the Amish community, Shipshewana is home to a famous – and gigantic – flea market. It also has the Menno-Hof cultural center, which tells the Amish and Mennonite story.

Like the other communities mentioned above, the area is dotted with charming small towns, including Topeka, Millersburg, Middlebury, LaGrange, and others. Nearly 30,000 Amish people live here, so you won’t have trouble spotting a buggy going down the road.

Sign for "Laura's Fabrics" in front of a white Amish home
Amish-run fabric store in northern Indiana. Photo: Jim Halverson

The area has its share of Amish farms and abundant small stores run by Amish people. You’ll notice signs for these as you drive the many grid roads of the community (side note: that makes it harder to get lost in this community, unlike the two we’ve covered above). That noted, many Amish men here work in the recreational vehicle industry, a unique feature of the region. You’ll see them traveling to and from work, often riding bicycles.

This community is home to the famous Rise’n Roll Bakery, as well as the Blue Gate Restaurant in Shipshewana, which besides offering food, puts on shows in its associated theatre. There are many other food options besides those.

I find the Amish people here overall quite friendly and laid-back. You might spot an Amish buggy hauling a boat to one of the area’s numerous lakes and ponds, or see Amish youth playing softball late night at one of the local fields.

With its cornfields and down-home charm the area has a great middle America feel. The Amish folks here are among the more progressive, and easy to relate to.

We can also include the nearby, very similar community of Nappanee here, home to another nearly 7,000 Amish people. The Nappanee Amish settlement basically touches the Elkhart-LaGrange community, and the Amish in Nappanee are quite similar, as far as technology, jobs, and appearance. Nappanee is also home to The Barns at Nappanee attraction (formerly Amish Acres).

For more on Elkhart-LaGrange Amish Country, check out visitshipshewana.org, and for information on Nappanee, see visitnappanee.com.


Option 2: Smaller, visitor-friendly Amish community

These communities are smaller than the “Big Three”, but are all still pretty sizeable. Each of these communities has from 1,000 to 6,000 Amish residents. That means they’ll have a good variety of Amish stores, places to stay and eat, and other amenities.

So these are a nice choice if you want to go to a good-sized community with at least some tourist amenities, but want to avoid the larger, most heavily-visited places. I’ve chosen ten options for you below.

Pluses:

  • Large enough to offer multiple options for stores, places to eat
  • Less “touristy” feel to these places, while still offering attractions
  • More manageable in deciding what to do and visit due to smaller size

Drawbacks:

  • More limited options for lodging, food, Amish-theme tours and experiences
  • Some are in quite remote locations

1. Arthur, Illinois

Illinois‘ largest Amish community, and the first Amish place I ever visited. I spend three weeks here one summer and have fond memories of the place. This is a classic Amish settlement where you have a charming small town, Arthur, at the center, with Amish homes and farms extending for miles in every direction around it.

Many Amish woodworkers and small shops to visit here, dotted among the cornfields. In town, Yoder’s Kitchen provides Amish-style meals, a bakery, and gift shop.

2. Big Valley, Pennsylvania

I highly recommend visiting this unique Amish community if you have a chance. What makes it special? “Big Valley” is home to three distinct Amish groups, each with a different-colored buggy top – the Renno Amish (black), Byler Amish (yellow!), and Nebraska Amish (white). The Nebraska group is the most conservative.

An auction is held regularly (Wednesdays in season) in the town of Belleville in the middle of this community, which offers a great chance to enjoy food, buy Amish goods, and see members of all three groups in one place.

Sign for a public auction with white Nebraska Amish buggies in backgroun
Amish in the Big Valley area also regularly hold other auctions. In this photo you can see the white-topped buggies of the area’s “Nebraska”Amish group. Photo: Jerry in PA

3. Daviess County, Indiana

The Daviess County community, in my experience, is home to some of the friendliest Amish people you’ll come across. Amish here speak with distinct southern accents quite different than what you’ll hear on the other side of the state. This is another highly entrepreneurial community with lots of small home businesses.

Dinky’s Auction Center is a local attraction holding regular auctions on most Fridays throughout the year. Auctions offer a great opportunity to attend a public Amish-heavy event. Amish-style restaurants include Knepp’s Amish Kountry Korner, Gasthof Amish Village, and Dutchman’s Diner.

4. Ethridge, Tennessee

One of my favorite Amish communities to visit. The Amish at Ethridge are some of the most conservative of all. But that doesn’t mean they are closed to outsiders. Quite the contrary.

You’ll find dozens of home-based stores and businesses throughout this community, with Amish families selling fresh produce, baked goods, candles, sweets, canned goods, rugs, baskets, furniture, and more. A great community to just drive around and stop in at places that catch your eye. Some of them are very simple, not much more than roadside or porchfront stands, while others are proper shops.

The Amish farms will advertise their goods with simple hand-lettered signs at the ends of their lanes. You can also pick up an Ethridge Amish business map at the local “Amish Welcome Center”.

Simple handmade signs advertising Amish products like rolling pins and peanut brittle
Signs advertising Amish goods in the Ethridge, Tennessee community. Photo: Don Burke

5. Conewango Valley, New York

Not everyone realizes that New York has become one of the most important states for the Amish, with the fifth-largest Amish population. And Conewango Valley is home to the state’s second-largest community, located in western NY an hour’s drive from Buffalo.

The Amish here are from one of the more conservative Amish groups. So you’ll see a version of Amish life which is plainer and more restrictive with technology. Again, that doesn’t mean they don’t welcome visitors – a local tourist bureau even publishes an “Amish Trail” map, showing the many dozens of Amish businesses you can patronize throughout the region.

6. Centreville, Michigan

Michigan‘s largest Amish settlement, with over 2,000 people living here. This one tends to be overshadowed by the nearby Shipshewana, Indiana community (just a half-hour drive away). But the Centreville community does have a modest tourist industry, and Amish businesses to visit. Yoder’s Country Market offers a large selection of foods, deli, and hot dishes.

7. Munfordville, Kentucky

This growing community with ties to Geauga County, Ohio is one of Kentucky‘s two largest. Unlike other Amish communities, dairy farming is not too common for Amish at Munfordville, but there are many shops and stores run by the Amish.

Detweiler’s Country Store is one of them – a longstanding popular attraction selling bulk foods, grocery and deli items, variety goods including fabrics and housewares, furniture items, and also a greenhouse.

8. Jamesport, Missouri

Jamesport is not the largest community in the state, but it is arguably Missouri’s most tourist-friendly Amish community. The Amish here are more progressive than those in other sizeable Amish settlements in the Show Me State. Not a huge community, but worth a visit. Come for one of the school benefit or produce auctions to see a lot of Amish doing business and socializing.

Amish woman in red dress rides a small horse cart
An Amish woman in the progressive Jamesport, MO community. Photo: Don Burke

9. Kalona, Iowa

This scenic community set in the gently rolling hills of a corner of southeastern Iowa. Kalona is a small Midwestern town with a quaint main street. Drive outside the town and Amish dairy farms and small Amish stores abound, including the Community Country Store, Stringtown Grocery, and more.

One Amish family business, Miller Homestead Cooking, provides home-cooked meals at an Amish farm. Interestingly, at least one Amish church here uses a meetinghouse for their church services (unusual for Amish, most of whom worship at home). One of several sizeable Amish communities in Iowa.

10. New Wilmington, Pennsylvania

This is not really the most tourist-oriented community – but the New Wilmington area is home to one of Pennsylvania’s more sizeable (around 3,000 Amish live here), and picturesque Amish settlements. And there are a few tourist-oriented outlets, including Simple Life Amish Tours.

All in all, this is quite a plain and traditional Amish community, with more restrictive church rules than the average Amish church. Look for the distinctive brown-topped buggies, as well as the sky blue-painted front doors in this community.


Option 3: Smaller, off-the-beaten-path communities – but worth a visit

This last group of Amish communities are for those people who want to visit those communities with little-to-no tourist attention. These smaller communities (with one exception) all have Amish populations of at least 100 to 700+ people.

So they might only have a handful of Amish businesses to visit. But that may be good enough if you are okay with a more limited visit.

The good news with this option is that there are over 600 Amish communities in 32 states. And depending on where you live, there’s a decent chance you have at least a small Amish settlement within an hour or two drive.

Pluses:

  • Appeal of a “non-touristy” visit
  • Fun to discover places most visitors don’t go
  • True feel of rural Amish life in many of these

Drawbacks:

  • May be few Amish stores due to smaller size, and little-to-nothing in the way of other attractions
  • As the name suggests, may take more time and effort to get to – and in some cases, to find the Amish (tips on that below)
  • These are more for limited visits and day trips, rather than a full vacation
Amish men sitting on a horse-drawn wagon filled with logs
Amish life moves at a slower pace. Photo: Jim Halverson

Tips for visiting a smaller Amish community

There are a few tips to keep in mind when visiting a smaller Amish community. The challenge there is that since there are relatively few Amish living there, it might not be easy to find where the Amish live. So here are a few tips on how to get an initial address – and how to find all the Amish stores when you get there.

  • Try to visit a community of at least 100 people to have a decent shot that there will be several Amish stores.
  • Amish stores are often listed online, so you can do a Google search in your target area to find at least one or two destination addresses.
  • You can also ask at non-Amish businesses, like gas stations, where the Amish are located. Keep in mind you may have to hunt a bit. But that’s part of the fun 🙂
  • Another good tip is that when you find one Amish business, ask them where the others are located. They won’t be offended if you simply ask “where can I find other stores in your community?” or simply “where are the other Amish businesses?” Suggest ideas like variety stores, food stores, dry goods stores.
  • Sometimes Amish stores will have a simple handwritten sign up, giving information on other Amish stores in the area.
  • Simple signs like these placed at country crossroads give you a clue that Amish businesses are in the area:
Various signs for Amish businesses - furniture, baskets, grocery
Examples of typical Amish business signs. These are your clues there are “Amish ahead”. Image: Don Burke
  • As you can see in the above photo, true Amish-owned businesses usually have simple names (or sometimes no names at all), either using last names (“Miller’s Dry Goods”), initials (“R&S Sales”), or geographical features (“Meadow View Country Store”). They usually don’t have the word “Amish” in them.
  • Raber’s Almanac is another option. This Amish-produced guide lists church minister’s addresses for most of the Amish settlements in North America. Amish-run dry goods and variety stores often sell these. You can also order one from Raber’s Bookstore.
  • These off-the-beaten path communities generally won’t have dedicated websites for visitors (like many of those in Category #1 and #2 do). So you’ll have to do a little more legwork in figuring out where to eat, stay, etc.. And there likely won’t be the same “Amish-themed” options as in the above places.

That said, there is something fun and exciting about going to an Amish community that most people don’t visit, and seeing what you can discover.

Full List of Amish Communities

For a full list of Amish settlements (with population sizes), go here. If the suggestions below don’t work for you, check that list for communities within a reasonable drive, do a little more research, and see which ones might be worth a visit.

1. Farmville, Virginia

A rapidly growing community in central Virginia. The Amish here originate from Lancaster County, Pennsylvania, so you’ll see the familiar gray-topped buggies. One Amish business worth visiting here is Pineview Bulk Food & Deli. Try the made-to-order sub sandwiches.

2. Unity, Maine

Maine as a state has seen an uptick in Amish growth over the past decade, with nearly a dozen communities there today. The Unity settlement is arguably Maine’s best-known Amish community. There are a number of Amish businesses here; the best-known is the Community Market which sells very popular homemade donuts one day each week.

Unity is an atypical Amish settlement for several reasons. One of those reasons is that some Amish men here wear mustaches – unlike 99% of the Amish. Overall friendly folks.

Amish women making donuts in a kitchen
Amish women make donuts in the Community Market kitchen. Unity, Maine. Photo: Judy Stavisky

3. Monte Vista, Colorado

Set in the massive, scenic San Luis Valley, this is Colorado‘s largest Amish community. Here you’ll find multiple Amish stores and businesses, including a bent-and-dent (salvage) grocery store (Sunshine Country Grocery Store) and a large variety store (Bontrager’s Variety Store).

Also worth visiting is (relatively) nearby La Jara (a more conservative group) and if you want to drive further, the community at Westcliffe, a more progressive group.

4. Pinecraft, Florida

One of the most unique of all Amish communities. Pinecraft, lying near Florida’s Gulf Coast, is a vacation and retirement community for Amish and Mennonites. The year-round Amish population is only about 100. But that number swells into the thousands in the winter months, when Amish from Pennsylvania, Ohio, and other states come to visit.

You won’t see any Amish farms at Pinecraft, or even horses-and-buggies. That’s because this community is essentially a suburb of Sarasota. Amish here get around by foot, or often using large adult-sized tricycles. Some nice Pennsylvania Dutch-style restaurants here, including Yoder’s, Der Dutchman, and Sommers Dutch Restaurant.

5. Union Grove, North Carolina

The older of North Carolina’s two Amish settlements. Famous for its Amish-run Shiloh General Store, which draws visitors from far and wide. This is an “electric” New Order Amish community – the rare horse-and-buggy Amish group that allows electricity in the home.

It’s a small community, but the general store is nice; nearby Wholesome Country Creamery is worth a visit too, for tasty ice cream and other dairy products. Also consider North Carolina’s other, much different Amish settlement – the conservative Swartzentruber Amish community at Ellenboro.

Large old-fashioned-style general store front with porch
The Shiloh General Store is the biggest draw to the Union Grove, NC Amish community.

6. Harmony, Minnesota

Minnesota‘s largest Amish settlement lies in the southeastern corner of the state. This is a community of very traditional Swartzentruber Amish, a group which does not use the SMV safety triangle or electric lights, opting instead for reflective tape and one or two dimly-lit lanterns. So be aware on the roads if you visit this or other Swartzentruber Amish communities.

There is at least one Amish tour company in the area (Amish Tours of Harmony), and you’ll find numerous small businesses among the community’s dozens of homes and farms.

7. Pearisburg, Virginia

One draw here is the beautiful mountain scenery. Another is one well-known, and top-notch, Amish store – the Walker Valley Market. Try the made-to-order sub sandwiches and pick up some maple syrup from their abundant selection. Large and friendly store.

You won’t easily see a lot of Amish homes in this community as they are mostly tucked away in the hills. But the valley is beautiful and the Market is a good place to get lunch, and stock up on foods and other variety store items.

8. Pontotoc County, Mississippi

The country’s only “Deep South” Amish community, tucked away in northern Mississippi. Quite similar to the Ethridge, Tennessee community, just on a much smaller scale. Drive the area’s dirt and gravel roads and you’ll find Amish farms selling products from simple stands and stores, easily recognized by the hand-lettered signs. Make sure to try their peanut brittle (or other nut brittles like cashew or pecan).

9. Rexford, Montana

One of the most scenic Amish settlements, but well off the usual Amish trails. The Rexford community is located in the West Kootenai, an area once inhabited by the Kootenai Indian tribe. This community gets a lot of Amish visitors from eastern communities as well, drawn by the natural beauty, and in some cases, hunting.

The Amish at Rexford hold a school benefit auction in June each year. Montana as a state has steadily drawn new Amish communities; besides Rexford there are ten more Amish settlements in the Treasure State.

Amish men auction quilts under a large tent as Amish women look on
Quilts for sale at the Rexford, Montana Amish community’s annual school benefit auction. Photo: Andrea D.

10. Bee County, Texas

Texas’ only Amish community has held on in the southern end of the state for 25 years now and counting. Less than 100 Amish people live here, making it the smallest on this list. But the community is worth a visit for several reasons, including the novelty of Amish living side-by-side with cactus.

There is also one notable store – Borntrager’s Combination Shop, a type of variety store selling foods and many other items, and run by the community’s bishop. Bee County also hosts an annual school benefit auction which brings in outsiders.


Other Large Amish Communities Worth Considering

There are two more communities that I want to mention here. These are both very large communities (#4 and #5 on the Amish rankings), so they deserve at least a mention, and can make good options for a visit as well, all things considered.

1. Geauga County, Ohio

The fourth-largest Amish community, with over 20,000 Amish people living here. The reason Geauga County shows up here is that this large community is regularly overshadowed by nearby Holmes County.

The Amish community centers around the small town of Middlefield. Geauga County has many Amish businesses and stores, though the tourism industry is not nearly as extensive as in the Holmes County area.

This one is definitely worth considering visiting if you are close by. But if you’re making a longer drive to Ohio, I’d opt for the Holmes County community over Geauga County. I find Holmes County to have a more welcoming “vibe” and is overall more scenic and interesting, with its many Amish groups.

Large clock tower with red roof and green spire
The clock tower in Berne, Indiana – in the middle of the Adams County Amish community – commemorates the region’s Swiss heritage. Photo: Jim Halverson

2. Adams County, Indiana

The fifth-largest Amish community, centered around the town of Berne, Indiana. Over 10,000 Amish people live here. They are a group known as the “Swiss Amish“, traditionally recognized by their open-top buggies and other specific customs.

Swiss Amish communities can be a bit colder to outsiders. However, given the sheer size of the community there are many Amish businesses scattered about the flat Indiana farmland. That alone makes it worth a visit.


One Larger Amish Community…that I might skip

Though I don’t have anything against this community – I spent several weeks here one summer – the following community is, for several reasons, not the best choice for a visit to Amish Country.

Man in an open Amish buggy making tracks in a snowy road
An Amishman uses an umbrella to protect himself from the elements. Allen County, Indiana. Photo: rollingwoodphotography.com

Allen County, Indiana: Why I’d skip it

While this is one of the larger Amish communities, there are several reasons why I’d skip it.

For one, there aren’t too many stores or restaurants here, especially for a larger Amish community. If you’re like me, you enjoy stopping at Amish places for both the opportunity to find something neat to take home – and to have a chat with the people running the place. Now there are some businesses here, but overall the community does not have abundant small shops and stores, like others covered in this guide.

And while the countryside is beautiful, there are very few Amish dairy farms in this settlement – due to technology restrictions here which essentially discouraged farming over time.

As a result most Amish here work in the construction industry, which is one reason it doesn’t have the number of stores you’d expect to see in a community of this size (though there are definitely some worth visiting – for example Katie’s Kountry Korner, a furniture-crafts-quilts-and-more store – should you choose to go).

The last negative is that the community is not the most welcoming when it comes to visitors. This group is also from the Swiss Amish background, similar to the Adams County, Indiana community listed above. There are of course exceptions, but the overall demeanor towards outsiders is not what you’d find in a community like Holmes County, Ohio, or nearby northern Indiana.

So for all these reasons, I’d suggest not visiting Allen County, at least not as a first (or second) visit to Amish Country.


Gray sign with advertising fresh eggs in simple lettering
Photo: Jim Halverson

And there’s more out there

Of course these aren’t the only Amish communities you can visit. As I’ve mentioned several times here, there are over 600 Amish locations in North America. And that includes many small communities that get overlooked, but often have a collection of stores or roadside stands that are certainly worth stopping in at.

So I hope that highlighting a variety of different types of communities as I’ve done here gives you an idea of possibilities for an Amish Country visit. But be sure to check the full settlement list linked above, and search this site using the search box at top, as you look into other possibilities.

For more, see:

Coming Soon:

  • Visiting Amish Country: A Guide
  • What to know about Amish People
  • Amish Country: What to do
  • Guide to Typical Amish Stores
  • How to meet Amish people in Amish Country
  • Amish Country Dos and Don’ts

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