The Chicago Tribune featured Shipshewana and LaGrange County in their travel section this week, and mentioned Bloomfield right in the middle of it. Since Chicago is only 120 miles from our front door, here's what a first visit to LaGrange County actually looks like from someone who lives here.
This week, the Chicago Tribune ran a feature on Shipshewana and LaGrange County in their travel section. They titled it "Beyond the Highway: Time Takes the Scenic Route in Indiana's Amish Country," and it's a lovely, unhurried look at the region we're proud to call home. Somewhere in the middle of that story, they were kind enough to mention Bloomfield too.
We were quietly thrilled. You can read the full piece here.
Since Chicago is only about 120 miles from our front door, we thought this was a good moment to share what a visit to LaGrange County actually looks like from someone who lives here.
The Tribune called it "the scenic route," and that's the right way to think about it.
LaGrange County sits in the heart of the third-largest Amish community in the United States. That means horse-drawn buggies sharing the roads with cars. Rolling farm fields under wide skies. Roadside stands with jars of honey and hand-picked produce. Businesses that still feel handmade because most of them still are.
It's the kind of place where the pace slows down before you realize you've let it. You come planning to run errands and end up buying pretzels from a bakery, taking the long way home, and stopping to watch a family unload hay.
That's the whole appeal. It's not a theme park version of rural Indiana. It's the real thing.
If you're planning a first visit, here's how we'd loosely suggest spending a day.
Start in Shipshewana. It's the more well-known of the two towns and a good place to get your bearings. If you're visiting on a Tuesday or Wednesday between May and September, the Shipshewana Flea Market is a can't-miss experience. It's the largest open-air market in the Midwest, and it lives up to the description. Local produce, canned preserves, handmade goods, Amish baked goods, and enough friendly people-watching to fill an afternoon.
Menno-Hof Mennonite-Amish Visitor Center is worth stopping at even if you only have an hour. It's a thoughtful, non-preachy introduction to the history and beliefs of the Amish and Mennonite communities. If you've never learned much about the traditions that shape this region, an hour here will change how you experience the rest of your visit.
The Pumpkinvine Nature Trail is a paved 17-mile rail trail that connects Shipshewana with Middlebury and Goshen. It's beautiful on foot and even better by e-bike. Otto's Bike Shop rents them right in town.
When you're ready for a change of scenery, downtown LaGrange is a short and quiet drive from Shipshewana. That's where you'll find us.
The Bloomfield Apothecary is at 107 W Spring Street, in a historic brick building we spent four months restoring before we opened the doors in November 2024. Come see the tin ceiling. Walk the old wood floors. Smell the lavender drying from the beams.
Everything in the shop comes from our small-batch line, made with lavender grown just outside of town. We have soaps, bath salts, sleep sprays, magnesium creams, lip oils, candles, and a hundred other little things that make everyday life feel a bit more thoughtful.
If you have kids with you, our Bubble Bath Laboratory is a make-your-own kids bubble bath station where they can pick their favorite scent and take home a custom bottle they helped create. It's one of the most-loved corners of the Apothecary.
Our working lavender farm is a short drive from downtown, home to more than 7,500 lavender plants and one of the reasons the Tribune came to visit. Our 1904 schoolhouse sits at the center of it, still under restoration, and now recognized on the National Register of Historic Places.
The Tribune noted that ours is the only schoolhouse on the National Register that also operates as part of a lavender farm. We were quietly proud of that line. It captures what we've been trying to do here as well as anything we could have written ourselves.
Farm tours and u-pick lavender happen seasonally through the summer. Watch our social media and events page for the current schedule.
You will not go hungry here. Blue Gate Restaurant and Das Dutchman Essenhaus both do generous family-style Pennsylvania Dutch cooking, and both are worth a visit at least once. In downtown Shipshewana, The Black Sheep leans toward house-smoked meats and pulled pork. Fireside Craft Burgers and Brews, which happens to be near our Apothecary, is a nice stop if you're looking for something with a bigger craft beer list.
If you're in the mood for something you'll remember, book the four-hour horse-drawn buggy tour that ends with a family-style dinner in an Amish home. It's the closest a visitor can get to the everyday life of the community.
The Tribune got the spirit of this place right. Time really does move differently in LaGrange County. The best way to experience that is to plan a little less than you'd normally plan, drive a little slower than you normally drive, and give yourself room to wander.
Whenever you find your way to our part of Indiana, we hope you'll stop in and say hello. The kettle's usually on. There's always lavender drying somewhere.
With warmth,
Marion
Bloomfield Schoolhouse Lavender
