A well-crafted life begins in Elkhart County, where the word quality defines your experience. Quality craftsmanship. Quality collaboration. Quality connections.
Here, our creative community marries tradition with innovation. From quilts to RVs, musical instruments to motorcycles, Elkhart County swells with passionate people creating a future built on a solid foundation of the past. Here, you not only see the work of our large Amish community alongside our technical innovators, you can meet the creators, draw from their accomplishments, and chart your own course.
Offering creative inspiration and cultural immersion, the possibilities of Elkhart County are limited only by your time and ambition. Spending time here is a way to get in touch with a part of America you’ve heard about, but never seen—dreamt of, but never experienced.
Elkhart County is a place designed for people who see beyond the obvious. Where some see one thriving downtown, others see hundreds of doors to open, people to meet, and opportunities to explore. Our vibrant arts scene tells the story of our community. The story of our history, our values, a nurturing entrepreneurial spirit rooted in the handmade and the homegrown.
The story of Elkhart County will stay with you, because we invite you to help write the next chapter.
Trail Blazing
The Heritage Trail is a great way to get started on your journey. Winding through some of the county’s most vibrant communities including Elkhart, Goshen, Middlebury, Nappanee, Bristol, Wakarusa, and Shipshewana, you’ll cruise by the nooks and crannies you’d never think to look for on your own.
You can drive through while listening to the free guided audio tour, but please, press pause and pull over. The pictures you’ll take are nice, but stopping to experience the local culture will put a story behind the posts you’ll love telling over and over.
Park & Rec
If someone tells you to “take a hike”—then do it! Elkhart County offers the region’s best outdoor activities and things to do with kids. Hitch up your boat and drive to our amazing waterways and take in a day of fishing or kayaking. Golf your thing? We’ve got plenty of links.
Load up your RV and cruise around the county. We’re the world’s RV capital! Make sure to bring your bikes andride one of the many trails at a leisurely pace to discover a hidden spot no one else has found before.
The Big Attractions
In Elkhart County, you don’t just go see our attractions. You experience them! Feed a herd of bison by hand? Yep. Taste the fruits of the labor of local vinters? Sure! Peruse the Quilt Gardens and meet the locals who made them? You bet.
And you must hit up the Shipshewana Auction and Flea Market. This is truly the place to discover something you won’t experience anywhere else. There’s a reason this place has a legendary reputation across the Midwest.
Shop Til You Drop
Handmade and jaw-dropping is the best way to describe the shopping experiences that await curious collectors. The most creative minds and skilled hands turn out unique work you won’t find anywhere else.
Elkhart County is home to one of the biggest Amish communities in America, and the old-school craftsmanship puts quality first. Find it on display at places like Coppes Commons, Davis Mercantile, and the artist haven of the Old Bag Factory.
History in the Making
History is taught to us in broad strokes, but the story of America is best told by learning about the people who founded the small towns, paved the main streets, and tamed back woods.
The Ruthmere Museum tells the story of Elkhart. Go beyond what they teach in Art History 101 and tour the Midwest Museum of American Art.
Or, roll up in your fifth wheel and park at the RV/MH Hall of Fame. Whether you’re a seasoned road veteran or an RV newbie, you’ll learn something to amaze your friends at the next cookout or holiday party.
The Art of Culture
From well-curated art galleries to performing arts troupes, you can be educated and entertained like you never expected. The Elkhart Civic Theatreis located in the Bristol Opera House and is a venue you’ll never forget. And you’ll feel the history as you enter The Lerner Theatre, a 1920s movie theater converted into a performing arts center.
Maybe you’ll stay in one of our energetic city centers. Or perhaps you’ll revel in the peace of our secluded small towns. Whichever you choose, things to do in Elkhart County take you to more than just places, they allow you to meet the people who will shape your journey. Where will you begin?
