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Old Carriage Inn We weren’t quite sure we were in the right place when we drove up to the Old Carriage Inn. The sign at the edge of the road marks the driveway of an ordinary-looking one-story ranch-style home. There was nowhere else to turn, though, so we pulled in. We saw a small red barn in back that clearly functioned as a guesthouse, as well as the gazebo that is featured so prominently on the Old Carriage Inn’s Web site. Still a bit uncertain, we parked and wandered in the back door to the house. Through the kitchen and past the living room where several men were watching the game on TV, we found a desk that seemed the hub of the operation. There, Brigitte Holmes offered a hearty greeting, handled our paperwork and showed us to our room. Staying at the Old Carriage Inn, we quickly discovered, is just like staying with the aunt and uncle whom you’ve seen a time or two at family reunions, but really don’t know well. There is no pretense or formality: Guests of the inn are guests of the Holmeses. You’re one of the family. Brigitte and her husband, Steve, live in the basement of the home. The rest has been divided into guestrooms with baths; our room was formerly part of the garage. The kitchen and living room, filled with family photos, crafts and knick-knacks, are shared among guests and residents. The little red barn in back houses several rooms as well, lending the Old Carriage Inn its name. Between the main house and the barn, a deck, gazebo and flowerbeds offer spots to sit and read one of the plentiful magazines stacked about the living room. The view from the back yard is of the Shipshewana Flea Market, a major attraction accessed through the inn’s fence – great if you want to be first out of the gate for bargain hunting. Brigitte even rents carts for hauling one’s finds after a day of scouring the booths. The rooms are decorated in country prints and patterns with Amish buggies and children cropping up in lace curtains and framed prints. A fresh coat of paint and new wallpaper would do each room a world of good, as would a thorough cleaning to clear the cobwebs in the bathroom and wipe the blinds. Those who like their privacy also might long for a television in their room. It’s what one could expect, however, when staying with long-lost relatives. And the Old Carriage Inn offers the benefits of an overnight with family, too. Breakfast Sunday morning was a bright, busy affair with a mouthwatering spread on the kitchen island. There was no need for formal dress – we wandered out when we heard the microwave beeping down the hall and smelled the bacon frying. While weekday breakfasts are an expanded continental meal with fresh-baked goodies and fruit, Sunday meant eggs, bacon, sausage, hash browns, muffins, toasts, fruit and doughnuts in heaping piles we helped ourselves to. Several times. The other guests around the farmhouse table were an interesting mix, full of warm conversation interspersed with gusts of laughter. A couple from Ohio shared their grandchildren’s plans to visit Dollywood and go whitewater rafting that weekend. A minister on sabbatical discussed how he might spend the evening, the 18th anniversary of his wife’s death. Brigitte chattered as she bustled about the kitchen, and a guest who seemed familiar with the hosts made coffee. All were happy to draw us into the conversation and make us feel at home. Shipshewana’s big draw, of course, is the flea market, open 7 a.m. to 5 p.m. Tuesdays and 7 a.m. to 3 p.m. Wednesdays May through October. Those coming in search of a steal will appreciate the Old Carriage Inn’s proximity. Everything in Shipshewana, however, is nearby. Saturday evening we drove a mile or so down to the Blue Gate Restaurant for dinner – as did all the other guests, we learned at breakfast. It’s the happening place in the evenings, when most everything else is closed. Several large dining rooms offer Amish fare off the menu or family-style. A long wait at the table allowed us time to enjoy the apple butter and Amish peanut butter, which tastes more like gooey peanut fudge. The Blue Gate is more than a restaurant. Patrons can attend a gospel music or Christian concert in its theater. A bakery tempts with cookies, candies and all manner of canned Amish treats. Downstairs, dog-lovers will delight in chairs, pillows, pictures, throws and more bearing canine mugs, while country Christmas cheer beckons shoppers at any time of year. Every visitor to Shipshewana should take a break from shopping, however, for a trip to the Menno-Hof Mennonite-Amish Interpretive Center. Allow a little more than an hour for an amazingly high-tech and hands-on presentation of Anabaptist history, tradition and culture. Have you always wondered why the Amish allow some modern conveniences and not others? Are you curious about the distinction between the Amish and Mennonites, who drive cars? It’s all spelled out clearly here with video, audio, even a full-sized re-creation of the belly of an immigration ship and a windy tornado room. Just remember to visit the Menno-Hof Museum and other Shipshewana attractions Monday through Saturday. Nearly everything in town is closed on Sundays for church. That’s where our hosts were when we packed up and headed out of the Old Carriage Inn. But there was no need for any kind of checkout formality; after all, when you’re family, you can come and go as you please. Old Carriage Inn 140 Farver Street Shipshewana, Indiana, 46565 1-800-435-0888 www.oldcarriageinn.com Rates range from $85 to $95 plus tax Stay Tuesday and Wednesday and get 25 percent off Wednesday. Stay Monday-Wednesday and get 50 percent off Wednesday. Stay Sunday-Tuesday and get 50 percent off Sunday. Menno-Hof Amish-Mennonite Interpretive Center 510 S. Van Buren St. Shipshewana, Indiana, 46565 1-260-768-4117 www.mennohof.org 10 a.m.-5 p.m. Monday-Saturday $5 adult, $2.50 children Blue Gate Restaurant 195 N. Van Buren St. Shipshewana, Indiana, 46565 1-260-768-4725 |
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