You may remember my mentioning that Mike and I were in Philadelphia over the 4th of July. We decided to drive there and, to make the journey more enjoyable, we chose to take our time (3 days out and 3 days back) and stay in Bed and Breakfasts along the way. Mike used to absolutely refuse to stay in B&B’s, but after a number of years of my politely requesting we try it, he gave in and it was such a good experience – we’ve stayed in many since. Prior to this trip I did some on-line research into B&Bs in the area we’d be traveling through, and things couldn’t have gone better.
In Somerset, PA we stayed at Quill Haven. I was truly excited when I first found them on line, only to realize it wasn’t Quilt Haven (the owner, Carol, has a thing for hedgehogs :-).
But in their lovely home Carol had quilts on the beds, made by her Mother. She and Rowland also had beautiful flower and vegetable gardens, chickens and … goats who liked oatmeal cookies (and their goat’s milk fudge was delicious).
We enjoyed the surroundings and conversation so much, we stopped for another night with them on the way back to Wisconsin also.
Further down the road on the return trip we stayed at the Big House in the Little Woods near Shipshewana, IN. Once again, the owners were warm and friendly and their home was charming. This was obviously in Amish country and Gail not only made a scrumptious breakfast (with Dave’s help), but she’s a quilter. There were once again quilts on all the beds,
as well as the walls
and windows. Gail said she adjusted a table runner pattern to make this valance. I apologize for the poor quality photo – the colors were really lovely)
A real highlight was when Dave asked if we’d like to go for a buggy ride. He called his neighbor, Ben, and within the hour we were touring the Amish countryside in a horse drawn buggy!
Riding with Ben and Missy (the horse) was a real treat.
Ben has a wonderful sense of humor (he has 11 children, all of them boys except for 9), a wild sense of color (he chose the interior for the buggy without any help from his wife),
and a real gift for conversation. Mike was in the back and did the photography (with permission from Ben).
Ben Borntreger holds two quilt/rug/craft auctions every year at his farm in Millersburg, IN. The auctions are held on the 2nd Saturday in April and the 3rd Saturday in September. The address is 4110S 1000W, Millersburg, IN 46543. You can call him for more information (they have a phone by the road and they check their messages often): (260)593-2640. I hope to get to one of his auctions in the near future. It would be a great opportunity to visit Ben, Dave and Gail once again!
cckoester says
My in-laws lived in South Bend Indiana, near Amish country. My mother-in-law was a quilter and we spent some lovely time in Shipshewana. They have a wonderful quilt store there.
Kay Kinderman says
The Amish north of Pardeville, that has a auction usually June but there is a lady on HHH that sells quilts out of her house and they are much cheaper than auction ones and just as good.
Jeanie says
That truly was a trip to remember. Staying at a bed & breakfast in Amish Country is something I would love to do. If ever you plan to go down there for an auction and have nobody to go with, I would love to be invited along.
Deanna says
The Amish adventure was a good reminder of our last summer’s vacation in the Amish area in Pa. I loved the Amish area with all the rolling hills and beautiful farms.
We did stay in one B&B.
Lori says
Thank you for sharing! It looks like a fun trip. My husband refuses to stay at a B&B and I don’t think my begging would change his mind!
mjyoung says
Shipshewana Indiana has a quilt show in June. I highly recommend. It is a small show but also includes a shop hop to several quilt shops. There is also a theatre where we saw the most delightful play, “Half Stitched”. We also went to an Amish farm and participated in a quilting bee with a group of Amish women – included a delicious Amish dinner. Also took a buggy ride to an Amish farm for dinner. Did I mention the food was delicious? I plan to go again!