4 Best Amish Farm Tours With Kids in Shipshewana, Indiana

If you love animals and want to go on Amish Farm Tours, the Shipshewana, Indiana area is a great place to visit. I got to experience a bison ranch, an exotic animal farm, and a dairy farm. Here are the animal experiences and Amish Farm Tours you can experience during your visit to Lagrange County and Shipshewana, Indiana.  

This post is part of our Animal Adventure Series. Here’s a few more post suggestions:

• A Day Out at the Alabama Gulf Coast Zoo
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What is an Amish Farm?

An Amish Farm is a piece of land operated by an Amish family. Some farms are open to the public, so tourists can see and interact with animals that produce food or be open to the public as a mini-zoo. These are usually small businesses, run by the family who owns them.

Of the Amish Farm Tours below, three are Amish-owned. Cook’s Bison is owned by an English family (what Amish people call outsiders). However, Cook’s Bison Ranch is located in a county (Lagrange) where tourists flock because of the Amish.

Cook’s Bison Ranch: Feed Bison from a Wagon In Lagrange Co, IN

Address: 5645 E 600 S, Wolcottville, IN 46795

At Cook’s Bison Ranch in Wolcottville, Indiana, you can ride a tractor-driven wagon into the prairie. You are provided a straw bag of feed. Then you can feed the bison as they come up to the wagon. 

You won’t be able to go out of the wagon. However, you are more than welcome to stand up and feed the bison that come up on the side. The dominant bison are aggressive to other bison, pushing them away to get more food. You can still toss the food to the other bison in the back. Bison have an incredible sense of smell and they can smell whatever you toss over. 

Don’t miss the chance to feel what a bison’s tongue is like when you feed them. It’s rough and different, but it is an experience worth doing. My crazy friend even put a piece of food in her mouth to “kiss” a bison, and managed to do it successfully! You can do it too if you’re brave enough! 

Bison Meat and Toys at the Cook’s Bison Ranch Store

If you like bison meat, you can buy some from the attached store after your wagon experience. Not a fan of bison meat but want something else aside from pictures? The store should have anything bison-related for you! From t-shirts, plush toys, and magnets, the store has you covered. If you’re coming with a big group, the Bison Ranch puts out a spread where you can eat bison burgers and bison stew for lunch! 

Dutch Creek Farm Animal Park: an Exotic Animal Amish Farm Tour

Address: 6255 N 1000 W, Shipshewana, IN 46565

Did you know that there’s an exotic animal farm in the Shipshewana, Indiana area? For an entry fee of $13, you can enter Dutch Creek Farm Animal Park and do the walk-up experience. This experience gives you access to walk through some of the caged animals. In some cages, you can go inside and touch and pick up the animals, while some are not open to the public. You can even pick up a bag of feed and feed the animals. My favorites are the pigs, bunnies, and ducklings. They’re so cute and cuddly, but remember: handle them gently and with care! 

While you’re in the animal park, I would recommend the wagon experience. You ride a horse-drawn wagon to feed the animals on the farm. It costs $16 per person (very reasonable!), with discounted rates for children. 

What to Expect on The Wagon Ride at Dutch Creek Farm Animal Park 

When you first sit on the wagon, you will also get a huge bowl of feed. When the gates to the farm are opened, hold onto that food bowl. Some of the animals tend to get greedy and may try to grab the bowl of food from you. These animals know that they are getting fed when they see the wagon. It’s not uncommon to see a few of them walking beside the wagon. 

You’ll see zebras, emus, ostriches, deer, donkeys, horses, water buffalo, and even some unusual mixed breeds. Ever seen a zebra-horse mix? They have one on the farm.

It’s hard to take photos and feed the animals at the same time. I suggest having a family member (or a friend) take all the photos and videos while the other feeds the animals. 

One can easily spend a day at Dutch Creek Farm. There’s also a carousel, drawn by miniature horses, and other fun things you can do. You can bring in food for lunch or snacks: there are picnic tables you can use. There is a porta potty (outhouses) onsite (but no restroom). It looks like the animals are cared for, fed, and generally happy in their environment. 

Stutzman’s Dairy Farm: An Amish Dairy Farm Tour in Shipshewana

Address: 1360 N 850 W, Shipshewana, IN 46565

Ever wonder how milk is made? Want to visit an actual dairy farm to see cows milked and see their babies? Head on over to Stutzman’s Dairy Farm, a working dairy farm located within a mile of the Downtown Shipshewana area. For $10 a person, you can join a farm tour and see where your favorite chocolate or salted caramel milk comes from. You can even buy it from the store after your tour. The taste is different. The cream at the top of the milk is not taken out, so you’ll taste that creaminess when drinking this type of milk. 

The highlight of the tour is seeing the baby cows at the end. They love to be petted and I wish we spent more time with the baby cows. The tour is pretty thorough when it comes to the milk-making process, and spoiler alert: there’s no such thing as cows that produce chocolate milk. The flavored milk is usually mixed in different vats with actual cow’s milk to create the flavored milk you like! 

Ride a Buggy with Buggy Lane Tours from Downtown Shipshewana

Address: 140 Harrison St, Shipshewana, IN 46565

If you want a quick tour of downtown and want to ride a horse-drawn buggy the Amish way, you can do it in Shipshewana! Buggy Lane Tours is located in front of the Blue Gate Restaurant, you can ride the horse and buggy for $15 per adult and $13 for children. 

The ride is quick and takes you around the Davis Mercantile and Downtown area. This is a legitimate buggy ride, something you won’t get anywhere else, and is very Amish! 

Amish Farm Tours in Shipshewana, Indiana 

There are plenty of animal experiences you can do in the Shipshewana, Indiana area. However, these tours need to be arranged in advance. These establishments are only open on certain dates and hours, and since a majority of them are Amish-owned, may not have direct phone or internet presence. These businesses tend to close without notice if there are family events, and it’s just the Amish way! 

A special thank you to Visit Shipshewana (Lagrange County) for hosting me on this trip. You can visit their visitor center at 350 South Van Buren St in Downtown Shipshewana to get more information on these sights as well as pick up free USB or CD driving guides and walking guides of the city.