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🗺️ Farm Day Trips guide
Things to Do Near the Lavender Farms of LaGrange & Shipshewana, Indiana
Blend your own lavender bath salts at a LaGrange apothecary open Tuesday to Saturday, then walk 4 miles of boardwalk trails at Pine Knob Park.
7 places · updated October 17, 2026
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Updated October 17
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Stutzman Dairy Farm · Dutch Creek Farm Animal Park · Blue Barn Berry Farm
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LaGrange County is Amish farm country in Indiana's northern tier, a few miles below the Michigan line, with the county seat of LaGrange in the middle and Shipshewana about 10 miles west. Buggies share the back roads, and the county is dotted with glacial lakes, fens and marshes. Small county parks with boardwalks and lake piers are rarely more than 15 minutes apart, and Shipshewana adds dairy and bison farms, cheese counters and ice cream.
Bloomfield Schoolhouse Lavender grows more than 7,400 plants of nine varieties, including Hidcote, Folgate, Grosso and Phenomenal, in three fields around a 1904 schoolhouse the family is restoring. You don't visit the fields themselves. Instead, the farm's apothecary on West Spring Street in downtown LaGrange sells its soaps, lotions, teas and syrups, and has a blending bar for bath salts. Pair it with a lake trail and an afternoon in Shipshewana. Summer brings berries and swimming, and fall brings apples, pumpkins and corn mazes.
The lavender farms
- Bloomfield Schoolhouse Lavender Farm & ApothecaryLavender farm · LaGrange
Shop visits at the downtown LaGrange apothecary, Tuesday–Saturday 10 AM–5 PM (2026); the website lists no public visiting hours at the schoolhouse fields.
Best time to visit
The apothecary in LaGrange is open year-round, Tuesday through Saturday, so you can shop for lavender goods in any month, even though the farm does not publish bloom dates. From May 1 to Labor Day, LaGrange County parks stay open until 9 p.m. and the swimming pier at Dallas Lake is in use. Chain O'Lakes State Park opens its beach and nature center from the Saturday before Memorial Day through Labor Day. Blue Barn Berry Farm near Syracuse picks blueberries from mid-July to about September 1 and blackberries from late July to late September. Kercher's Sunrise Orchards near Goshen and Orchard Hill Farms near Kendallville sell fall apples, and pumpkin farms such as Roberts Farms and Trowbridge Farms open their mazes in fall. The Mid-America Windmill Museum is open April through November, and spring waterfowl migration is the best time for Pigeon River.
Places to see nearby parks, trails, beaches and landmarks
- Maple Wood Nature Center🌲 Preserve · LaGrange · about 5 mi, 10 min drive
A county nature center with nearly 2 miles of woodland trails, including a 1-mile Mindfulness Trail with eight activity stops. The interpretive center opens by appointment.
Trails 8 a.m.–9 p.m. May 1–Labor Day, 8 a.m.–sunset the rest of the year
free
- Pine Knob Park🏞️ Park · Howe · about 7 mi, 12 min drive
A 254-acre county park with about 4 miles of accessible boardwalk and crushed-limestone trails, including the Mike Metz Fen Trail, and fishing piers on Meteer and Duff lakes.
8 a.m.–9 p.m. May 1–Labor Day; 8 a.m.–sunset otherwise
free; $5 for the 3-D archery trail
- Pigeon River Fish & Wildlife Area🌲 Preserve · Mongo · about 9 mi, 15 min drive
About 11,800 acres of marsh, woods and lakes along 17 miles of free-flowing river, on the Indiana Birding Trail. Bald eagles, osprey and trumpeter swans are often seen from the L2 lot overlook, and the river is popular for canoeing.
Open year-round; office weekdays 8 a.m.–3 p.m.
free
- Delt Church Park🏞️ Park · Wolcottville · about 7 mi, 12 min drive
A 110-acre county park with 2 miles of hiking and biking trails, an 18-hole disc golf course and an accessible tower playground, good for a stop with kids.
8 a.m.–9 p.m. May 1–Labor Day; 8 a.m.–sunset otherwise
free
- Dallas Lake Park🏖️ Beach · Wolcottville · about 8 mi, 15 min drive
A 140-acre park with a sandy beach and swimming pier, a 1.75-mile walking trail and a wetland observation deck. No lifeguard is on duty.
8 a.m.–9 p.m. May 1–Labor Day
Beach $1 per person per day or $40 season pass
- Pumpkinvine Nature Trail🥾 Trail · Shipshewana · about 10 mi, 18 min drive
A 17-mile rail trail, completed in 2024, that links Shipshewana, Middlebury and Goshen through Amish farmland. Start at the Shipshewana trailhead for an easy out-and-back walk or ride.
- Shipshewana Lake Park🏞️ Park · Shipshewana · about 11 mi, 18 min drive
A small lakeside county park with a playground, picnic pavilion and grills, about three-quarters of a mile from the Pumpkinvine Trail.
8 a.m.–9 p.m. May 1–Labor Day; 8 a.m.–sunset otherwise
free
- Gene Stratton-Porter State Historic Site🏛️ Historic site · Rome City · about 11 mi, 20 min drive
The author and naturalist's Wildflower Woods cabin, finished in 1914 on Sylvan Lake, with her library and furnishings, formal gardens and more than 3 miles of trails on 148 acres. Indoor tours run at set times.
- Mid-America Windmill Museum🏛️ Museum · Kendallville · about 17 mi, 30 min drive
Fifty-two working and historic windmills spread over open grounds south of Kendallville.
April–November; Tuesday–Saturday 10 a.m.–4 p.m., Sunday 1–4 p.m.
- Chain O'Lakes State Park🌳 State park · Albion · about 21 mi, 35 min drive
Nine connected kettle lakes you can paddle in a rented canoe or kayak, 29 miles of wooded trails and the one-room Stanley Schoolhouse. Motors are electric only.
Beach and nature center open Saturday before Memorial Day through Labor Day
$7 per vehicle with Indiana plates, $15 out-of-state
Where to stop: farms, food and stays
- Stutzman Dairy FarmU-pick farm · Shipshewana
A sixth-generation family dairy a few minutes from downtown Shipshewana with daily milking tours.
- Cook's Bison RanchFamily fun farm · Wolcottville
Ride a wagon out among the herd and help feed the bison, near the Dallas Lake and Delt Church parks.
- Blue Gate Restaurant & BakeryRestaurant · Shipshewana
A big Shipshewana dining room for Amish-style comfort food, with an all-you-can-eat buffet for lunch.
- Yoder's Meat & CheeseGeneral store · Shipshewana
A Shipshewana meat and cheese counter for picnic supplies before a walk on the Pumpkinvine.
- The Vanilla Bean CreameryIce cream or creamery · Shipshewana
Order a tasting flight of ice cream flavors to end the afternoon in Shipshewana.
- Dutch Creek Farm Animal ParkFamily fun farm · Shipshewana
Families can meet domestic and exotic animals at this farm in Amish country.
- Blue Barn Berry FarmBlueberry farm · Syracuse
Pick blueberries from mid-July to about September 1 and blackberries into late September, with a gift shop and picnic area.
A one-day plan
- 10:00 AMBloomfield Schoolhouse Lavender Farm & Apothecary
Shop the farm's lavender goods and blend a jar of bath salts. The fields are not open for visits, and the shop is closed Sunday and Monday. About 45 minutes.
- 11:00 AMPine Knob Park · about 12 min drive
Walk the boardwalk and fen trail and look out from the lake piers. About an hour.
- 12:20 PMBlue Gate Restaurant · about 20 min drive
Lunch in Shipshewana, Amish-style. About an hour.
- 1:30 PMYoder's Meat & Cheese · about 5 min drive
Pick up cheese and snacks for later. About 20 minutes.
- 2:00 PMPumpkinvine Nature Trail · about 5 min drive
Walk or bike out from the Shipshewana trailhead past farm fields and back. About an hour.
- 3:15 PMStutzman Dairy Farm · about 5 min drive
Join a milking tour at the family dairy. About an hour; check tour times when you arrive in town.
- 4:30 PMVanilla Bean Creamery · about 5 min drive
Finish with an ice cream tasting flight. About 30 minutes.
Tips
- Watch for horse-drawn buggies on county roads, especially over hills and at dusk, and pass slowly with plenty of room.
- The Bloomfield apothecary keeps Tuesday to Saturday hours, so plan a lavender stop on one of those days.
- LaGrange County parks stay open to 9 p.m. from May 1 to Labor Day but close at sunset the rest of the year.
- Dallas Lake's swimming pier has no lifeguard; the beach costs $1 per person per day.
- Pigeon River has no marked trails and is an active hunting area in fall, so stick to access lanes and wear bright colors in season.
Checked in October 2026 against official park, tourism and business websites. How we check listings
Questions
Can I walk the lavender fields at Bloomfield Schoolhouse?
The farm does not list field visits. Its lavender products are sold at the Bloomfield Apothecary, 107 W. Spring St. in downtown LaGrange, open Tuesday to Saturday from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m.
What lavender varieties does Bloomfield grow?
Nine: Royal Velvet, Vera, Hidcote, Folgate, Blue Ellagance, Edelweiss, Sensational, Grosso and Phenomenal, across three fields.
Where can I swim near LaGrange?
Dallas Lake Park near Wolcottville has a sandy beach and swimming pier (no lifeguard), and Chain O'Lakes State Park near Albion has a beach open from the Saturday before Memorial Day through Labor Day.
How long is the Pumpkinvine Nature Trail?
Seventeen miles, connecting Shipshewana, Middlebury and Goshen. It was completed in 2024.
Where can I see bald eagles near Shipshewana?
Pigeon River Fish & Wildlife Area near Mongo, where the L2 parking lot overlooks a waterfowl resting area. Spring migration is the best time.
🪪 Collect a stamp at every stop
The free Lavender Passport keeps a stamp for each farm and stop you visit, in real life and in the Lavender Farm Simulator. At the farm, play Field Quest to collect plant varieties as you walk, climb the leaderboards and unlock sponsor rewards.
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