Get Outside in Elkhart County Indiana!
Get outside! There is so much to see and do in Elkhart County Indiana from the museums to the food to, well, the great outdoors! On a hosted trip with Midwest Travel Network bloggers, we experienced a myriad of wonderful activities on bikes, in a mill, touring a brewery, and hiking through town! Let me share some of our fun times so that you might enjoy it as well!
Thanks go out to the Elkhart County CVB who were our hosts!
Get outside at Bonneyville Mill
Writing farm stories, the Bonneyville Mill was one of my favorite stops of the entire trip. The mill is the oldest continuously operating gristmill in Indiana. This operated as a business until 1967! The area opened as a park in 1974. There are seven miles of hiking trails and biking paths as well. While part of the tour was inside, we walked around the mill, then went inside. I don’t know if there is anything much prettier than a grist mill!
Built in 1830 by Edward Bonne in rural Bristol, Courtney Franke, is the Mill Manager. The mill he shared was built by Edward Bonne, who had grand plans for the grist mill. It has two turbine water wheels and two separate mill stones. Bonne came from New York planning to make his fortune, but he didn’t last long! Other operators came and went over the years. Priscilla Hile and Brandon Blackmer continued the tour for us showing us how this beautiful old mill operates! The mill is seasonal and open Mid-April to Mid-November. You can purchase flour in the mill gift shop!
Trek through Goshen
We took a trek through the fun town of Goshen, Indiana. I thought it was neat to see this water feature in downtown!
We first stopped to shop at the Soapy Gnome Handcrafted Soap shop, where Jenny Frech, owner/founder creates her wonderful, handcrafted soap and body care products! One of the wonderful things we learned about Jenny is that she works with many of her neighbors to create products from locally crafted projects like locally crafted beer, pressed apple cider and other items. This collaboration is a rare thing that shows a community spirit!
Jenny is a former teacher that started selling her product in the farmers market before selling it in shops. Lavender spearmint is the item that is the favorite sold in her shop she said!
Get outside and trek through town. After our walk with my friend Sara Broers of Travel with Sara we headed for refreshment. We found cool Italian sodas at the Electric Brew!
Urban Bicycling
I often ride in Pawnee with my husband Keith, but I have not ridden often on a trail. This was a fun chance to try that and get outside in nature. Terry Mark, of the Elkhart CVB, led us on a ride on the Millrace Canal Trail. Our bikes were provided by Lincoln Avenue Cycling.
Phil Mason, president of the Friends of the Pumpkin Vine Nature Trail joined us and shared information about the trail. Along the way we saw our own signs of nature!
Goshen Brewing Company
After a long bike ride, it’s time to recharge. We visited the fun solar and wind powered family friendly brew pub, Goshen Brewing Company which is in a reclaimed electric utility building. Owned by Jesse and Amanda Sensenig, we got a tour of this wonderful brewery/diner where they have created a gathering place and entertainment venue.
While there we got a chance to even meet the Mayor of Goshen, Jeremy Stutsman, and his lovely wife who is also taking up blogging!
We also dined at the brewery, and they had wonderful food and appetizers!
There is also the beautiful River Walk in downtown Elkhart and all the wonderful things to do with the local Amish community. Elkhart County Indiana is inclusive with a wide variety of things to see and do. If you want to have mild outdoor adventures like the type I crave, this was perfect for me. There are other opportunities for more expansive outdoor fun as well. This is the heart of the RV capital of the world after all!
