Ten Common Objections to Taking a Guided Tour
"I already know plenty about the Amish."
"I can walk around Shipshewana on my own."
"I can walk around Shipshewana on my own."
If you got your information from the internet, most of it is probably either outdated, misleading, or flat out wrong! Books get outdated too, and most are about the Lancaster County Amish, not the northern Indiana Amish.
"I can walk around Shipshewana on my own."
"I can walk around Shipshewana on my own."
"I can walk around Shipshewana on my own."
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Very true. Our guided tours don't typically make stops there - you don't need a guide for that. But we have a list of the "best of the best" of the tourist district - yours as a part of our tour - so tour with us first if you can.
"Private guided tours are expensive."
"I can walk around Shipshewana on my own."
"Private guided tours are expensive."
Actually, using your car, your family or group can have 3 hours with a professional guide for just over $100. Three hours of a local expert's undivided time!
"It's not a buggy ride."
"I can read a book, and that's the same as a tour."
"Private guided tours are expensive."
Also true. A buggy ride is typically a few miles around the downtown area, and a lot of fun, but it's not the same as one of our tours. Why not do both? (By the way, those triple-door tour buggies aren't authentic Amish buggies.)
"There's nothing to see except cows and corn."
"I can read a book, and that's the same as a tour."
"I can read a book, and that's the same as a tour."
Actually, there's plenty to see, especially if you have a guide to explain what you're seeing - and we can show things you can't see on your own. Look elsewhere on this website for more on the options.
"I can read a book, and that's the same as a tour."
"I can read a book, and that's the same as a tour."
"I can read a book, and that's the same as a tour."
I've read books about the Apollo moon landings, but I doubt it's the same as being there. Reading a book is a great start (especially if it's one of my books!) - but it's not the same as experiencing another culture.
"Canned presentations are boring."
"How will the guide know what I'm interested in?"
"I don't think I'm the guided tour type."
We agree! That's why our tours are not done that way. A guided tour like ours is all about one of us answering your questions about the Amish and talking about what you're interested in.
"I don't think I'm the guided tour type."
"How will the guide know what I'm interested in?"
"I don't think I'm the guided tour type."
What if you really enjoy it, though? We've had more than one husband coerced into a tour by his wife, who ended up really enthusiastic by the end. We even have a "husband-friendly" tour option with no quilts or girly stuff.
"How will the guide know what I'm interested in?"
"How will the guide know what I'm interested in?"
"Isn't a guided tour the same as visiting the Menno Hof museum?"
Simple: we ask you - before the tour, and during the tour. That's also the reason we developed the themed tours.
"Isn't a guided tour the same as visiting the Menno Hof museum?"
"Isn't a guided tour the same as visiting the Menno Hof museum?"
"Isn't a guided tour the same as visiting the Menno Hof museum?"
No, not at all. Menno Hof is a history museum - all about the roots of the Amish in Europe and how they got here. A private tour is about the Amish as they live here and now, in 2025.