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Our Visit to the RV/MH Hall of Fame and Shipshewana, Indiana

RV/MH Hall of Fame in Elkhart, Indiana

Elkhart, Indiana, is not only home to many RV manufacturers, but it is also home to the RV/MH Hall of Fame and Museum. We took a morning to visit this interesting complex, which also has a vast library of RV books and periodicals. If you are researching anything RV-related, this is the place to go.

The walls of the Hall of Fame are lined with photographs of inductees who made a significant contribution to the RV and campground industry.

Inside the museum, there are some interesting RVs.

Inside the RV/MH Museum

This is a 1913 “Earl” Travel Trailer & Model “T” Ford. This is the oldest trailer in the world.

This 1916 Telescoping Apartment sold for $100. It sat on the back of a 1915 Model “T” Ford

This 1931 Mae West Housecar was built for the actress when she made movies at Paramount Studios. Her chauffeur drove it, and she was known to sit on the back porch in her rocking chair enjoying the breeze.

  • Charles Lindbergh’s custom 1939 trailer
  • One Huge Eagles Fan!
  • More of the exhibit

Hours

Summer Hours (April 1 to October 31)
Monday – Saturday 9am to 5pm EDT
Sunday 10am – 3pm EDT

Winter Hours (November 1 to March 31)
Monday – Saturday 10am to 4pm EDT
Sunday — Closed

Closed on Thanksgiving, Christmas, and New Years Day.

Admission

Adults – $12
Children (6-16) – $9
Children (5 and under) – Free
Seniors (60 and over) – $10
Group Rate (14 or more) – $8
Family Special* – $30

Shipshewana, Indiana

After picking up Beauty from the Grand Design Service Center (see last week’s post about our upgrades at MORryde and Grand Design here), we headed to Shipshewana, Indiana. A short drive from Elkhart, Shipshewana is in the heart of Indiana’s Amish Country, and a quaint little town.

We stayed at Shipshewana Campground South Park, at the south end of town. This campground is in the quieter part of town, unlike her sister campground to the north, which is next to the Shipshewana Flea Market. We had a lovely view of the horses who came to visit us every evening.

Beauty & The Beast looking right at home in the country.

These beautiful Clydesdales were our neighbors.

Of course, since we were there and the flea market was open, we had to visit the Shipshewana Flea Market. We also highly recommend the many shops and markets in the area for fresh meat, produce, crafts, and home decor. Obviously, we had to pick up some goodies.

If you’re a Quilter . . .

If you are a quilter, visit Shipshewana in the summer. Shipshewana and the surrounding area have created the 2021 Quilt Gardens & Murals tour along the Heritage Trail. There are multiple gardens, murals, and sites depicting different quilt squares. Here’s the link from Tripadvisor that tells all about it. We happened to find a couple of them during our visit.

  • Das Dutchman Essenhaus Double Wedding Ring
  • Dutch Country Market Dutch Mill Block
Scenes from the 2021 Quilt Gardens & Murals Tour

Biking the Pumpkinvine Trail

We enjoyed riding our bikes on the Pumpkinvine Trail in the evenings. The trail is paved and winds its way through the countryside.

We came upon this plaque one evening, and we learned where the name Shipshewana came from. This discovery was sobering, to say the least.

We loved our time in Indiana, and especially Shipshewana. We would definitely visit the area again.

5 comments

  1. I have visited this charming area. Were you able to access the trail with your bikes from your campground? And do you know if it can be accessed from the North campground? Thanks for your post. It made me want to visit the area again!

    Reply

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