Searching Amish Country And For Raggedy Ann Is Fascinating Here

 

Searching Amish Country and Raggedy Ann is Fascinating here. If you don’t venture into these Illinois communities you’re missing the boat. Thousands of people drive past here everyday without giving it much thought. After all, this is so much more than farmland and small towns. So, go ahead and exit off the interstate to gain lifelong memories.

 

Arcola: Historic Small Town And Raggedy Ann

Arcola, Illinois is a good place to stop when you’re traveling in the central part of the state. Specifically, Arcola is on Interstate 57 and only two hours from Chicago, Indianapolis, and St Louis.

 

Not only does it have a historic downtown, but also the original brick street with fun shops and places to eat. With this in mind, you’ll find some neat buildings with enjoyable shops as you walk through town.

 

We saw some charming shops that included a nice mix of boutiques, art, Amish baked goods and furniture. And, of course, antiques, fudge, food and cheese. We even found a few bargains in a large Mennonite thrift store.

 

Murals And Broomcorn

If you like murals, chances are, you’ll like Arcola. In 2012 Arcola received a special makeover. A group of over 130 artists from around the world and the United States came to paint fifteen murals.

 

Specifically, Walldogs made up most of this group. They belong to an organization of mostly painters and artists for the purpose of transforming a town with murals.

 

Tell us about any towns you’ve seen where Walldogs might have been!

 

To point out, we saw a special broomcorn mural painted here. In addition to the mural, you can see the broomcorn festival. In fact, the Broomcorn Festival has the largest parade in central Illinois. After all, Arcola is the broomcorn capital of the world! Honestly, we didn’t know what broomcorn was when we came through town. So, just like most everyone else, we searched the internet to find out.

 

Furthermore, this probably is the best description for broomcorn.

 

Raggedy Ann And Andy

 

What comes to mind when you hear Raggedy Ann and Andy? For us, it’s the red hair on these rag dolls. Their iconic red hair and cute expressions are what we’ll always remember. In contrast, our son didn’t have a clue and asked who that was.

 

To explain more, Arcola, Illinois is the birthplace of Johnny Gruelle. He created the Raggedy Ann and Andy cartoons and books for children in the early 1900’s. But, the books didn’t become wildly popular until he created the folksy rag dolls cast after the main characters.

 

Do you remember Raggedy Ann and Andy? If so, we’d love to hear!

 

Experience Amish Country In Arthur

 

Nearby Arcola, about ten miles west of Interstate 57 in Arthur, is where you’ll find the core of Illinois’ Amish country. When you arrive in town you’ll see more than thirty hitch racks for tying horses at stores and shops. Searching Amish Country and Raggedy Ann is definitely fascinating here.

 

Shopping in downtown Arthur you’ll find nice mom and pop gift shops, boutiques, clothing stores, and craft shops along with restaurants and coffee shops.

 

Also, as you would expect, Amish furniture, Quilts, cheese and baked goods are here for you explore. And, of course, Amish restaurants too! How does eating in Amish homes sound? You also can do that with a tour.

 

Living A Day With Amish Families

Have you ever thought about having a meal at an Amish house? What do you think it would look like? You can do it here! Arthur has several Amish families that will serve an authentic homemade meal to guests for a little over twenty dollars.

 

For example, fried chicken is served along with another meat like meatballs, ham loaf, beef and noodles, pork chops, meatloaf, and beef with cabbage. Although these are just a few examples, you never know what your Amish hosts will serve.

 

Side dishes of vegetables are normally grown in their own gardens. The Amish families have big gardens so they use canning to preserve their harvest all year.

 

Along with noodles and rolls, mashed potatoes with gravy are always served. However, this is a hearty meal and you won’t have a reason to walk away hungry. With this in mind, save room for pie. When most people think of an Amish pie it’s usually Shoo Fly. Equally important though is butterscotch cream, buttermilk, peanut butter cream, and various other fruit pies.

 

Another fun Amish experience is to take a horse and buggy ride. You will meet at an Amish goat farm where the owner will take you on a horse and buggy ride for only seven dollars. Then, he will take you on a tour of his goat farm. He makes goat’s milk, soap, lotion and cheese. Would’t this be fun!

 

Attend an auction where Amish buy and sell. Tri-County Auctions is on Vernon Yoder’s Farm. Here, where everyone sits together, you’ll be able to have a one of a kind experience.

 

Did you know the Amish are originally from Switzerland? Read all about America’s Little Switzerland and a bakery to die for here.

 

Shop Like The Amish Do

We like going to bulk food stores. Sometimes we buy spices because it’s usually a better bargain than grocery stores. For the most part, they have better selections of Christmas cookie decorations and we have fun shopping for them.

 

In Arthur, there are two we like going to, although there might be more we haven’t been to yet.

 

First is Beachy’s Bulk Foods. Beachy’s is also where Amish families buy their groceries and supplies. This store is much larger than typical bulk food stores.

As you enter the doors, go left for their newest addition for big bags of flour, sugar and other dry goods. On the right, bakery items, bulk foods, spices, things for the house and toys are here. The cooler section with a large selection of deli meats, cheese, butter, frozen fruit and vegetables is in the middle.

We enjoy going here and think it’s a good stop to see how Amish families shop. Additionally, they have a long hitch rack so this is a good place to see many buggies come and go.

 

Secondly, We enjoy going to the Shady Crest Farm Market because they have a nice deli section. We liked to stop here when we traveled from Tennessee back home to Wisconsin since we could get fresh bread, sliced meats and cheese for sandwiches. This is also a fantastic stop for traveling snacks.

 

Even though it has mostly packaged items, they also have a nice selection of fresh produce. Simply, it’s a fun store with bright lights and colorful goodies.

 

Have you been to bulk food stores? If so, where did you go?

 

Final Thoughts

 

We are firm believers in driving backroads and two lane highways as much as possible. Sure, we’ll take the interstate as far as needed, but more meaningful experiences happen when you get off. We encourage everyone to drive through small towns for a closer look. Besides, you never know what you’ll come across!

 

These are perfect small towns to see if you just want to drive through too. Sometimes, we’ll just drive through and watch all of the Amish school children on their way home. Of course, we’ll always enjoy driving down main street.

 

These are only a few reasons searching Amish Country and Raggedy Ann is fascinating here.

Have you been looking for somewhere different to create lifelong memories? Here is an excellent choice!

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Tom and Kristi