Day 1: Today we depart Kansas and drive across northern Missouri enroute to Hannibal.  This evening we board the Mark Twain Riverboat for a dinner cruise on the Mississippi River.  Night in Hannibal.

2: This morning we drive to Springfield, IL, where we visit the Abraham Lincoln Presidential Museum which is a tribute to the life of our 16th President.  In the afternoon we continue east to Indianapolis for the night.

3: Traveling north we arrive in Indiana Amish Country.  Our first visit is at Menno-Hof Mennonite-Amish Visitor Center which provides a good introduction to these distinctive religious communities.  In the late afternoon we visit Das Dutchman Essenhaus Campus.  Here we see our first quilt garden with flowers planted in shapes to resemble the blocks in a quilt.  Our dinner buffet this evening is at the Essenhaus.  Next two nights in Shipshewana.

4: Today a local guide joins us for a tour of Amish country.  Stops will be made at more quilt gardens.  Elkhart County is known for its many recreational vehicle and motor home factories.  Today we visit the RV/MH Hall of Fame Museum.  We also make stops at Lambright Country Chimes factory, Dutch Country Market and the Noodle Shop where we see noodle making and we have the opportunity to try our hand at making a pretzel.  Our evening meal is on an Amish farm where we experience the abundance of a traditional Amish wedding dinner.  After dinner Elaine and Seth explain what an Amish wedding day is like.

5: This morning we leave Amish country headed west into Illinois. By late morning we are near LaSalle.  Here we visit the Illinois and Michigan Canal.  Our experience takes us to the 1840s as we ride on a canal boat pulled by two mules from Lock 14 to the Vermillion Aquaduct.  Following our ride we enjoy a hearty Boat Captain’s lunch in the I & M Canal Visitor Center.  Later we continue west to Des Moines, IA, for the night.

6: We head back to Kansas with fond memories of our expereince in Indiana Amish Country.