Essenhaus Inn & Conf. Center

A Hotel Built Inside an Amish Country Village

The Essenhaus Inn is not a standalone hotel so much as the lodging wing of Das Dutchman Essenhaus, a restaurant-and-bakery complex in Middlebury that has drawn Elkhart County visitors for decades. Guests wake up steps from a working bakery and a cluster of village shops, in the middle of Indiana's Amish country rather than on a highway exit built to serve it. The whole property, alcohol-, smoke- and pet-free, is built around what its own team calls "warm rural charm," and the description undersells it only slightly once the bakery smell reaches the parking lot.

Why It Works

We picked the Essenhaus for the Dawdy Haus, a six-room house named for the small dwelling an Amish family traditionally builds for its grandparents — bookable by the room or taken over whole by a family reunion. That single detail says more about the property's identity than any amenity list, and it sits alongside Deluxe Suites with Jacuzzi tubs and fireplaces, an indoor pool, and direct trail access, in a complex built for a slower, multi-generational kind of trip rather than a single overnight stop.

Why This Location

Middlebury sits in the heart of Elkhart County's Amish country, on U.S. Highway 20, with the Pumpkinvine Nature Trail reachable directly from the property for a bike ride through farmland rather than a drive to one. The inn is close enough to Shipshewana and Goshen for day trips to their own shops and markets, without requiring a stay anywhere but here, and South Bend's airport is under an hour away for guests flying in.

Fast Facts

• Price: Mid-range

• Vibe: Rural, wholesome, multi-generational

• Rooms: 94 rooms across Standard, Balcony, Deluxe Suite and Dawdy Haus categories

• Best For: Families, multi-generational groups, couples touring Amish country

• Our Favorite Thing About the Hotel: The Dawdy Haus, a six-room house booked whole or by the room

• Dining: Das Dutchman Essenhaus restaurant and bakery on site; complimentary hot breakfast

• Amenities: Indoor pool, hot tub, fitness centre, games room, direct access to the Pumpkinvine Nature Trail

• Attractions: Das Dutchman Essenhaus village shops, Pumpkinvine Nature Trail, Shipshewana and Goshen

The Dawdy Haus and the Rest of the Rooms

Standard rooms keep to a dining table, desk and separate dressing area; Balcony rooms add a private outdoor patio; and the Deluxe Suites go further still, with a kitchenette, a sleeper sofa, an electric fireplace and a Jacuzzi tub. The Dawdy Haus stands apart from all of them: a self-contained six-room house with shared common areas and its own kitchenette, built for a family that wants to be together without sharing a single room, and rare enough as a concept that it is worth booking around rather than settling for a standard suite instead.

The Bakery, the Trail, and the Rest of the Village

A complimentary hot breakfast and lobby coffee and cookies set the tone each morning, and the indoor pool and hot tub cover a rainy Indiana afternoon. The property's real advantage, though, is what surrounds it: a working bakery, shops selling Amish-made goods, and the Pumpkinvine Nature Trail leading straight out from the grounds, bike rentals included, for the kind of afternoon that never requires moving the car.

Before You Book

Check-in is at 3 p.m. and check-out at 11 a.m.; the property is alcohol-, smoke- and pet-free, and guests must be at least 21 to book a room. Families travelling with grandparents or a larger group should ask about the Dawdy Haus directly, since it books out first during the county's busy autumn tourism season, well ahead of the standard rooms and suites.