5 Friendliest Amish Communities (and 2 NOT-so-Friendly...)

Which are the most friendly Amish communities to visit? I give you my list of 5 - and tell you why. I also share one well-known community that DIDN'T make the list...plus, 2 not-so-friendly Amish communities :(

Image credits: Richard McMillin, S.I., Jim Halverson

[SrGemmaRose]

I am a Catholic nun in full habit in St Louis, MO The other day I was in Smoothie King. At the front of the line was a young Amish couple, behind them an observant Jew with the tassles and side curls/ yarmulke and behind him me in my nun clothes. I couldn’t help but wonder the odds of all of us being in that store at the same time. No other customers.

[FLORIDAHOODVLOGS]

Pinecraft is empty in the summer. Its always neat to see then on the beach fully clothed 😊

[justme]

At the beginning of the pandemic, when things were shut down, we stayed with an Amish family in the Lancaster area as no VRBO or AIRBNB were allowed to take reservations. We were very spoiled with fresh baked bread, homemade peanut butter and fresh milk.

[lauramichael]

Before I was born, my parents and grandmother went to Lancaster for a trip. There was an Amish run buggy rides for tourists. My grandmother opted to drive the buggy and proceeded to totally bond with Amish there as she was born in 1901 and raised with horses and carriages. She asked questions about the horses and their care. They asked how she learned to drive so fast!

[richardthurow]

I actually talked to an Amish man on the phone today my Mom was drivig him and she had me on speaker-phone, he heard me talking about this post and he said the Amish in his community Dalton, WI area say that Pinecraft, FL is for Newlyweds ad half-deads. Turns out Amish have a sense of humor.

[firegirlfromga]

My dad used to sell Nature’s brand natural fertilizer to Mennonites in south GA and they wouldn’t pay for it and he would have to go to the church bishop to get paid…the bishop always paid their bills! Near where my grandmother lives in Waynesboro Georgia is a great Mennonite bakery and my grandmother is 95 years old and a Methodist and the Mennonite’s come caroling to her house each Christmas! It means a lot to her! She always has refreshments set out for their expected visit!

[ellenw]

Respectfully, as someone who has gone to Lancaster annually when I was growing up, and a good few times as an adult, I have found the Amish to be Absolutely wonderful people & extremely friendly. The key is very simple. Don't treat them like they are a tourist attraction. Don't point a camera in their face. And don't act like they are pilgrims or people from another time.
That is what they are closed to. Simply talk to them as you would another person. As out here in the English, usually those we treat with kindness and respect get the same back.

I'll never forget Miss Fanny, an elderly Old Order Amish woman. We ended up in her kitchen and at 1st it appeared like she wanted nothing to do with us. But I asked her about her garden and a stunning Clematis I had never seen before. She became a whole new person and we had the most wonderful gardening conversation, which lead to a long, very lovely & friendly chat!

[charlene]

Shipshewana completely changed my view of the Amish. I didn't know much about them except for generalized, sometimes false, things. They were so welcoming and kind towards me and answered all my questions, and even let me drive a horse and buggy! I thought they wouldn't want to associate with me because I have alot of tattoos, but the Amish I spoke with treated me better than some "English" strangers lol

[rmalleryjr]

This may end up being long. I was raised in PA and now live in NC. Our family has a hunting lodge on the half the farm my Dad was raised on. An Amish family own the other half and the homestead and all other original buildings. Recently, a murder suspect escaped from the Warren jail. He was headed in the direction of our hunting lodge. There are a large number of Amish in that area. I was extremely worried about the Amish since they had no way to know of the escape. I am very proud of the PA State Police since they went door to door informing the Amish of the possible danger of the prisoner. The escapee was caught with no injuries to anyone about 5 miles from our hunting lodge. I love the Amish and very happy they were not harmed. I am really enjoying your video’s. The Amish are great people. Take care and God Bless you.
Rod
Eastern NC

[nancyl]

There is an Amish community (recommended) in Homer, Michigan (SW Michigan), where I did most of my grocery shopping from a small farm store. These people were a bit stand-offish at first, but as I kept returning, they became friendly and very kind. They also have a simply wonderful general store full of excellent cooking supplies, boots, oil lamps, and many other items, and their bakery, located in their grocery store, is to die for. Lovely people in my opinion. I just subscribed and was so happy to see this.

[annak]

My family and I used to visit Shipshewana, Indiana a lot with my family. Most of them seemed friendly. We've since moved to Southern AZ and we see a lot of Mennonites around here. I enjoy being amongst the Amish and Mennonites. I feel a calmness and just watching them mill around and be wholesome and busy, makes me stop and take a look at my life and know that I should try to do more.

[doreengreathead]

I am of Swiss German descent growing up in South Africa. My grandparents lived very an Amish way of life here. A non mechanized farm. My grandfather only addressed us in German at the dinner table at night. No electricity. We went to bed at 8 pm. Up at 4.30 am to milk cows.

[janedoe]

I wouldn’t know what Amish Communities to add to your list... Because, the only Amish Community l’ve ever been to is Lancaster, PA numerous times in fact. I don’t know generally speaking, l find the overwhelming majority of people are friendly regardless if they’re Amish or not. As long as you approach them with respect and kindness. I’m genuinely enjoying your videos, thank you for posting them. 👍🏼👏🏼👏🏼👏🏼

[renafielding]

This is a sweet channel for me to happen into this morning. I moved here to southwest Virginia about thirty years ago from Lancaster and Berks counties. My children grew up there. I kept my account at the Blue Ball Bank for a few years after I moved down here.

[sandybeach]

I grew up near Hicksville, Ohio. We owned several acres with woods on it. One summer my dad built a cabin in the woods and also wanted to make some trails out there, so he hired the Amish from Hicksville to cut down trees and to use their Belgian horses to pull logs out of the woods. For pay they did a trade....for pulling the logs out the Amish got to have the logs to use for their furniture business. We have pictures from that day. They were very friendly people and very hard workers. I remember as a kid going to the store in Hicksville and seeing the hitching posts for the Amish horses right next to car parking spots. As a kid it was cool to see and to see the horse and buggies on the roads all the time.

[lovetruthunderstanding]

I lived in Lancaster County for 17 yrs and even with all the tourism they still managed to be... if not THE friendliest, one of the friendliest communities I’ve ever known! I have so much respect for them.

[uhvoid]

No way, you're the guy selling bible story books? I grew up amish in the holmes county community, and I remember my parents buying books from a door to door bible story book sales man. This had to be like 20 years ago, and we still have the books. Small world lol (I'm assuming you're that guy), your video randomly popped up in my feed.

[StudioA]

I've not been to an Amish community, ever. I admire you and your drive to seek out these communities in relation to your job and say God bless you young man. I did however work with a fellow to which I shall call him "The Judge" We- Him and I worked at a top nationally known business which delt every minute with the public 24/7. The Judge had left the Amish community. This man made an outstanding name for himself and had moved up very well in the world with his skills and abilities. Totally off the wall extremely smart gent with a far above average education. He worked in the Nashville music industry with some well-established artist and top-level performers. He was well known in the News industry also. His sense of humor was over the top and his kindness was beyond most common people. He literally lived in a hotel for years and set up a contract with them to reside there (which he did for 22 years till it was bought out and demolished). He was a true gentlemen's (gentleman) if there is such a thing. Very slick dresser and the words he spoke and how he spoke them was like that of some of best educated world professors. It was a true pleasure working 14 years with the Judge. --A man I will never forget and will always admire. --Simply a former Amishmen that was well above and beyond himself and what most could never imagine. He did visit his former community (Momma & Pops) from time to time. (He was not allowed to stay there overnight, (hold up in a hotel out of town) --he stated each night he must leave the community and return at Sun rise each day for which time he chose to visit). A truly very interesting gent he was

[colliecoform]

I've only been to Lancaster as my daughter lived near by and went to several Amish stores. They deemed very friendly. It is always good if you can opens conversation with a complement and there are many things to appreciate in their stores and farms.

[marylee]

My husband and I live in VA and only a couple of hours from Lancaster and we have always found the Amish here very friendly. I totally understand them being a bit more quiet at first. We actually plan on retiring to Lancaster County in a few years.