Pinecraft, FL Amish Community

[Conservative Hippie]

Has anyone been to Pinecraft, FL? I love reading about the Amish (fiction and non-fiction) and recently read about the only Amish community in FL. It's only a 2 hour drive from my house, so since I may never get to see Lancaster or any "real" Amish country, I thought a day trip out to Pinecraft might be fun, and a chance to eat some real Amish cooking.

 

[phorsenuf]

Has anyone been to Pinecraft, FL? I love reading about the Amish (fiction and non-fiction) and recently read about the only Amish community in FL. It's only a 2 hour drive from my house, so since I may never get to see Lancaster or any "real" Amish country, I thought a day trip out to Pinecraft might be fun, and a chance to eat some real Amish cooking.

Never knew it existed. I may have to take a trip that way. Sarasota isn't too far from me.

 

[lillygator]

it's basically a street here. There are a couple different amish restaurants - Dutch Heritage...it is home cooking, but no flavor at all. There is a ice cream place, a little fruit stand etc...only the bigger restaurant takes ccards. They closed most of their wood working shops.

 

[phorsenuf]

it's basically a street here. There are a couple different amish restaurants - Dutch Heritage...it is home cooking, but no flavor at all. There is a ice cream place, a little fruit stand etc...only the bigger restaurant takes ccards. They closed most of their wood working shops.

Well that's uneventful. I think I remember seeing an Amish restaurant in St. Pete.

 

[Conservative Hippie]

it's basically a street here. There are a couple different amish restaurants - Dutch Heritage...it is home cooking, but no flavor at all. There is a ice cream place, a little fruit stand etc...only the bigger restaurant takes ccards. They closed most of their wood working shops.

:-/

 

[jtdawg]

Pinecraft is home to thousands of Amish and Mennonite people during the winter months. The best time to go is on a Saturday. Go on a nice, sunny day. Eat lunch at Yoders or Troyers, then ice cream from Big Olaf, then rent some bikes and ride around the neighborhood. (you can rent bikes in the Pinecraft neighborhood - just ask any Amish person you see on the street) Go to Pinecraft park and watch them play Bocce ball, shuffle board, volleyball and checkers. Find the house where they sell Baby Swiss cheese. It is great! If you are lucky, there will be a benefit supper at the park that night. (several days a week, actually) Make a donation and eat with them. The Amish are very friendly there and are interested in "English" people and thier lives. Just be respectfull and dress decently. They don't mind you taking pictures of a large group from a distance - or pictures of small children - but don't take close up pictures of adults. It is worth the trip.

 

[CurlyJo224]

Ah, so that explains the weird picture I saw earlier.

Create a caption: Buck Showalter accommodates autograph requests for three Amish gentlemen

I'd never really thought of the Amish as living outside the PA/Ohio areas.

 

[Styx Fan]

To Curlyjoe....I forgot to quote, LOL.


There is a very large Amish community in northern Indiana. Several small towns making up a popular tourist area. Lots and lots of work working/furniture stores. Around here we speak of going to "Shipshiwana" as that is the town best known for the Amish businesses and weekly flea market and I believe animal auctions. We just spent a weekend there in November and ordered an Amish made table and chairs. They arrived a couple of weeks ago It is mission style and matches nicely with the large entertainment center we bought there 10 years ago. It was so much fun working with the Amish craftsman to get exactly what we wanted.

There is also some Amish living in Mid-Michigan, but nothing like the Indiana communities.

 

[cornflake]

Pinecraft is home to thousands of Amish and Mennonite people during the winter months. The best time to go is on a Saturday. Go on a nice, sunny day. Eat lunch at Yoders or Troyers, then ice cream from Big Olaf, then rent some bikes and ride around the neighborhood. (you can rent bikes in the Pinecraft neighborhood - just ask any Amish person you see on the street) Go to Pinecraft park and watch them play Bocce ball, shuffle board, volleyball and checkers. Find the house where they sell Baby Swiss cheese. It is great! If you are lucky, there will be a benefit supper at the park that night. (several days a week, actually) Make a donation and eat with them. The Amish are very friendly there and are interested in "English" people and thier lives. Just be respectfull and dress decently. They don't mind you taking pictures of a large group from a distance - or pictures of small children - but don't take close up pictures of adults. It is worth the trip.

I've never been to that area, but I have been to Lancaster many times and... honestly, they're not an attraction, they're just people living their lives.

Maybe it's different in Florida but the Amish up north know plenty about the English and their lives; they're not sheltered, they choose something else. I don't mean they're not friendly people and maybe I'm totally reading this post wrong but ... it's not like they're a tribe in the Amazon who will be fascinated by your modern ways and want to hear about the magic of television.

Also, and really why I felt the need to post - the Amish do not like being photographed. I think taking pictures of anyone's kids without permission is kind of obnoxious but... people, please don't photograph small Amish children like they're zoo animals unless you ask permission and it's granted.

 

[stevenpensacola]

My wife falls into the category of being an "Amish Stalker"...she's read all the books (even the secret books which really tell you how the Amish live which almost makes you one of them...you don't want to get in a debate with these Amish Stalkers about who knows more...)...

We've visited Amish communities in Lancaster, Ohio, and Kentucky...I respect the Amish beliefs and have a pretty good understanding of what they're about...the areas they live are very photogenic...beautiful rolling farm land...would love to take a bicycle tour of the Lancaster area...

but always end asking my wife...

How would you feel if there were people slowly driving past our house, in our typical suburb, taking photos of me cutting grass or taking out the trash...snapping photos of her as she drove/shops at the local Publix...strangers trying to get a glimpse of her putting clothes in the dryer...Imagine people buying a ticket to ride in a car (like I would drive) with a guide driving them around our neighborhood to see how we live...

I hope she doesn't find out about the Florida community...but as an "insider" I'm sure she knows...

 

[htmom]

Personally if you want to go to their shops, eat at their diners, etc. I think that is cool, they have businesses to make money like anyone else. But please don't take pictures.
My neighbors at my old house were Amish. They did not appreciate the stares, pictures, and people talking like they weren't there. We were out at the mailboxes one day and someone came by and was leaning out thier window taking pictures. She was really upset.
And most of the time it is NOT ok to take pictures of anyone in the Amish community. Would you want people asking you to take pictures of your family? Reallly?

 

[lillygator]

Pinecraft is home to thousands of Amish and Mennonite people during the winter months. The best time to go is on a Saturday. Go on a nice, sunny day. Eat lunch at Yoders or Troyers, then ice cream from Big Olaf, then rent some bikes and ride around the neighborhood. (you can rent bikes in the Pinecraft neighborhood - just ask any Amish person you see on the street) Go to Pinecraft park and watch them play Bocce ball, shuffle board, volleyball and checkers. Find the house where they sell Baby Swiss cheese. It is great! If you are lucky, there will be a benefit supper at the park that night. (several days a week, actually) Make a donation and eat with them. The Amish are very friendly there and are interested in "English" people and thier lives. Just be respectfull and dress decently. They don't mind you taking pictures of a large group from a distance - or pictures of small children - but don't take close up pictures of adults. It is worth the trip.

interesting first post.

And Troyers was just sold and will be changing its name back to Der Dutchmen.

Their pies and cakes are very good but all the food is bland...bland, bland, bland. The ice cream is good though

 

[cruisnfamily]

I live in Sarasot and I agree that it is just a street. Certainly nothing to drive 2 hours to see.

I drive through the pinecraft area on a daily basis. You will see lots of folks dressed in Amish clothing, you will see them riding bikes and walking. You will not see any horse and buggies. There are no "attractions" there is nothing to do in that area other than eat at 1 of the 3 restaurants. There may be 1 or 2 shops and a fruit stand but they're actual businesses and definitely not tourists stops.

I disagree that they are

interested in "English" people and thier lives

They're not isolated in any way and know all that they want to know about folks who are not Amish.

Go to Pinecraft park and watch them play Bocce ball, shuffle board, volleyball and checkers.

Seriously? Why would anybody do this?

 

[Cindy B]

My new SIL lives in Lancaster. She just posted about how she passed a woman on her buggy talking on a a cell phone. She also mentioned how another time she was next to a buggy and heard country music playing.

My own personal Amish story from December: There is a flea market in a nearby town. They have Amish families that run a food stand. One of the younger boys (maybe around 11 or so) was taking the trash out. One his way back to the food stand, he was standing in front of an electronics store which had a TV on display.. horrible reception/old tube TV, lines/snow.. it really was a parts only machine. There was this terrible 1970's movie on-and this boy was trying to watch this movie in the worst way.. just standing there..

This little guy is trying to get some technology, and he gets an awful 1970's TV with an equally terrible movie.. poor kid!

A former friend of mine was previously old order Mennonite (I know not exactly the same thing). She would tell us stories that made us laugh so hard! She has since left the part of her life, but the stories she would say were just hilarious.

 

[cruisnfamily]

My new SIL lives in Lancaster. She just posted about how she passed a woman on her buggy talking on a a cell phone. She also mentioned how another time she was next to a buggy and heard country music playing.

That's crazy! They weren't real Amish then.

I know some Menonite people, they have cars but no radio in the car. No TV in the home. No Christmas tree or presents at Christmas.

 

[cornflake]

That's crazy! They weren't real Amish then.

I know some Menonite people, they have cars but no radio in the car. No TV in the home. No Christmas tree or presents at Christmas.

I'm sure they were real Amish, they were probably teens. Rumspringa.

One of the reasons (besides that they live in and interact with the modern world) the Amish are not interested in and fascinated by the English is because they all have the chance to experience it all for themselves.

Before they commit to their church and their lives as old order Amish, there's a period of Rumspringa, in which kids can do whatever. They often have cell phones, ipods, get cars, wear jeans and other 'regular' clothes sometimes when they go out with friends or out in town, drink, smoke, etc. They can do all this and still be part of their community. It's a time, basically, in which they're supposed to see what the outside world is like - like a gap year - before they settle down to their real lives.

When they decide to commit to the community and church (which the great majority do), they're then baptised and forsake the modern conveniences and such. After that, you won't see them with those things, then it's a sin, but before they've commited to the church's rules, it's part of the process of choosing what they want for their lives.

Unlike some other religions, the Amish baptise at adulthood, as a marker of commitment to and membership in the church. Like a Catholic confirmation, not like a Catholic baptism.

 

[SandrA9810]

Here in California, we have the Old German Baptist Brethren. They're more like the Mennonites with their way of life. There was a garage sale sign pointed into a warehouse shop. The lady there said that their group owned the buildings (earned money through the rent), and since it wasn't being used, she was trying to sell some stuff.

I've also seen lots of Mennonites visiting Orlando. They get lots of stares, especially in the theme parks.

I've driven past a few Amish communities in Indiana. My great aunt knows where all their farms are. A lot smaller than Lancaster... but the same none the less.

 

[drag n' fly]

We stayed out in Sarasota for a week this past summer. We hit Yoders a couple times. Their peanut butter pie is yummy. It always makes for a nice day trip as their is lots to see like the Amish, Mote and of course the Ringling house.

 

[lakelandgal70]

We went to Troyers couple years ago with my sis. She raved about how great the food was and to be honest I wasn't impressed. It was bland to me. They do have gift shop and also little food shop. So that was not too bad. But would I go back? No.

 

[PeterPan09]

One of the things I miss about living in NJ was an Amish market. The meat and poultry there was the best I've ever had. We would go once every couple of months with a cooler and stock up on meat, bacon, chicken and turkey. The baked goods were excellent as well, I almost always went home with a pie.