Wisconsin’s Amish Communities: Experience, Shop and Learn

Amish Shops and Tours

Wisconsin is home to a number of Amish settlements and, behind Pennsylvania, Ohio, and Indiana, has the fourth-largest Amish population in the United States. The exact customs of each community differ from one church district to the next, but most resist the use of many modern conveniences and technologies such as electricity, cell phones, driving modern automobiles and using the latest in farming equipment.

While the communities remain close-knit and relatively private, some are open to sharing their fantastic baked goods and wooden works built with skilled craftsmanship at stores throughout the state. A few communities even offer self-guided or narrated driving tours so visitors can experience an up-close look at the farms, stores and homes.

Augusta Amish

The settlement of Amish in Eau Claire County near Augusta is one of the smaller Amish communities in Wisconsin and has existed since the late 1970s. While you won’t see an abundance of bakeries and shops found in some of the larger Amish communities, The Wood Shed is a very popular furniture store offering a variety of handcrafted furniture pieces, quilts and other crafts.

At The Wood Shed, you can also arrange a tour through the Amish countryside. Tours last between 90 minutes and two hours and are priced by the carload. Your tour guide rides along in your vehicle and takes you to a variety of stops that can include an Amish home and farm, scratch and dent store (selling imperfect produce), food stands and an Amish store open only to tour customers. These unique tours give an inside look at the local community and are offered seasonally from late April through October. Tours for larger groups, as well as off-season tours, may be specially arranged.

Cashton-Area Amish

The Cashton area in the Driftless Region is home to the largest Amish settlement in Wisconsin. Start exploring on your own and discover Amish-owned businesses open to visitors, offering everything from baked goods to handmade crafts and furniture to fresh produce. 

Located on Highway D is Old Country Cheese, a cheese factory that uses milk from local Amish farms to produce more than 20 varieties of cheeses. A factory outlet store is located on-site where you can purchase their cheese along with other Amish-made goods, including jams, candy, maple syrup, trinkets and crafts.

Dalton/Kingston-Area Amish

Just a short distance northeast of Madison is an Amish community in Green Lake County. When driving through the town of Dalton, you’ll notice many stores dotting the streets and highways where you can shop for Amish-made goods. Barry Road is lined with stores showcasing wood-crafted goods, produce, bakery items and more.

Lilac Wood Shop is a must-stop, offering hand-crafted oak and cherry furniture from complete bedroom sets to outdoor lounge furniture. Across the street is the very popular Mishler’s Country Store. Here you'll find a wide array of goods from bulk spices to canned items to doilies (some Amish-produced and some from other local makers). 

As you wander the backroads around Kingston and Dalton, look for places like Pleasant View Bakery and Oven Fresh Bakery where you can buy homemade breads, pies, candies and jams to enjoy when you get home.

Enjoy more of Wisconsin’s many farms by visiting a pizza farm with friends and family.