RV Parks In Shipshewana, Indiana

The three standout RV parks all sit close to the Trading Place flea market. Shipshewana Trading Place RV Park is right on the market grounds with about 165 full-hookup sites. Shipshewana Campground South Park, a half mile south, offers large 50-amp pull-through and back-in sites with city water and sewer. Shipshewana North Park rounds it out with full hookups, a dump station and an on-site frozen custard stand. All three are private, central, and walkable to the market, which is why they fill on auction and flea-market days.

Yes. The three main in-town parks all offer full hookups with water, sewer and electric, and they run 20, 30 and 50 amp service so both smaller trailers and big diesel pushers are covered. Trading Place RV Park and the South Park have full hookups at essentially every site, while North Park offers optional water, electric and sewer plus an on-site dump station. If you head to a public area like Pigeon River Fish & Wildlife Area instead, expect primitive sites with no hookups, so plan to arrive with full water and empty tanks.

Full-hookup sites at the in-town private parks generally run from the mid 40s to low 50s per night, climbing a bit on flea-market days and big auction weekends. Pull-through and premium sites cost a little more. Most parks offer weekly and seasonal rates that drop the per-night cost significantly if you stay through part of the market season. Public camping is much cheaper, with rustic no-hookup sites at Pigeon River running in the low teens, so your budget really comes down to whether you want hookups and walkable access to the market.

For flea-market Tuesdays and Wednesdays, the spring and fall auctions, and quilt-garden season, book the in-town parks several weeks out, because these are the days the whole town fills. Holiday weekends and special events can sell out even earlier. Midweek during the shoulder season you can often get a site with little notice. If you have your heart set on a specific park near the market grounds, do not wait, since the three central parks are the first to go when an auction or major market day is on the calendar.

Late spring through early fall is the sweet spot, when the parks are open, the flea market and auction are in full swing, and the Amish-country backroads are at their best. Summer is peak season with the most to do but also the biggest crowds and warmest, most humid weather. Early fall brings harvest color, comfortable temperatures and the fall auction, and many RVers consider it the nicest time to visit. The in-town parks close for winter, so plan a trip between mid-April and the end of October for the full experience.

Yes. The three main in-town parks are built for RV travelers and handle 40-foot rigs comfortably, with pull-through full-hookup sites and 50-amp service at Trading Place RV Park, South Park and North Park. Maneuvering inside the parks is straightforward, and the approach roads off SR-5 and US-20 are wide and rig-friendly. The one place to be cautious with a big coach is the rustic public camping at Pigeon River Fish & Wildlife Area, which is better suited to smaller rigs and vans, so keep the big rig at one of the developed parks in town.

Truly free camping is scarce in this part of Indiana, but the budget and first-come option is Pigeon River Fish & Wildlife Area near Mongo, managed by the Indiana DNR, with rustic primitive sites for a low nightly fee and good paddling and fishing on the Pigeon River. These sites have no hookups and suit smaller rigs. For a developed public alternative, Pokagon State Park about forty minutes north takes reservations and has electric sites. In town the camping is all private full-hookup parks, so the no-frills option means driving a bit out of Shipshewana.

Plenty. The Shipshewana Auction runs livestock and antiques and is worth catching early in the morning. Menno-Hof is an excellent center on Amish and Mennonite history and culture right in town. The Pumpkinvine Nature Trail is a paved rail trail that links Shipshewana with Middlebury and Goshen and makes an easy bike ride from the campgrounds. In late summer the quilt-garden displays brighten the whole region, and a slow drive on the Amish-country backroads, with stops at family bakeries and furniture shops, is the kind of thing people come back for.

Generally no. The three main in-town parks operate seasonally, with Trading Place RV Park running roughly mid-April through mid-November and the South and North parks following a similar spring-to-fall schedule. Northern Indiana gets real winter, with snow and cold from December into March, and the flea market and most attractions wind down for the season. If you are passing through in winter you will need to look well outside the immediate area for an open park, so plan a Shipshewana trip for the warmer months when the town and its campgrounds are actually open for business.

Yes, and that is the whole appeal. Shipshewana Trading Place RV Park sits right on the market grounds, so you can step out of the rig and into the market. Shipshewana Campground South Park is about a half mile south, an easy walk or short drive, and North Park is also close in. Walking is genuinely the smart move on busy market days, when parking near the grounds gets tight and the lots fill early. Reserve one of the central parks, leave the truck hooked up, and stroll to the auction and the vendor rows.

It is a great choice for newer RVers. The parks are full-hookup, level and easy to navigate, the approach roads off the Indiana Toll Road and US-20 are simple, and everything you want is concentrated in one small, walkable town. You are never far from groceries, fuel or RV service in nearby Elkhart and South Bend. The main thing to learn here is buggy etiquette on the back roads, which just means slowing down and giving horse-drawn traffic plenty of room. Book ahead for a market day and the rest of the trip largely takes care of itself.

It helps to carry some. Many vendors at the flea market and the auction now take cards, and the larger shops certainly do, but plenty of the smaller Amish-run stands, bakeries and produce sellers prefer cash, and a few are cash-only. Bring small bills for the market and you will not get caught short. It is also worth remembering that many local businesses, including some restaurants, close on Sundays out of respect for the Amish community, so plan your supply runs and dining for Saturday rather than counting on a Sunday in town.

South Bend, Indiana is the nearest city with a full range of services, roughly 45 minutes west, and South Bend International Airport is the closest commercial airport, which makes it a workable option if you are flying in to pick up or meet an RV. Elkhart is closer still, about 30 minutes away, and is a major RV-industry hub with parts, service and dealers if you need work done. Fort Wayne is about an hour and a half south for a larger metro. For day-to-day groceries and fuel, the towns right around Shipshewana cover the basics.

The three standout RV parks all sit close to the Trading Place flea market. Shipshewana Trading Place RV Park is right on the market grounds with about 165 full-hookup sites. Shipshewana Campground South Park, a half mile south, offers large 50-amp pull-through and back-in sites with city water and sewer. Shipshewana North Park rounds it out with full hookups, a dump station and an on-site frozen custard stand. All three are private, central, and walkable to the market, which is why they fill on auction and flea-market days.

Yes. The three main in-town parks all offer full hookups with water, sewer and electric, and they run 20, 30 and 50 amp service so both smaller trailers and big diesel pushers are covered. Trading Place RV Park and the South Park have full hookups at essentially every site, while North Park offers optional water, electric and sewer plus an on-site dump station. If you head to a public area like Pigeon River Fish & Wildlife Area instead, expect primitive sites with no hookups, so plan to arrive with full water and empty tanks.

Full-hookup sites at the in-town private parks generally run from the mid 40s to low 50s per night, climbing a bit on flea-market days and big auction weekends. Pull-through and premium sites cost a little more. Most parks offer weekly and seasonal rates that drop the per-night cost significantly if you stay through part of the market season. Public camping is much cheaper, with rustic no-hookup sites at Pigeon River running in the low teens, so your budget really comes down to whether you want hookups and walkable access to the market.

For flea-market Tuesdays and Wednesdays, the spring and fall auctions, and quilt-garden season, book the in-town parks several weeks out, because these are the days the whole town fills. Holiday weekends and special events can sell out even earlier. Midweek during the shoulder season you can often get a site with little notice. If you have your heart set on a specific park near the market grounds, do not wait, since the three central parks are the first to go when an auction or major market day is on the calendar.

Late spring through early fall is the sweet spot, when the parks are open, the flea market and auction are in full swing, and the Amish-country backroads are at their best. Summer is peak season with the most to do but also the biggest crowds and warmest, most humid weather. Early fall brings harvest color, comfortable temperatures and the fall auction, and many RVers consider it the nicest time to visit. The in-town parks close for winter, so plan a trip between mid-April and the end of October for the full experience.

Yes. The three main in-town parks are built for RV travelers and handle 40-foot rigs comfortably, with pull-through full-hookup sites and 50-amp service at Trading Place RV Park, South Park and North Park. Maneuvering inside the parks is straightforward, and the approach roads off SR-5 and US-20 are wide and rig-friendly. The one place to be cautious with a big coach is the rustic public camping at Pigeon River Fish & Wildlife Area, which is better suited to smaller rigs and vans, so keep the big rig at one of the developed parks in town.

Truly free camping is scarce in this part of Indiana, but the budget and first-come option is Pigeon River Fish & Wildlife Area near Mongo, managed by the Indiana DNR, with rustic primitive sites for a low nightly fee and good paddling and fishing on the Pigeon River. These sites have no hookups and suit smaller rigs. For a developed public alternative, Pokagon State Park about forty minutes north takes reservations and has electric sites. In town the camping is all private full-hookup parks, so the no-frills option means driving a bit out of Shipshewana.

Plenty. The Shipshewana Auction runs livestock and antiques and is worth catching early in the morning. Menno-Hof is an excellent center on Amish and Mennonite history and culture right in town. The Pumpkinvine Nature Trail is a paved rail trail that links Shipshewana with Middlebury and Goshen and makes an easy bike ride from the campgrounds. In late summer the quilt-garden displays brighten the whole region, and a slow drive on the Amish-country backroads, with stops at family bakeries and furniture shops, is the kind of thing people come back for.

Generally no. The three main in-town parks operate seasonally, with Trading Place RV Park running roughly mid-April through mid-November and the South and North parks following a similar spring-to-fall schedule. Northern Indiana gets real winter, with snow and cold from December into March, and the flea market and most attractions wind down for the season. If you are passing through in winter you will need to look well outside the immediate area for an open park, so plan a Shipshewana trip for the warmer months when the town and its campgrounds are actually open for business.

Yes, and that is the whole appeal. Shipshewana Trading Place RV Park sits right on the market grounds, so you can step out of the rig and into the market. Shipshewana Campground South Park is about a half mile south, an easy walk or short drive, and North Park is also close in. Walking is genuinely the smart move on busy market days, when parking near the grounds gets tight and the lots fill early. Reserve one of the central parks, leave the truck hooked up, and stroll to the auction and the vendor rows.

It is a great choice for newer RVers. The parks are full-hookup, level and easy to navigate, the approach roads off the Indiana Toll Road and US-20 are simple, and everything you want is concentrated in one small, walkable town. You are never far from groceries, fuel or RV service in nearby Elkhart and South Bend. The main thing to learn here is buggy etiquette on the back roads, which just means slowing down and giving horse-drawn traffic plenty of room. Book ahead for a market day and the rest of the trip largely takes care of itself.

It helps to carry some. Many vendors at the flea market and the auction now take cards, and the larger shops certainly do, but plenty of the smaller Amish-run stands, bakeries and produce sellers prefer cash, and a few are cash-only. Bring small bills for the market and you will not get caught short. It is also worth remembering that many local businesses, including some restaurants, close on Sundays out of respect for the Amish community, so plan your supply runs and dining for Saturday rather than counting on a Sunday in town.

South Bend, Indiana is the nearest city with a full range of services, roughly 45 minutes west, and South Bend International Airport is the closest commercial airport, which makes it a workable option if you are flying in to pick up or meet an RV. Elkhart is closer still, about 30 minutes away, and is a major RV-industry hub with parts, service and dealers if you need work done. Fort Wayne is about an hour and a half south for a larger metro. For day-to-day groceries and fuel, the towns right around Shipshewana cover the basics.

Yes — there are free RV waste disposal options available near Shipshewana.