Frequently Asked Questions about Tours of Illinois Amish country:
Can I take pictures of the Illinois Amish country while I am on a tour?
How far in advance should I plan my trip to the Illinois Amish country?
I'm Planning a tour for a larger group! Can you help me?
I have a group of 2 or 50 people coming with me. Can we eat
at an Amish home?
How do I pay for a tour package or meal at an Amish home?
What do we eat when we go to an Amish home?
Exactly what is a "Step-on Guide?"
How do I get more information on visiting the Illinois Amish Country or
assistance in planning a visit?
Can I take pictures of the Illinois
Amish country while I am on a tour?
We do encourage people to take pictures of the beautiful Amish country while
you are touring around. However, we do ask people not to take pictures of
are the actual Amish people. The Amish religion believes that no graven
images should be made a person and therefore they prefer to not be
photographed or videotaped. We ask that everyone that takes a tour or has a
meal through us respect this belief.
See also
our discussion of Amish Country Photography...
How far in advance should I plan my
trip to the Illinois Amish country?
It is never too soon to begin planning. For small family groups, we usually
appreciate a minimum of 1 week in advance to make preparations for you and
your friends or family. Of course, you will be limited in some selections
that may be already booked up. We can offer more options if we have more
notice of when you plan to make your trip. We will need at least 1-2 weeks
to ensure that we can arrange meals in an Amish home, and for the Amish home
or farm tour. Let us know though, even if you have less lead time. Often, if
we already have a group booked for a meal we can set another table for
another family. Self Guiding Audio Tours are available at any time, and
Step-On-Guides usually can be arranged in a couple of days.
I'm Planning a tour for a
larger group! Can you help me?
Certainly, this is what we do. We have sample itineraries available, and can
work with you to plan all aspects of you stay in Amish Country including
accommodations, meals and all ticketing and scheduling. One stop shopping
for all of East Central Illinois. We are able to arrange transportation for
you to Amish Country and back to home if you wish. And with larger groups
you can't plan too early. We have some tour packages scheduled up to 18
months in advance.
I have a group of 2 or 50 people coming with me.
Can we eat at an Amish home?
We have numerous Amish families who we work with, who open up their homes
and kitchens for visitors of the Amish country. If you come with less than a
group of 4 people we cannot guarantee we can arrange a meal. Sometimes, we
can merge two or more small groups together to have a meal at the same Amish
home. The Amish ladies who cook for us prefer groups of 10 or more people
but have made exceptions occasionally for groups as little as four people.
Also, we ask that visitors refer to the previous question and give us a
minimum of 1 week to arrange a meal at a Amish home. If we are given less
than a week's notice we cannot guarantee that a meal can be arranged.
How do I pay for a tour package or meal at an Amish home?
There are numerous ways to pay for an Amish tour package. We accept check,
money orders, or credit cards over the phone. When you contact us, we will
discuss different options for a tour for the Illinois Amish country and the
Central Illinois area. After we put together a package that is good for you,
we will send you a copy of the itinerary for you to look over. We ask that
you sign a copy of the itinerary and send it to us with payment. If you
prefer to use credit card you can then give us a call and we will use the
card to charge the balance due. You are also more than welcome to visit us
at our offices located in The Woodloft Custom Furniture, in downtown Arthur,
where we would be more than happy to sit down with you to discuss different
tour options.
What do we eat when we go to an Amish home?
The Amish are known for having wonderful homemade meals each day. The
standard menu at the Amish homes we use consists of fried chicken, mashed
potatoes and gravy, salad (lettuce or fruit), noodles or dressing, seasonal
vegetable, and homemade bread with jam or peanut butter. Also, a meal at an
Amish home wouldn't be complete without a great homemade pie.
Exactly what is a "Step-on Guide?"
A step on guide is a local person with experience and insight into the local
Arthur Amish community. He or she will ride with you in your vehicle and
explain the culture and area history. They will direct you to places to
visit, shop and experience the country life and interact with the area
people. Since he/she will be riding in your vehicle, it is important to let
us know how many vehicles and how many guides you will need. Each guide has
a separate cost. We have had many tours arrange for a step on guided tour
and then show up in 2-3 vehicles, and there is no way that one guide can
ride in two cars at one time. 1 guide-one tour-per vehicle.
How do I get more information on visiting the Illinois Amish Country or
assistance in planning a visit?
As long as you are already on-line, we offer an on-line inquiry
questionnaire form that you may use to give us some general information
about your upcoming visit or more specific information about the nature of
the group you are planning for and we can then provide you with some more
to-the-point information on our services and area attractions that might be
of interest.
The background information you provide will not obligate you in any way and
only allows us to better provide you with an enjoyable experience when you
visit.
Or, if time is short, give us a call at 1-888-321-9663