amish people

On first view of Jamesport, the sights and sounds are incredible. One longing memory is the young kids climbing fence with fishing poles in their hands,.Another is spending night there and listening to the click click of horses pulling buggies. I was very fortunate to purchase an Amish Buggy for my wife, Julie not too long ago. It was her dream to own one and to drive her mother and granddaughter around town. Jamesport is like a home away from home and not just a tourist attraction. Plan to return July 4 for the large Auctions and great memories and Jamesport Harness

Took this tour from Arbor House Country Inn. The guide Ron told us a good bit about the Amish before the tour and he was knowledgeable. We went in convoy with Ron and one other couple and were able to communicate via hand held radios given to us by Ron. Tour took 2-3 hours and we went to see a typical Amish home and a few stores and a cheese making plant. Being from overseas we obviously didn't buy the home made produce etc. The tour was OK except at the end Ron just took the radios and that was the last we saw of him. No goodbye - no directions to get back to town - nothing. Most odd.

We have been visiting Amish country for several years now, and it is a great way to spend a day in Missouri. In the fall it is a fantastic way to see fall colors, enjoy the fresh air, and get out into the country side. Jamesport is a small community with shops, small ma and pa restaurants and bakeries. Don't expect anything lavish, or showy. Just enjoy the day.

We printed a map of the Jamesport Amish stores & the country roads before we visited & read descriptions of each store and mapped out our route of the stores we wanted to visit before we went.We were surprised that most of the country roads were gravel. We had an enjoyable time visiting the Amish stores surrounding Jamesport.The Amish People we saw working in the fields were very friendly & always waived at us.We found the Amish Countryside to be very peaceful and had a nice time visiting their stores.

We were here to buy a Mule from a wonderful Amish gentleman we visited his home and met his family. They were wonderful. kind and caring folks. Thank You to them for making our stay so memorable. We will return in the spring.

The main crossroads (highway 190 and state orad F) in Jamesport serve as the main hub for shopping. Most of the shops in town are NOT owned or run by the Amish. There are Amish, but there are also "Brethren, Mennonites and The English." Mennonites and Brethren have similar roots as the Amish, but they use electricity, and some modern technology. The English are all the non-Amish.Jamesport has a public school. There are plenty of non-Amish people living in Jamesport, so a public school was necessary.There are a couple restaurants in Jamesport. I had heard bad reviews about the "Country Cupboard," but we ate there anyway. It was fine, but they do still allow smoking. The folks who run the Country Cupboard are "English," every day folks. They dress like typical folks, and they run their restaurant like any other small town restaurant. But they Don't take credit or debit cards. Plan to have cash. Their prices are very reasonable ($5 to $8 for a breakfast plate) and you won't go away hungry.In "downtown" Jamesport are the antique shops, sewing shops, a restaurant, a place to buy fudge and frozen custard, and that's about it. It reminds me of a tourist trap, but with fewer souvenirs to buy. If you don't get to the "Gingerich Dutch Pantry" before 11 AM, you will be waiting in line for a long time to get in. If you need a quick bite to eat, the alternative is the local grocer, just one block south of downtown, that has a deli in the back. They also have soup occasionally.If you head south out of Jamesport on the main road (Highway 190) before long you will find several shops that are definitely worth a look:The H&M store is really good. They sell soup mixes that are easy (just add water or milk and heat up on the stove) that are fabulous tasting! We served our family of four and had left-overs of the fantastic potato soup mix that cost only a few dollars! They also sell a variety of kitchen gadgets (large serving spoons, ladles of every size, slotted spoons, etc.) at VERY reasonable prices. Most of the large ladles and serving spoons were no more than $3 each. Granted, they are made in India, but still, a good deal.Next to the H&M store is a bakery. EVERYTHING there is made on the spot, so you can imagine the place smells heavenly and is always warm. We bought a couple giant home-made frosted cinnamon rolls to share. We were very tempted by the mini pies, full sized pies, and breads. We tried some pull-apart honey-wheat dinner rolls that were out of this world good! Very soft and fluffy, with a great flavor!I walked through the Quilt barn. I was hoping they sold quilts, but mostly, they just sold fabric and sewing notions. They had hundreds of bolts of fabric, and some examples of what you could make with the fabric. Really awesome place if you like sewing!Our next stop was the Creamery, which is several miles south and east of town. It's a local dairy farm that makes their own cheese. This is not owned by the Amish either, but by "Brethren." They had a small store with some large refrigerators selling their cheeses. We were the only ones there. A young lady came out of the house over to the store when we showed up. She politely stood behind the counter while we shopped and tried some cheeses. I almost felt like I was imposing upon her because the only reason she was there was to serve us. As soon as we bought some cheese and left, she closed the store and went back into her home. They make cheese on Tuesdays, which is probably the day to go. We were there on a Saturday, and it looked like absolutely nothing was going on outside the house. We didn't get to pet any calves or help feed them as some brochures suggest. The next place we tried was the rustic Cedar furniture place, also several miles outside of town. Here we felt like even more of an imposition. People were polite, but once again, we were the only ones there. There was no one in the shop, and no real show room to speak of. A kind lady came out from the house and let us walk through the shop (which has some impressive power tools and a sawmill nearby.) We looked through a catalog of photos of furniture they have made. No prices were provided though, and there was no one else to talk to us about the furniture making and such. So we left shortly afterward, feeling more like we were trespassing than shopping.At Shearwood corners (also known as Sherwood) there was one large building with two different doorways. On one end are quilts that run (on average) about $700 each. Yes, they are beautiful, and hand made, but $700 seems like a lot. There were my favorite "Bone" pillows (that look like a dog bone) that are great for putting under one's neck when laying down. Depending on the type, they will run you $6-$10 and come in a variety of fabrics.On the other end of the building is furniture, made of 100% wood, no particle board. It is all very well made, and very comfortable, but you will pay dearly for the craftmanship and hard woods. A glider-rocker my husband liked had a price tag of $940. He was still tempted to buy it because it was so comfortable and nice. They even made one with a reclining option. Still too expensive for our taste, even if it seemed to be worth every penny they wanted to charge.We did see horses and buggies, and even a wagon or two. The buggies often were all black with very small openings in the front only. You couldn't even see who was driving the team of horses (or horse as the case may be.) I'm guessing these were the truly Amish people. They avoided the main roads. They avoided being seen. (They don't allow photos, so maybe the enclosed buggy was a way of protecting their dignity from prying photographers who might not respect their beliefs.)Everyone was very polite wherever we went. A few places downtown do take credit cards, but for the most part, we had to write checks or pay with cash. I'll return to shop at the H&M store for those fantastic soup mixes!