Kendallville
Around Kendallville
Photo: Tysto · Public domain · Wikimedia Commons
Town and around · Indiana · 47k people
Kendallville
“Lake City”
Local rooms for Kendallville.
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Welcome to Kendallville, where the lakes are clear and the pace is easy. Whether you're here for the windmills or the pork tenderloins, you'll find a friendly wave on every country road.
Clubs for Kendallville
No clubs for Kendallville yet.
The room
One room for everyone around Kendallville. It never closes; when it's busy it splits into tables. Once you're in, you stay until you leave.
Ask the neighbours
AllA good plumber, the best tacos, a lost cat: nobody has asked yet. Be the first.
Coming up
No events in the next month. Events made in the room show up here.
Marketplace
Things for sale, free and wanted, and rooms for rent, from people around Kendallville. Sign in to sell something.
Things to do
- Chain O'Lakes State Park A cluster of lakes with hiking, fishing, and camping.
- Bixler Lake Park A lake with a beach, trails, and picnic areas in Kendallville.
- Sylvan Lake A popular lake in Rome City for boating and swimming.
- Mid-America Windmill Museum Features a collection of historic windmills.
- Noble County Courthouse A classic courthouse in Albion.
- Lagrange County Courthouse A historic courthouse in Lagrange.
- Outdoors Boating and fishing on Sylvan Lake
- Outdoors Hiking the trails at Chain O'Lakes State Park
- With kids Visit the Mid-America Windmill Museum
- With kids Picnic at Bixler Lake Park
- Evenings Catch a local band at a small-town bar
- Evenings Trivia night at a pub in Kendallville
- Locals love lakes and beaches
- Locals love family diners
Through the year
- Noble County Fair July Classic county fair with livestock, rides, and food.
- Lagrange County Fair July Agricultural fair with exhibits and entertainment.
- Kendallville Summer Festival June Community celebration with music, food, and family activities.
Four distinct seasons with cold, snowy winters and warm, humid summers. Best time to be out is late spring through early fall. Best: Late spring through early fall
Getaways
- Auburn Home of the Auburn Cord Duesenberg Automobile Museum.
- Angola Gateway to many lakes and Pokagon State Park.
- Fort Wayne Zoo, museums, and minor league sports.
- Sturgis Known for the motorcycle rally and small-town charm.
Local flavour
Rooting for Fort Wayne Komets (ECHL), Fort Wayne TinCaps (MiLB), Notre Dame Fighting Irish (NCAA), Indiana Hoosiers (NCAA), Purdue Boilermakers (NCAA)
Eat and drink
- homemade noodles
- shoofly pie
- pork tenderloin sandwich Indiana classic, found in local diners
- apple butter
Where people go
- lakes Sylvan Lake, Big Long Lake, and many others for fishing and boating
- family diners Small-town eateries serving comfort food
- covered bridges Scenic historic structures in the countryside
- farmland Rolling fields of corn and soybeans
Heritage and traditions
Kendallville and its neighbors are proud of their strong Amish heritage, pristine lakes, and the legacy of author Gene Stratton-Porter, who found inspiration in the Limberlost Swamp.
This time of year in Kendallville
- Amish weddings Fall In November and December, Amish communities hold weddings, often with large feasts.
Say it like a local: “Stop in” — A friendly way to say 'come over'.
Festivals
- Noble County Fair July A classic agricultural fair with livestock, rides, and local food.
- LaGrange County Fair July Similar to the Noble fair, featuring 4-H exhibits and demolition derbies.
- Kendallville Summer Festival June A downtown celebration with live music, food vendors, and a parade.
- Shipshewana Quilt Festival June Held in Shipshewana (LaGrange County), this event showcases Amish quilts, workshops, and a quilt auction.
- Shipshewana Blueberry Festival August A summer festival celebrating blueberries with pies, jams, and a 5K run.
- Rome City Heritage Days September A small-town festival with craft booths, historical reenactments, and a fish fry.
Landmarks with a story
- Gene Stratton-Porter's Limberlost Cabin The restored home of the author in Rome City, now a state historic site.
- Noble County Historical Society Museum Located in Albion, this museum preserves local artifacts and pioneer history.
- Kendallville Historic District Downtown Kendallville features 19th-century brick buildings and a restored opera house.
- LaGrange County Courthouse A stately 19th-century courthouse in LaGrange, surrounded by a town square.
- Amish farmsteads Working farms with traditional horse-drawn equipment, visible along rural roads.
- Shipshewana's Old Bag Factory A historic factory converted into artisan shops and a café.
Food traditions
- Amish friendship bread A sourdough starter passed among neighbors, baked into a sweet cinnamon bread.
- Chicken and noodles A hearty Midwestern dish of homemade noodles served over mashed potatoes, often at church suppers.
- Whoopie pies Two soft chocolate cakes with a creamy filling, a staple at Amish bakeries.
- Sugar cream pie A simple, creamy pie made with cream, sugar, and flour, also known as 'Hoosier pie'.
- Pan-fried lake fish Fresh-caught bluegill or perch from local lakes, often served at summer fish fries.
Music and arts
- Amish quilting A traditional craft passed down through generations, with distinct patterns and colors.
- Woodworking Handcrafted furniture and cabinetry are both an art and a livelihood.
- Bluegrass and gospel music Local gatherings often feature bluegrass jams and gospel sings.
- Windmill folk art The Mid-America Windmill Museum celebrates the craft of windmill construction.
A little history
- 1830s-1840s Settlement of the area
- 1890s-1910s The Limberlost Swamp was drained for farmland and oil
- 1870s The arrival of the railroad connected Kendallville to larger markets
- 1900s-1910s Gene Stratton-Porter wrote her famous novels at her Rome City home
- 1840s-present The Amish community grew in LaGrange County, becoming the largest in Indiana
Rivalries
- East Noble vs. West Noble high school football A Friday night rivalry between Kendallville and Ligonier.
- Game day High school basketball
- Game day Fishing tournaments
- Outdoors Fishing for bluegill and bass on Sylvan Lake
- Outdoors Hiking the trails at Chain O'Lakes State Park
- With kids Riding in a horse-drawn buggy
- With kids Visiting the Mid-America Windmill Museum
Locals speak with a typical Midwestern accent, but in LaGrange County you'll hear Pennsylvania Dutch among the Amish community. English is universal, with a few borrowed German words in everyday use.
Only here
- The largest Amish community in Indiana, with horse-drawn buggies a common sight.
- The Mid-America Windmill Museum, the only one of its kind in the Midwest.
- The Limberlost Swamp, immortalized by Gene Stratton-Porter's novels.
- A chain of 11 lakes connected by a waterway at Chain O'Lakes State Park.
New here? A few tips
- Watch for horse-drawn buggies on rural roads, especially in LaGrange County—they may be slower than you expect.
- Try the Amish bakeries and bulk food stores; the whoopie pies and sugar cream pie are local favorites.
- Visit the Mid-America Windmill Museum early in your stay to understand the area's agricultural heritage.
- In summer, the lakes are busy—reserve boat rentals ahead of time at Chain O'Lakes State Park.
- Learn a few Pennsylvania Dutch phrases like 'danke' (thank you) to show respect to Amish neighbors.
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Part of Fort Wayne area
Nearby
Every areaAuburnIndianaA small town with a big love for the classics.LaGrange CountyIndianaWhere the pace is slow and the pies are sweet.AngolaIndianaWhere the lakes are many and the pace is slow.Fort WayneIndianaThree rivers, one homeSturgisMichiganWhere country roads meet small-town charm.WarsawIndianaWhere lake life and healing hands come together.ColdwaterMichiganSmall-town charm on the waterHuntingtonIndianaWhere the Wabash runs through the heartland.
Kendallville, IN. Areas from the US Census Bureau and Statistics Canada; places from GeoNames. Local flavour was written with a model and may have mistakes. Team names identify teams; no endorsement.