Indiana’s Giant Straw Bale Art Trail Returns

Drive past the cornfields and horse-drawn buggies of northern Indiana this autumn and you might come face-to-face with a two-story grilled cheese sandwich or a herd of shaggy Highland cows made entirely of straw. That is the charm of a roadside art trail that has quietly become one of the region’s most talked-about fall traditions.

• The free, self-guided Giant Straw Bale Art Trail runs September 1 through October 24, 2026, across four Amish Country towns.
• Artists turn 139 locally grown straw bales into 33 painted displays, from Wizard of Oz characters to an all-American burger.
• The project won the 2025 Arts United Award for Outstanding Artistic Endeavor.

What You’ll Find Along the Route

The trail centers on Shipshewana and spreads out to nearby towns in northern Indiana’s Amish Country. Now in its third year, it features 33 distinct sites you can visit at your own pace. Most of the action happens in Shipshewana with 22 displays, while Middlebury adds seven, LaGrange has three, and Howe rounds things out with one. There is no admission fee, and the sculptures are viewable daily during daylight hours.

This season’s lineup leans playful. Look for Raggedy Ann and Andy, a giant firecracker, Old Glory, oversized bingo balls, and Mini Minions. Fans of classic stories will spot characters from The Wizard of Oz and Alice in Wonderland. There are also original creations dreamed up just for the trail, like Louise the Grilled Cheese and Poppy the Popcorn. You never quite know what waits around the next bend, which is exactly the point.

More Craft Than You’d Expect

Turning a farm bale into a cartoon character takes real work. This year’s installation uses 139 locally grown straw bales in a mix of shapes and sizes, including 63 large round bales, 45 regular rectangular ones, 21 small round bales, eight large rectangular bales, and two mini rectangular bales. Local artists partner with area businesses to paint and build each scene.

Long before the straw reaches its display spot, artists cut props like hats, candles, flippers, and faces out of plywood and other weather-resistant materials, then anchor them into the bales with heavy-duty rebar. Painting a single five-foot round bale can take two to three hours depending on how detailed the design is, and many locations combine several bales into one big multi-piece scene. All of that effort helped earn the trail the 2025 Arts United Award for Outstanding Artistic Endeavor, which recognized its creative direction and the way it brings farms, small businesses, and regional artists together.

Making a Day of It

The straw bale displays fit into a wider slate of seasonal programming called Autumn Adventures, which includes farm stands, fall craft fairs, and a shop hop that stretches across LaGrange and Elkhart counties. LaGrange County anchors Indiana’s Amish Country and is home to the third-largest Amish population in the country. Shipshewana serves as the main draw, known for its traditional food, handcrafted furniture, and scenic countryside drives.

If you’re the type who plans road trips around public art, Indiana gives you plenty of reasons to keep driving. Columbus, Indiana, several hours south, is famous for its modern architecture and design landmarks, so a fall itinerary could easily pair big-city design with these folk-art bales in farm country. Free physical maps for the straw bale trail are available at the Shipshewana Visitors Center, and digital maps along with artist bios can be found online through Visit Shipshewana.

Why This Trail Is Worth the Drive

Part scavenger hunt, part gallery, the trail rewards curiosity in a way few attractions do. You get to slow down, wander small-town streets, and grin at a larger-than-life character built from something as ordinary as a hay bale. Bring a camera, tag your favorites with @VisitShipshewana and the hashtag AutumnAdventure26, and give yourself enough time to catch as many stops as you can. Funding support comes in part from Arts United of Greater Fort Wayne, the Indiana Arts Commission, and the National Endowment for the Arts. With free admission and a window that runs through late October, this is one autumn outing that costs nothing but a tank of gas and an afternoon.