Nappanee: Apple Festival, Nature and Culture

Nappanee, Indiana, can be explored through several specific travel experiences: the annual Apple Festival, nature observation at Borkholder Nature Center & Wetlands, as well as collections, theater and leisure activities. When planning your trip, you can choose between a scheduled event and focuses such as nature or culture. The following places bring these differences to life.

The Nappanee Apple Festival as a Reason to Visit

The Nappanee Apple Festival takes place annually on the third weekend in September in Nappanee, Indiana. If you plan your stay around the festival, its recurring date provides a specific timeframe. The festival includes the annual baking of a seven-foot-long apple pie—a culinary tradition clearly connected to the festival’s name. If you are planning a trip for a specific year, check the current festival dates before making plans.

Nature Observation at Borkholder Nature Center & Wetlands

Borkholder Nature Center & Wetlands is a seven-acre nature preserve established in the early 1990s. It is suitable for observing wildlife, birds and butterflies. The trails lead visitors to a wetland near the intersection of Woodview Drive and Oakland Avenue; several viewing shelters along the trails provide places for observation. For travelers interested in nature, both wildlife observation and the wetland itself are specific points of interest. Unlike the festival, the focus here is on the landscape and observation rather than a fixed event date.

Golf and Seasonal Swimming

McCormick Creek Golf Course is a public 72-par golf course in Nappanee, Indiana. This makes golf a leisure option in its own right, alongside nature observation and events. Nappanee Swimming Pool, at 754 Stauffer Park Drive, offers a large pool area for people of all ages. The facility operates seasonally. If you plan to visit the pool, take its seasonal operating schedule into account when choosing your dates.

Local History, Art and Special Experiences

At the Nappanee Center, the Evelyn Lehman Culp Heritage Collection tells the story of the city through exhibits and changing displays. The Doug Grant Family Gallery offers a different focus: it houses more than 60 paintings by Emma Schrock. This places local history and the work of a single artist side by side as distinct cultural themes.

The Barns at Nappanee offers a tour about Amish life. Carriage rides around the ponds and through the woods are also available. The tour focuses on a specific topic, while the carriage rides travel through the described surroundings. Nappanee Theatre opened in Nappanee in 1926, adding a specific historical connection to the city. Together, the collections, tour, rides and theater offer a range of cultural points of interest to consider when planning a trip.

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