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Summary
- Most Amish churches discourage or forbid trips to amusement parks and similar commercial entertainment.
- The Ordnung of each church district applies the biblical principle of separation from the world, drawn from passages such as Romans 12:2 and 1 John 2:15, to leisure activities.
- The Van Rider’s Handbook, an unofficial guide for Amish passengers, lists amusement trips among the reasons not to hire a driver.
- Some Amish families do visit such places, and recreation is increasing among more progressive families.
- Most Amish recreation is local and outdoors: fishing, hunting, skating, sledding, softball, volleyball, singings and frolics.
Bibliography (Click to show)
- Scripture quotations from the King James Version (Romans 12:2; 1 John 2:15).
- Young Center for Anabaptist and Pietist Studies, Elizabethtown College, “Leisure.” https://groups.etown.edu/amishstudies/cultural-practices/leisure/
- Young Center for Anabaptist and Pietist Studies, “Regulations.” https://groups.etown.edu/amishstudies/cultural-practices/regulations/
- Young Center for Anabaptist and Pietist Studies, “Rumspringa.” https://groups.etown.edu/amishstudies/cultural-practices/rumspringa/
- Young Center for Anabaptist and Pietist Studies, “Frequently Asked Questions.” https://groups.etown.edu/amishstudies/frequently-asked-questions/
- Amish America, “Do Amish go on vacation?” August 23, 2010. https://amishamerica.com/do-amish-go-on-vacation/
- Haley Straw, “Amish Taxi Driving: When The Rules Get Bent – Or Broken,” Amish America, October 23, 2025, with the author’s reply of October 27, 2025 on the handbook’s origin. https://amishamerica.com/amish-taxi-driving-when-the-rules-get-bent-or-broken/
