Walking Tours

Along Came Nappanee

Nappanee was established when the B&O bypassed Locke and added the railroad 3 miles south. Soon businesses and people started to migrate from Locke to Nappanee. This tour explores the two villages, the businesses, and the people.

Duration: 1 hour
Date: June 1
Times: 10:00 am and 5:30 pm
Starting location: Nappanee Public Library, 157 North Main Street.

• Registration is mandatory and can be achieved by emailing nappaneehistory@nappaneelibrary.org or call 574-773-7919 to reserve your spot (space is limited to 8 people)
• Meet inside of the Library. There will be signs that direct you where to meet.
• Virtual Tour

Cruisin’ around Nappanee

Downtown Nappanee has been home to many car dealerships, and garages. Learn more about the businesses and mechanics that helped fine-tune Nappanee’s rich automotive history.

Duration: 1 hour
Date: June 29
Times: 10:00 am and 5:30 pm
Starting location: Nappanee Public Library, 157 North Main Street.

• Registration is mandatory and can be achieved by emailing nappaneehistory@nappaneelibrary.org or call 574-773-7919 to reserve your spot (space is limited to 8 people)
• Meet inside of the Library. There will be signs that direct you where to meet.
• Virtual Tour

Nappanee Eats!

This tour will highlight the restaurants and food stores that have been in Nappanee throughout the years. From Stoops Bakery and Restaurant to the B&B, learn more about the eating establishments of years past.

Duration: 1 hour
Date: June 2
Times: 10:00 am and 5:30 pm
Starting location: Nappanee Public Library, 157 North Main Street.

• Registration is mandatory and can be achieved by emailing nappaneehistory@nappaneelibrary.org or call 574-773-7919 to reserve your spot (space is limited to 8 people)
• Meet inside of the Library. There will be signs that direct you where to meet.
• Virtual Tour

Retail in Nappanee

Downtown was once full of General stores, Hardware stores, and many more retail places. Learn more about the general store that at one time was the largest in Elkhart County and why a furniture store would also be an undertaking business.

Duration: 1 hour
Dates: Thursday, June 15
Times: 10:00 am and 5:30 pm
Starting location: Nappanee Public Library

• Registration is mandatory and can be achieved by emailing nappaneehistory@nappaneelibrary.org or call 574-773-7919 to reserve your spot (space is limited to 8 people)
• Meet inside of the Library. There will be signs that direct you where to meet.

Homes of the Kitchen Industry

A guide will lead you through the Historic East District. Admire the homes from the street and learn more about the men who built them. Participants will have the opportunity to go inside the Frank and Katherine Coppes Home.

Participants will be able to enter the Frank and Katherine Coppes home.

Duration: 1 hour
Date: June 16
Times: 10:00 am and 5:30 pm
Starting location: Nappanee Public Library, 157 North Main Street.

• Registration is mandatory and can be achieved by emailing nappaneehistory@nappaneelibrary.org or call 574-773-7919 to reserve your spot (space is limited to 8 people)
• Meet inside of the Library.
• Virtual Tour

Demolition, Destruction, and Revitalization

Duration: 1 hour
Nappanee’s downtown has seen many different looks and businesses over the years. This tour explores the town’s transformation, old businesses and buildings, and the Nappanee Fire department.

• Virtual Tour

Entrepreneurs, Pioneers, and Trailblazers

Duration: 1 hour
Explore the history of the oldest family-owned jewelry store, the bakery, Nappanee’s very own telephone company, Elkhart County’s largest general store, and Nappanee’s first hotel. Learn about the men and women who owned and operated them.

• Virtual Tour

The Architecture of Henry Frazier

Duration: 1 hour
Learn more about the gentleman who designed many of the downtown, homes, and many factories in Nappanee! The tour will include an inside look at the Frank and Katherine Coppes home.

• Virtual Tour

Innovation in Nappanee

Duration: 1 hour
Nappanee is a place of thinkers, tinkers, and inventors. Innovation in Nappanee walks you through the downtown area, where Nappanee residents were creating things that we still use today, some that are now well-loved collectibles.

• Virtual Tour

Plays, Opera, Fables, and Frolic

Duration: 1 hour
Plays, Opera, Fables, and Frolic takes you on a tour of the entertainment in Nappanee in the late 1800s and early 1900s. Learn about the Fairy Theater, The Auditorium, the Community Building, and all of the different halls that were at the center of Nappanee’s entertainment industry.

• Virtual Tour