With evocative town names such as Bird-in-Hand and Paradise, a visit to Pennsylvania Dutch Country, just 50 miles outside Philadelphia, feels like a step back in time. Also known as Amish country, the neatly manicured farms and rolling hills welcome visitors to explore a simpler lifestyle and a surprising number of family-friendly activities.
Day One
Exploring Amish country is almost like traveling to a foreign land, so begin by immersing yourself in the culture. A great introduction to Amish heritage begins at the Amish Farm and House (717/394-6185, amishfarmandhouse.com), where you can explore a 200-year-old Amish home and farmstead with the expertise of a friendly guide who will explain Amish history, clothing and customs. With new insight into traditions, set out to explore the countryside in Amish style aboard a horse-drawn buggy with Ed’s Buggy Rides (717/687-0360, edsbuggyrides.com). You’ll journey with an Amish driver into the community, with a stop at a family farm to shop for handmade crafts and baked goods.
Pennsylvania Dutch-style cuisine is the perfect way to continue exploring the area heritage. Plain and Fancy Farm Restaurant (717/768-4400, plainandfancyfarm.com) invites hungry guests to dine family-style at long community tables. Heaping platters of chicken, buttered noodles and chow-chow are the main event, but be sure to save room for the homemade pies.
Leave your simple surroundings for the high-tech luxury of the Doubletree Resort by Hilton when it’s time to turn in for the night. Amenities including a golf course and an indoor water playground will suit every member of the family. Daily scavenger hunts, wagon rides and other family activities complete the package.
Day Two
Being a farmer for a day means waking before the sun, but it will all be worth it for the experience of hand-milking a cow to enjoy the fresh milk with breakfast. Verdant View Farm (717/687-7353, verdantview.com) offers a farmer’s apprentice program that includes milking cows, bottle-feeding calves and a wagon ride to peer into the many working functions of this century-old dairy farm. Remember that fresh milk? It will be your breakfast treat around the family table along with farm-fresh eggs – collected by you – and Amish handmade treats.
Just up the road you can visit another by-gone era at the Railroad Museum of Pennsylvania (717/687-8628, rrmuseumpa.org). The museum collection includes more than 100 historic locomotives that illustrate the history of train travel. Kids will love the Railway Education Center, where they can play with toy trains and experiment with operating the switches. If you’re hoping to ride one of the trains, hop aboard the Strasburg Railroad (717/687-7522, strasburgrailroad.com) for a roundtrip ride to nearby Paradise on an authentic steam engine.
Train travel will work up an appetite, so a stroll through Kitchen Kettle Village (717/768-8261, kitchenkettle.com) is in order. What started as a simple jam and relish shop more than 50 years ago has become a shopping and eating smorgasbord featuring 42 shops and restaurants. Sample the jams, watch hand-rolled fudge and pretzels created in country kitchens, and stroll through shops stocked with handmade goods.
Day Three
Although slow-paced fare is the hallmark of Lancaster County, kids will love the modern theme parks nearby. Dutch Wonderland (717/291-1888, dutchwonderland.com), a medieval-themed park, offers roller coasters, a water park and live shows. A live version of Thomas the Tank Engine is a big hit with little visitors to the park.
No trip to Lancaster County is complete without a trip to Hershey (717/534-4900, hersheys.com/chocolateworld), and that can mean only one thing – chocolate! Take a ride through a simulated chocolate factory and see Hershey Kiss production in action, or take a chocolate-tasting class to learn the finer points of eating the delicious treats. Don’t miss the chance to design a one-of-a-kind chocolate bar as a sweet souvenir to remember your time in Pennsylvania Dutch Country.
Published June 2013
