Welcome to Pennsylvania Dutch Country
Lancaster County and the broader space between Reading and the Susquehanna River is the center of the so-called Pennsylvania Dutch community. The term refers to myriad religious orders and cultures of Germanic roots (Deutsch – mistakenly anglicized to Dutch) who have lived here since the 18th century; Amish, Mennonites and German Baptist (Brethren) are the best known. One common cultural thread: all are devoted to various degrees of low-tech plain living.
Top experiences in Pennsylvania Dutch Country
Pennsylvania Dutch Country activities
Amish Experience SuperSaver Package
The Amish Experience at Plain & Fancy Farm SuperSaver package is the best way to see it all. It also includes a free buggy ride voucher and bonus Amish cookbook to commemorate your visit! Amish Farmlands TourSince 1959, the cornerstone of “The Amish Experience” has been the Amish Farmlands Tour, taking you deep into the heart of the oldest Amish community in the world. Our certified Amish Country Tour guide answers your questions while calling your attention to the fascinating sights we may observe along the way: spring plowing, children playing, making hay. When you join us on one of our air-conditioned 14-passenger mini-shuttles, you’ll experience a sense of the work and family ethics that continue to mark the Amish way of life. Witness spectacular panoramas of patchwork farms unparalleled in their beauty, still farmed with horses and mules. Roadside stands, bake shops, or a visit to a craft or quilt shop on an Amish farm are among the unique happenings that may be enjoyed on your 90-minute Farmlands tour. Plain & Fancy Theater “Compelling” best describes the emotional story of “Jacob’s Choice,” told through the everyday lives of the Fishers, an Old Order Amish family of today. Witness Jacob’s struggle in choosing the Amish church, or leaving behind family and community for the allure of the modern world. Experience the horrendous religious persecution of their forefathers and take part in the perilous voyage to America, all magically heightened by wind, rain, smoke, fire, ghostly and other live effects that thrill the senses. Jacob’s challenges with faith, tradition, and loved ones in a fast-changing world is a story that touches each of us in a poignant and memorable way. More than any other Amish attraction, “Jacob’s Choice” will leave you with an understanding of what it means to be Amish, and the ties that continue to bind the community together. Amish House and One-Room SchoolThe Amish Country Homestead is a reflection of our commitment to accurately and sensitively portray the Old Order Amish as they live and work in today’s world. The Homestead is the home of the fictional Amish family of Daniel and Lizzie Fisher, whom you have gotten to know in the Theater’s “Jacob’s Choice.” Inside the Homestead, we learn of Amish traditions and practices, plain clothing and life without electricity. The One-Room School is attached to the house and filled with authentic desks and furnishings from an actual Amish school. Here, you’ll learn the tradition of teaching eight grades in one room. From the pantry full of freshly canned vegetables to the family’s plain clothes; from propane-powered lamps to air-compressor driven appliances- the Fisher Family Homestead provides insights into the complex riddles of a culture so very different from our own.
Lancaster County 3-Hour Hot Air Balloon Ride, Champagne Toast
Become part of the scenery and take an amazing journey in a hot air balloon over beautiful Lancaster County. The experience begins before the flight! Arrive at the launch site and interact with the crew and help to assemble the balloon. Be sure to bring your camera as all of our crew people are excellent photographers and there will be many opportunities for photos!Board your hot air balloon in Bird in Hand, and spend an hour taking in the rural sites of Intercourse, New Holland, Strasburg, Ephrata, and the Reading skyline.Upon landing, you will ride back to the launch site in our comfortable, air conditioned van. After arriving, you'll join the pilot and crew for a traditional champagne toast and a light snack. You will receive a flight certificate suitable for framing along with photos and a packet of special offers.
Hershey VIP Private Wine Tour with Lunch
Your personal chauffeur will arrive at 11:00 am at a pick up you choose in Hershey, PA with your souvenir glasses, souvenir wine bags, a bottle of wine, souvenir corkscrew and Panera Signature bagged lunches.The wineries and tasting rooms we visit will vary based on the day of week and time of year. We guarantee visiting at least 3 locations, but if time allows, 4 locations will be visited.All of the locations we visit are within a 30-minute drive of each other and you will spend between 45 minutes to 1 hour 15 minutes at each location. Your chauffeur will walk into each location with you and introduce you to the staff member who will be conducting your tasting that day. The chauffeur will also be your personal time keeper, reminding you of the times you need to depart in order to be on time for your next tasting.Each tour will offer 1 enhanced experience, which includes a tour of the vineyard or production center, and a flight of 6 current released wines paired with cheeses, chocolates, fruits, and crackers.WHAT’S INCLUDED? 5-Hour Limousine transportation Tasting fees at 3 or 4 wineries/tasting rooms, including the enhanced experience at 1 location Panera Signature bagged lunches Souvenir wine glasses Souvenir corkscrew One bottle of wine Souvenir wine cooler bags Possible Locations ADAMS VINTNERS ARMSTRONG VALLEY VINEYARD AND WINERY BROAD MOUNTAIN VINEYARD BUDDY BOY WINERY AND VINEYARD CASSEL VINEYARDS OF HERSHEY CULLARI VINEYARDS & WINERY HUMMINGBIRD RIDGE WINERY THE WINERY AT HUNTERS VALLEY MOON DANCER VINEYARD AND WINERY MOUNT HOPE ESTATE & WINERY NISSLEY VINEYARDS AND WINERY ESTATE TAMANEND WINERY THE VINEYARD AT GRANDVIEW THE VINEYARD AT HERSHEY
James Buchanan's Wheatland Admission Tickets
Costumed guides conduct tours of the historic mansion of the 15th President of the United States, James Buchanan. The substantial brick house at Wheatland consists of a Federal-style two and one-half story central section flanked by three-story wings. The main block of the building contains a central hall with two matching rooms on either side; there are 17 rooms in all. A Doric-columned porch dominates the front of the main section of the house. Few changes have occurred over the years except for some interior improvements made by Buchanan. These included installation of a furnace and central heating, replacement of the open hearth in the kitchen by a cast-iron stove, and the addition of such modern conveniences as a tin bathtub.
Yuletide at Wheatland General Admission
Yuletide at Wheatland is an annual, holiday-themed program at President James Buchanan's Wheatland. Each year there is a different theme, commonly centered around the history of Wheatland, its inhabitants, or the time period in which they lived. At Yuletide at Wheatland, visitors receive a 50 minute to 1 hour history and holiday-theme tour of the presidential mansion. This tour includes both floors. Yuletide at Wheatland ticketholders also receive admission to the self guided museum exhibitions in LancasterHistory.org main building.This year, our period rooms will take visitors from the year 1860, when President Buchanan celebrated a modest Presbyterian Christmas at Wheatland, into the late Victorian era, when Buchanan’s niece Harriet Lane Johnston owned the house and would have celebrated a classic Dickens’-style Christmas with her family, to 1920, when Wheatland was occupied by George B. Willson and his family and served as a space to celebrate a festive 20s Christmas reflective of the early-20th-century consumer culture in America.Visitors to Yuletide at Wheatland will learn about the multi-layered history of the house and its occupants while also hearing about changing Christmas celebrations over the course of 60 years in America.
Harrisburg Wine Country VIP Private Wine Tour with Lunch
Your personal chauffeur will arrive at 11:00 am at a pick up you choose in Harrisburg, PA with your souvenir glasses, souvenir wine bags, a bottle of wine, souvenir corkscrew and Panera Signature bagged lunches.The wineries and tasting rooms you visit will vary based on the day of week and time of year. You are guaranteed to visit at least 3 locations, but if time allows, 4 locations will be visited.All of the locations you will visit are within a 30-minute drive of each other and you will spend between 45 minutes to 1 hour 15 minutes at each location. Your chauffeur will walk into each location with you and introduce you to the staff member who will be conducting your tasting that day. The chauffeur will also be your personal time keeper, reminding you of the times you need to depart in order to be on time for your next tasting.Each tour will offer 1 enhanced experience, which includes a tour of the vineyard or production center, and a flight of 6 current released wines paired with cheeses, chocolates, fruits, and crackers.WHAT’S INCLUDED? 5-Hour Limousine transportation Tasting fees at 3 or 4 wineries/tasting rooms, including the enhanced experience at 1 location Panera Signature bagged lunches Souvenir wine glasses Souvenir corkscrew One bottle of wine Souvenir wine cooler bags Possible Locations ADAMS VINTNERS ARMSTRONG VALLEY VINEYARD AND WINERY BROAD MOUNTAIN VINEYARD BUDDY BOY WINERY AND VINEYARD CASSEL VINEYARDS OF HERSHEY CULLARI VINEYARDS & WINERY HUMMINGBIRD RIDGE WINERY THE WINERY AT HUNTERS VALLEY MOON DANCER VINEYARD AND WINERY MOUNT HOPE ESTATE & WINERY NISSLEY VINEYARDS AND WINERY ESTATE TAMANEND WINERY THE VINEYARD AT GRANDVIEW THE VINEYARD AT HERSHEY