Lancaster, PA might not be the first place you think of when deciding on your dream vacation. I could say, definitively, after visiting the area multiple times, it shouldn’t be. Now that I have been three times, I think I have had all I can take. Admittedly, my visits to Lancaster were not for fun, but rather business trips. Although I am not sure that changes my perspective. It is probably a good thing I went for work, for all the travelling I do, it never dawned on me to visit Amish country. Given, I want to see everything, this afforded me the opportunity. It is funny how you don’t have to look far to see a whole different style of living. I am used to going to other continents to find different cultures, not realizing a 55-minute plane trip could have the same affect.
Take out the Amish and Lancaster just feels like any other country town, with not much to keep yourself entertained. I know Hershey Park is fairly close, about a 45-minute ride. You can also take a road trip to Philadelphia, which is around an hour and 20 minutes away. I have yet to do either of these things, but as a child I did both. I travel to Lancaster for work, whatever fun I have is in the immediate area. Below are my observations, both good and bad of Lancaster, PA.
The Area Is Very Beautiful
Driving from the Harrisburg airport to Lancaster, I must say the area is very nice. Farm houses, limited power lines (the Amish don’t use much electricity), and rolling hills are what I noticed first. It is peaceful driving around the county. There seems to be an ample supply of petting zoos and small markets stores selling T-Shirts and trinkets. A lot of the town has a very old-timey feel, although there are a lot of stretches of commercialized property.
Lancaster, PA is Somewhat Boring
I keep going for work, so I am not here to be entertained, but I must say it isn’t the best place to be stuck in for a week at a time. Outside of visiting an Amish farm or taking a buggy ride, there isn’t a whole lot to do in the area. The town seems to be stuck in two separate time warps. One that was in the 1800’s, where many of the Amish live, the other is the 1980’s.
The supermarkets there are terrible, at least the ones I visited. The town also still has the old school Walmart’s that look like Kmart’s. Hell, they didn’t even sell beer in the Walmart. Even if I wanted to be entertained by an Amish farm, it would be difficult, as they all close so early. Lastly, everything seems like a trek to get to, I would just as soon hang out in my hotel room. Better than driving minutes and dodging horse-drawn buggies.
Amish Restaurants are Great
All that said, I did venture out to try the food in certain areas. I will risk banging up a rental for the right meal. If I am going to be stuck in Lancaster I am going to find what is unique to the area. I went to two separate Amish restaurants and had a good experience with both. First, I hit Good and Plenty, a restaurant with two dining options.
I could have tried the “family style” which is basically all you can eat or just order from the menu. Instead, I ordered from the menu and I was not disappointed. To start, they bring out “fresh baked bread” which was just white bread slices. It came with apple butter and whipped butter. You can get me to eat an old shoe if it had enough of their apple butter on it, so their generic white bread didn’t last long…
I ordered the fried chicken, the chow chow (which is sweet pickled vegetables) and finished my meal off with some Shoo Fly Pie. I never had Shoo Fly Pie, for those of you who don’t know what it is I would rename it Gateway to Diabetes. It is pretty much a crumbly crust filled with straight molasses. To this day I can’t decide if I liked or hated it. I need to try it again…
Bird-in-Hand Family Restaurant & Smorgasbord
The other Amish restaurant I went to was the Bird-in-Hand Family Restaurant & Smorgasbord, which was also delicious. Apparently, most of the Amish restaurants have buffets, because a quick Google search and there are at least five of them. Once again, I decided on the sit down menu, although I did go to the salad bar. One of the stranger items on the menu is shown below. No, I didn’t castrate Rudolph, those are red beet eggs, and while they taste as good as they look, I will not be going back for them. The turkey (see above) on the other hand was delicious. It was so fresh I think I passed him on the way into the restaurant. The meal was complete with cranberry sauce and “filling”, which is another name for stuffing. It was Thanksgiving in July minus the beer, football and obnoxious relatives.
One disappointing item I discovered had nothing to do with the Amish. I had a theory that since I was so close to Philly, the cheesesteaks must be great. That theory was way off base, the picture below shows a sauce filled, soggy mess. The bread was nothing special and it didn’t have nearly enough cheese. Overall it is entirely possible to gain 5 LBS in a week there if you like country cooking and baked goods, just stay clear of the cheesesteaks.
The Amish Themselves are Varied and Every Where
I am not sure what I expected, but I certainly didn’t expect to be driving down roads with a horse and buggy behind me. If you hate bikers, you will despise the Amish buggies. They are all over the road and seem to be a bit of a hazard. I find it funny they don’t drive cars, but the technology that built the roads is A-OK.
In reality there are about 30 different types of Amish, from the strictest sects to the Mennonites who actually drive cars and have cell phones. It was eye opening for me to see someone in Amish gear with a smart phone, but that is why I like to travel, to learn about other places and people.
Other Attractions
There are other things to do in the area besides eat that I did not try. They have a bunch of breweries, such as Benford Brewing Company. Living in North Carolina I have had my fill of breweries. There are also a lot of parks that add to the area. Lastly, there is an amusement park called Dutch Wonderland. I thought about going then I realized I wanted to live, so I changed my mind. Driving past it at night, it looked like a place where serial killers go for a conference. I would choose to take the 40-minute drive to Hersey, but that is just me.
Final Thoughts on Lancaster, PA
I, by no means think you should plan a trip to Amish country as a primary vacation. If, however you are close to the area, in Philly or Hershey Park make your way to an Amish farm. Our country is so varied, with so many different cultures it is a good idea to see as many of them as possible. Have a slice of Shoo Fly Pie, eat some turkey and learn how people live without cell phones. I personally think I have had my fill, but that isn’t my choice. I will be back multiple times for work…Lancaster, PA gives you the opportunity to see a different side to our country, which makes it worth a quick visit…
