Going to PA Dutch in May...HELP

[winniedapooh]

Please all of my DIStravelers who have been to PA Dutch Country before. The last time I was there was 19 years ago and basically drove through with my Mom. This time DH and I are going with our 3 daughters...25, 18, and 9.

We want to stay in the Lancaster PA area. We will need one or two rooms for 5 of us. We want to drive around a bit and see the stores, the sites, the gardens, the hand made items. Maybe head over to the outlets down there--I believe they still have a Disney outlet?? We will also go to Hershey to see the factory, not the park though.

Ready, set, go...your best hotels and/or sites in the area that you may suggest. Thanks so much in advance!

 

[gracie1]

Please all of my DIStravelers who have been to PA Dutch Country before. The last time I was there was 19 years ago and basically drove through with my Mom. This time DH and I are going with our 3 daughters...25, 18, and 9.

We want to stay in the Lancaster PA area. We will need one or two rooms for 5 of us. We want to drive around a bit and see the stores, the sites, the gardens, the hand made items. Maybe head over to the outlets down there--I believe they still have a Disney outlet?? We will also go to Hershey to see the factory, not the park though.

Ready, set, go...your best hotels and/or sites in the area that you may suggest. Thanks so much in advance!

Take a look at the Kitchen Kettle village - they have a website and there is an inn right on property that has 2 bedrooms and living room - prices very reasonable. Then there's the kitchen kettle village right out back that has shops and goodies! Down the street there are different places that have the horse and buggy rides - you definitely want to do that. Then you should try shady maple smorgasbord- it's not right in town but the food is phenomenal!! Really I've had no bad food in lancaster!! There's also some tour groups that will take you to the old school houses and things like that. I always liked just driving around and seeing what I found on the back roads! Google lancaster pa and you can go on their website to see all the different places. There's also the cannery where you can buy canned goods!

 

[TaraPA]

There IS a Disney outlet at the Hershey outlets, right next to the park/Chocolate World.

 

[jiminy14]

There is also a Disney outlet in the Rockvale outlet center in Lancaster. The last time I was there, they had a clearance section of Disney Park merchandise including items from Disneyland.
Shady Maple is a great place to eat but I think it is closed on Sundays. You will find that quite a few of the smaller businesses are closed on Sunday.

 

[susan137]

Definitely visit Lititz, PA which is right outside of Lancaster. Great downtown with tons of quaint little shops and places to eat. You'll also want to visit Sturgis Pretzels right on the square. They are the oldest pretzel bakery in the US. Lititz has won some awards as being one of the best small towns in the US. Def worth a visit!

Enjoy your time in Central PA. It's lovely here!!

 

[amcnj]

Go to discoverlancaster.com. There is a visitor guide/map you can order or view online. I always found the map helpful.

 

[Anesthesia Fine]

The Amishview Inn, just outside Strasburg, is a lovely place to stay. When we do a weekend in PA, we'll do a day at Strasburg Railroad (check out the Choo Choo Barn, right down the road!), stay overnight at the Amishview (their free buffet breakfast is amazing), and then motor over to Hershey the next day.

 

[Arkansan]

They haven't given tours of the Hershey chocolate factory in years. You need to go to Chocolate World in Hershey (it's free, but there are some paid attractions and shopping). The ride at Chocolate World that told the story of how chocolate is made is closed for renovations. (The ride has always been one of the free parts of Choc. World.). I just googled it again before posting and the official website says it will open again in May, but no date was stated. Not sure when you are visiting, but you may be impacted by this. The trolley tour of Hershey is fun. (Additional charge). It starts at Choc. World.

You mY want to visit the Central Market in Lancaster. It is one of the first indoor markets in the country and a very historic building. Different food vendors have stalls there and there are lots of Amish vendors--bakeries, candy, etc. Try a whoopie pie--like two muffin tops with frosting/cream in between them. A bigger, more delicious Oreo.

The Lancaster outlets (there are two) are bigger and better than the ones in Hershey with a larger variety of stores. Bonus--no sales tax on clothing in PA! Most, if not all, of Hershey outlets are in Lancaster. It is nice in case your size or color is not available in one place. The outlet can check to see if it is available in the other location and you can go there to buy it.

Make sure to see the horse and buggy stalls at stores like Target and Costco. It is still fun for me to go to those stores and see a horse tied up to a hitching post in the middle of a parking lot! (They have little shelters for them, the animals aren't out in the direct sun.)

You may want to visit the Hershey Gardens near the Hotel Hershey. One thing our family enjoys is breakfast in the Circular Dining Room at the hotel. Mon-Sat it is quite casual. Sunday's are formal and much more $$$. It is still about $20/adult, but it has been beautifully restored with stained glass windows, etc. Milton Hershey hated being seated in the corner of restaurants, so when he had the hotel built he specified that the dining room be round. The original architect said it couldn't be done in the size he wanted without using columns or pillars (which would block site lines) so he hired a different architect who got the job done.

Enjoy your trip! PA is beautiful!

 

[Alexle2007]

We've spent a lot of "mini vacations" in Hershey and Lancaster as season holders to Dutch Wonderland and Hersheypark. We typically stay the Comfort Suites in Lancaster and Hummelstown. The one in Lancaster is right on the main road so close to the outlets. Our favorite restaurants are the Hershey Farm and Miller's Smorgasbord. Lancaster has two sets of outlets about a mile apart. Which I love! Strasbourg Railroad is a nice ride in the springtime. Have fun! DS is excited for Hersheypark this year since he is finally a Twizzler and will be able to get on Skyrush.

 

[luvmarypoppins]

We tried going to Kitchen Kettle Village on the week end and there was no parking. It was so crowded.

We usually go to Miller's Smorgashboard but our friends like Shady Maple better.

The Strasburg railroad ride is fun,

We did get lost on the country roads and managed to see 2 amish young men and a girl riding their open air buggy. We just rode slowly in back of them.

We also stopped at a farmers market that was at a library on a saturday and that was fun too.

Have a great trip!

 

[Anesthesia Fine]

We usually go to Miller's Smorgashboard but our friends like Shady Maple better.

We liked Shady Maple much better, too!

OH. Not sure when you're planning to go [edit: OMG. you said "May" right in the thread title. WTH, me. Sorry about that.], but if you're thinking about Strasburg or even just the Railroad Museum...make sure it's not during A Day Out With Thomas.

Trust me. Ain't nobody got time for that. (source: am survivor of three kids who went through hardcore Thomas phases.)

 

[bearzabout]

At the Lancaster Market, make sure to try the donuts and soft pretzels. The ones sold in the back by the amish vendors are the best, but you can always try multiple vendors and compare. Someone sells Zooks chicken pot pies which are the best I have ever had. They sell them frozen in the market, but you can also go to their store as well.

If you happen to visit the market in the afternoon(around 2) Shady Maple discounts their baked good by 50%. They go fast once marked down.

The market is only open a few days a week. Get there early for the best selection or late for the best deals.

Be careful on the roads at night. Driving the windy roads in the dark and coming up on an unlit buggy going a few miles an hour makes driving a challenge.

Gettysburg isn't very far away and we LOVED it. Valley Forge is beautiful also.

 

[scrapquitler]

Just be aware that if your trip includes a Sunday, a shocking number of things are totally closed on Sunday. Whenever we travel to that area, I always forget.

 

[luvmarypoppins]

Has anyone or know anyone that has eaten a meal with an Amish family? I know some hotels offer to set it up for you.

That would be something I would really love to do one day.

 

[savage1]

Definitely visit Lititz, PA which is right outside of Lancaster. Great downtown with tons of quaint little shops and places to eat. You'll also want to visit Sturgis Pretzels right on the square. They are the oldest pretzel bakery in the US. Lititz has won some awards as being one of the best small towns in the US. Def worth a visit!

Enjoy your time in Central PA. It's lovely here!!

Don't forget Wilbur Chocolate - just off the square in Lititz!

 

[NewRVLady]

Get an area map of the back roads (at Tourist bureau)-we love to ride the country roads east of Lancaster-several covered bridges AND we passed a few one room schoolhouses
we tend to LEAVE Lancaster-prefer to see the countryside
Stausburg has train rides and a FABULOUS train museum

I love Kettle Country Village-the jam/pickes/salsa "factory" has GOBS of samples

 

[jiminy14]

If you like antiques you might want to include a stop in Adamstown (about 20-25 minutes from Lancaster). Adamstown bills itself as the "Antiques Capital of the USA". There are dozens of shops and several outdoor markets. Three times a year (April, June and September) they hold an extravaganza weekend with extended hours and special discounts.

 

[mylittlebuttercup]

Please all of my DIStravelers who have been to PA Dutch Country before. The last time I was there was 19 years ago and basically drove through with my Mom. This time DH and I are going with our 3 daughters...25, 18, and 9.

We want to stay in the Lancaster PA area. We will need one or two rooms for 5 of us. We want to drive around a bit and see the stores, the sites, the gardens, the hand made items. Maybe head over to the outlets down there--I believe they still have a Disney outlet?? We will also go to Hershey to see the factory, not the park though.

Ready, set, go...your best hotels and/or sites in the area that you may suggest. Thanks so much in advance!

Love the Lancaster area! We live a little over an hour away and go there a lot. They do have a Disney outlet, but the deals aren't stellar there. Some of the other outlets have better deals.

In terms of sites, we love Dutch Wonderland, but your 9 year old might be too old for that. If you are a Christmas person (into decorations/memorabilia/etc.), the National Christmas Center is awesome and open year round. The Strasburg railroad is fun too, and they have a train museum across the street from there (Railroad Museum of Pennsylvania) that looks very promising, though I have never actually been.

You also mentioned gardens. If you are willing to drive on a day trip out from Lancaster, we have some amazing gardens and arboretum in the Philly area. My favorites are Longwood Gardens, Winterthur, and the Morris Arboretum. The Tyler Arboretum is cool too, especially for kids.

 

[Aliceacc]

I'll second Kitchen Kettle Village.

Also, try the Canning Factory across the street from it-- lots and lots of delicious samples . It's not so much a "factory" as a normal store.

I don't know whether or not this is your thing, but the shows at the Sight and Sound theater are simply wonderful! They're all religious stories, but the staging is just great!

Both Plain and Fancy and Good and Plenty are nice restaurants.

 

[winniedapooh]

Thank you all so much. Right after I typed this my daughter got rushed to the hospital and ended up having an emergency appendectomy...abscessed and ruptured! She is home now and on a boatload of meds! She is going to start reading these and helping me plan while she heals!