Anyone been to Strasburg, PA? Advice?

[shmoogrrrl]

We are going to Strasburg, PA this weekend for a short getaway. We will be spending most of Friday and all of Saturday seeing Thomas the Tank Engine and the other "train related" things that are down there.
We are staying at the Historic Strasburg Inn, which has been renamed the Netherlands Inn. I have NO idea why t was renamed and although it looks like a nice place on the web, I'm hoping it is in person too!

Anyway, Saturday night and Sunday, my husband has promised that we can do some things that I might enjoy. While I am interested in the History that can be found by looking in train museums, trains are my husband's thing, and lately my daughter's too. The question is, "what should we do?"

I know there are outlets there, but most of the outlets there are also around here, so that isn't too exciting. What else shouldn't be missed? Any Amish farms to tour or buggy rides? Keep in mind that my daughter is two-years-old, so we are limited to what we can do with her.

What about restaurants around there? Anywhere we should try not to miss?

 

[OceanAnnie]

I'm curious about Strasburg, PA too!

 

[Mskanga]

You may want to check this out, Stroudsburg is in the Pocono Mountains anyway.

http://www.800poconos.com/

Hope it helps.

 

[DebbieR]

We've been to Strasburg many times and stayed at the Strasburg Inn once or twice. It was very nice. We were lucky enough to be in the original building. The room was furnished with antiques and quilts.

One great place online for information is 800padutch.com
And when you get there, pick up one of their magazines (Lancaster County Map and Vacation Guide). It also has tons of info.

Some of our favorites: Sight & Sound Theatre, Kitchen Kettle Village, Strasburg Railroad for a train ride

Our favorite restaurants are Bird-In-Hand Restaurant in Bird-in-Hand and Yoder's in New Holland. We try to avoid the "chain" restaurants.

There is an Amish Village and an Amish Home & Farm with tours. The Amish don't live in them, but they are a pretty good representation of Amish life. Several places have buggy rides.

You also may like Dutch Wonderland. It's an amusement park, but seems to be geared more for younger children.

One thing to keep in mind - check the hours that places are open. They tend to "bring in the sidewalks" around 5PM, and a lot of places are closed on Sundays.

Hope this is some help!

Debbie

 

[Melrosgirl]

I live in Lancaster County, PA (where Strasburg is). I would recommend getting to Thomas the Train very early! If it's possible to buy tickets beforehand, do so. I went once and the line was at least 90 minutes long. It was horrible and I live 15 minutes away.

Miller's Smorgasbord is great. It's on Route 30 (Lincoln Highway). Yum, but pricey...think Disney prices for a buffet without the characters, lol.

The Inn is very nice.

Don't confuse Strasburg with Stroudsburg...totally different parts of PA.

Kitchen Kettle is very nice. Closed Sundays as are many things in Amish Country.

Have fun!

 

[minniepumpernickel]

I remember an Amish style restaurant called Willow Valley. The food was really great, and it wasn't too expensive. I can't remember how to get there, though.

 

[Kallison]

Kitchen Kettle Village in Intercourse - love the Kling House. Ask to sit on the porch and watch the buggies go by.

 

[Desnik]

LOL Melrosgirl, the two places, Strasburg and Stroudsburg are two totally different places!!!!

We have been to Strasburg a few times. We went to the train museums and on the train ride. Not for Thomas the Tank Engine. We loved it. We went to all the sights in Lancaster as well. We usually combine this with our stay at Hershey park. Here are a few links to help you plan:
http://www.800padutch.com/
http://www.strasburgrailroad.com/
http://www.dutchwonderland.com/

 

[luvmarypoppins]

Another vote for Millers Smorgashboard. Right down the road from there are some really cute shops.

 

[izzy]

Another vote for the Bird-in-Hand Restaurant. It's right next to the Farmer's Market. (I also love their bakery across the street!)

There is a neat little store in Strasburg where you can get sandwiches and ice cream. (I can't remember the name of it - help, somebody! As you drive from Rt. 30 into Strasburg, you take a right at the light and it's on that block.) You can get soup in a bread bowl there, and they also make the lemonade from scratch. Yum!

 

[Mskanga]

Sorry but I thought you meant Stroudsburg, way too many times people misspell the name , I didn't know there was a Strasburg either

 

[HollyJoy]

Definately take a ride on the Strasburg railroad. Very fun! There are lots of Omish tours and Markets, and if you venture into Lancaster, you'll find even more!!

 

[Steffy]

The ice cream parlor is at the intersection of 896 and Main Street of Strasburg, the same road that Thomas the Train Engine is on, just follow that road west.

The best ice cream in the world. Homemade ice cream. Great sandwiches. They make their own waffles for waffle cones. Yum.http://www.strasburg.com/index3.html?top=Creamery&body=main3.html

I love that place....

 

[OceanAnnie]

Hey guys! Thanks for the information!

 

[Realgrumpy]

We just got back from Strasburg. We did the Day out with Thomas. It was great. You should go to the Choo Choo Barn. It is a small shop, but in back is a huge model train system, all set up like Lancaster. It is amazing. Upstairs is a Thomas the train shop. I wouldn't buy anything there, though, because there are tents set up at the Strasburg railroad, and a lot of the stuff was less expesive there. There is also a place where you can get your picture with Sir Topham Hat. It was a lot of fun. We ate at Good n Plenty, which is a family style restaurant. Kind of different, sitting at a table with different people. It's something you have to do at least once. My son is 2 1/2 and he loved it. Have fun.

Oh, one other thing, Dutch Wonderland. We didn't go, but it looked cute. It is a small amusement park. I believe most of the rides are for small children. It is especially good because like the other posters said, everything closes early there, but Dutch Wonderland is opened till about ten o clock.

 

[Kallison]

Oh ya Dutch Wonderland is great for little kids. We used to take my kids there every year.

 

[adamak]

I got married in the Historic Strasburg Inn ! I have no idea it has renamed. Love it, esp their breakfast. But I have no idea what to do as a tourist. We go back to Lancaster very often. DH's family lives there (Bird in Hand to be exact). Melrosgirl, what a small world.

 

[Figment22]

You are going to have a great time! My kids loved the Strasburg RR, Choo Choo Barn, etc. For other attractions, restaurants:

Abe's Buggy Rides was terrific. The kids had a great time riding in an Amish buggy (and so did the grown ups ) I remember them having some small animals for the kids too. Here's a link:

http://www.800padutch.com/abes.html

We also enjoyed the Sturgis Pretzel House which is not a great big factory but a small old fashioned pretzel bakery. You learn how to twist your own pretzels and even get a pretzel twister certificate. It was enjoyable for all. They were great with kids. Here's a link:

http://www.sturgispretzel.com/

As for restaurants, I have two recommendations: Good and Plenty, (which has been mentioned once already). This is family style PA Dutch cooking. Very good. Be sure to have the noodles. They were delicious. Here's a link:

http://www.goodnplenty.com/

And I've saved my absolute favorite for last. This one is not as close as some of the other places mentioned but is well worth the extra drive. It is called the Shady Maple Smorgasbord and is the most amazing buffet I've ever seen. The food was wonderful. I HIGHLY recommend them. Here's their website:

http://www.shady-maple.com/smorgasbord.htm

The one thing that you should be aware of is that most restaurants in PA Dutch country are closed on Sunday. I think Miller's (that others have mentioned) may be the exception to that rule but in my experience they were higher in price and not nearly as good as Shady Maple. You may end up having to stick with national chain type restaurants on Sunday. There are plenty of these in Lancaster.

Have a wonderful weekend.

 

[sunni]

We were there several years ago when my son was your DS's age. We enjoyed riding the Strasburg Railroad.

We took a short drive to the Sturgis Pretzel factory also, and the kids had fun with that.

My favorite place to go is the Bird-in-Hand Bakery. They have a Raspberry filled cookie that I love. And if you've never tried Shoofly pie before this is a good place to get some. They also have delicious Apple Dumplings.