Things to Do in Lancaster, PA

[scoochie75]

I will be traveling to Lancaster with my mother (65) and three children (7, 4, 1) for 2 days over spring break (April 6-7) - anyone have recommendations for things to do while we are there? My mother has always wanted to go to Amish country but I need to be able to entertain mainly the 1 year old b/c he is a handful. I know that Dutch Wonderland is not open yet so that is out. Figured I would go to Strasburg Railroad but looking for ideas for activities and dining. We are staying at Willow Valley Resort. Thanks in advance!

 

[FutrImagineer]

Sadly, I'm not as familiar with Lancaster as I should be (I live in Central PA), but a good source to check out would be old episode guides for Jon and Kate Plus 8. They took their kids to so many cool places in and around Lancaster. You should go to TLC and check out the series website.

Good luck planning!

 

[shoney]

There is the railroad...an actual trip on a train and a train museum. The actual train museum is cool...walk on train cars and then a playroom. There is also a Toy Train museum and that has a small room with train layouts. There are buttons to press that make things move. I think great for weee lil' ones, but my boys were bored in 15 minutes, making the 5 or 6 dollar admission per person quite expensive. I really recommend the hands on house...children's museum..great fun for the lil' ones...I'd say 5 or 6 and under. Be careful the area is full of tourist traps. You might want to drive a half an hour and go to the Hershey Chocolate Factory...the ride is free, but you can spend a fortune on stuff, food and treats. From what I read, the hotel you are staying at has activities and a pool, so budget some time to enjoy it.

 

[safetymom]

The Strasburg Railroad is something you should do.

 

[omghidanielle]

Hershey, PA is about 45 minutes away from Lancaster.

The park won't be open, but the chocolate factory will be!

Also, you can eat at Shady Maple
http://www.shady-maple.com/

(I have a mild obsession with Amish breakfasts)

 

[ElleBelle]

We live only about 20 minutes outside of that area. The absolute BEST dining experience you could have is at Shady Maple Smorgasbord (they have a website)-- more food (good and ALL homemade) than you have probably ever seen in one place at one time. <ETA: just read the above post, sorry to repeat, but it's really THAT good... DH and I eat and do our grocery shopping there (yes, there's even a grocery store on property THAT'S how big the place is...) almost every week.> Another good place is Good and Plenty restaurant... family style food.

Kitchen Kettle Village is a fun stop, and takes up about 1/2 of a day. The kids will love the petting zoo area and carriage rides. There's always the Lancaster (Rockvale) outlets... Also great is the theater "Sight and Sound" to see a Broadway quality (but non-musical) play. Hershey is very close as well.

 

[krier32]

Some things for you to do:

Hershey Park - www.hersheypark.com
Strasburg Railroad - www.strasburgrailroad.com
Railroad Museum of PA - www.rrmuseumpa.org
National Toy Train Museum - nttmuseum.org
The Choo-Choo Barn - www.choochoobarn.com
Dutch Wonderland - www.dutchwonderland.com

There are also tons of outlets to go shopping at. Here is the tourist site for the area:

www.padutchcountry.com

 

[mommyrom]

There is a great children's museum not far outside of Lancaster...Called the Hands on Museum...Towards Ephrata off Oregon Pike, I believe...Just went there last month and our kids (10, 7, 5 and 10 months) all enjoyed the stop. Also, if you are in that vicinity, look for the Oregon Dairy restaurant. We dined there twice over a short stay and it is very good, as well as the Bird in Hand Restaurant in Bird in Hand village.

As already mentioned, Kitchen Kettle Village is a nice stop. Be sure to hit the jelly/jam shop...Lots of yummy free samples and kiddos can decorate their own cookies, too! Have fun!

P.S. Not overly impressed with it, but there is a Disney Outlet in Rockvale Square outlets, just FYI!

 

[Kelliroo3]

I go to school at Millersville Univ. There's the 2 outlet centers, park city mall, dutch wonderland, cici's pizza buffet, sonic drive in, sight and sound theatre, american music theatre, national christmas center (largest xmas museum in the world)....

 

[scoochie75]

Wow thanks so much for all the recommendations - my oldest has a severe peanut allergy so I will call ahead to the restaurant that so many of you mentioned and see if he can eat there. I am off to look up info on everything above!!! Thanks again

Oh - also how is the Central Market on Tuesday mornings - is it something worth stopping at?

 

[ryanshana]

Also, you can eat at Shady Maple
http://www.shady-maple.com/

(I have a mild obsession with Amish breakfasts)

I share this posters obsession shady maple is SOOOOO good...Go to there website b4 you leave there is usually a coupon on their website!

Strasburg railroad is awesome!

 

[Halbleib1]

This is the last year for the current Easter show at Sight and Sound. They will have a different show next year.

You can check out the Amish Farm on route 30. There is also an Amish house out past the outlets and toward Strasburg. There are signs for it or look them up on the internet. You can also google Lancaster County tourism and find a lot of information.

 

[GraysMom]

I go to school at Millersville Univ. There's the 2 outlet centers, park city mall, dutch wonderland, cici's pizza buffet, sonic drive in, sight and sound theatre, american music theatre, national christmas center (largest xmas museum in the world)....

Hi Kelliroo3 . My DH and I both graduated from MU back in the mid 90's. We love it there and still go back to visit. Go Marauders !

On topic for this thread, you can also have lunch while on your train ride at Strasburg. Restaurant.com has gift certificates for the lunch rides, if they have a good code out, you might consider getting one (I think it's only one per party according to the ones we have).

The train museum is very cool. DS4 LOVED it, but he's a train maniac . It is a little pricey ($12 for adults and ?$8? for kids, I think) but very neat. It's also unheated, so be prepared with the appropriate jackets and such, since it does get chilly in there.

If you have a train enthusiast in your group, and you want to check out some train/Thomas the Tank merchandise, there is a store at Rockvale Outlets (I believe it's called the Strasburg RR store) that has a nice selection-but not outlet prices, unfortunately. There is also a playscape for the kids to play on and burn off energy, by the Carter's outlet (at the end near Cracker Barrel).

I HIGHLY recommend the homemade ice cream at the Strasburg General Store. It is very yummy. The store is right at the main intersection in Strasburg, on Rte 741, where you turn left to go towards the RR stuff.

 

[stitchlovestink]

We live only about 20 minutes outside of that area. The absolute BEST dining experience you could have is at Shady Maple Smorgasbord (they have a website)-- more food (good and ALL homemade) than you have probably ever seen in one place at one time. <ETA: just read the above post, sorry to repeat, but it's really THAT good... DH and I eat and do our grocery shopping there (yes, there's even a grocery store on property THAT'S how big the place is...) almost every week.> Another good place is Good and Plenty restaurant... family style food.

LOVE LOVE LOVE to eat at Shady Maple!!! We were just there 2 weeks ago. I also like to stop in their grocery store. Their jumbo eggs ALWAYS have double yolks. I know not very heart healthy , But a very special treat when we have Bfast for dinner.

Kitchen Kettle Village is a fun stop, and takes up about 1/2 of a day. The kids will love the petting zoo area and carriage rides. There's always the Lancaster (Rockvale) outlets... Also great is the theater "Sight and Sound" to see a Broadway quality (but non-musical) play. Hershey is very close as well.

We did an Amish Buggy tour (it was about an hour long) from Kitchen Kettle village. We had an old order Amish man. He was 78 and his last name was Stoltzfuss (sp?). He was very nice and informative about the cultures of the Amish. I course I've always been fascinated w/ them and have lots of questions based on what I'd read about the lifestyle. It was very fun though.

 

[Kycha]

Okay, lets see. Some things that haven't been mentioned yet are:
The Hole in the Wall Puppet Theater(fun for all ages)...right now they are performing "Here Comes Peter Cottontail"
The new Lancaster Science Factory...the new exhibit is K'Nex: Building Thrill Rides...you get to build your own if you want

Plus, with the Easter holiday approaching, I'm sure there will be all kinds of activities to do. I'll check in this Sunday's paper of upcoming activities.

There is a great children's museum not far outside of Lancaster...Called the Hands on Museum...Towards Ephrata off Oregon Pike, I believe...Just went there last month and our kids (10, 7, 5 and 10 months) all enjoyed the stop. Also, if you are in that vicinity, look for the Oregon Dairy restaurant. We dined there twice over a short stay and it is very good, as well as the Bird in Hand Restaurant in Bird in Hand village.

Here is the link for the Hands on House.
Oregon Dairy also has a petting zoo and the Ice Cream Shoppe is a must stop.

Oh - also how is the Central Market on Tuesday mornings - is it something worth stopping at?

Oh, absolutely! Fresh made whoopie pies and shoo fly pie. Yummy! It's always best to get there early.

 

[andrews_dad]

Hershey Park opens April 10th for Springtime in the Park. Reduced rate since the water rides are not open. I think you can even more discount by buying at Giant Food Stores.

 

[puffkin]

Hands on House is fun, as is the Strasburg railroad. The Strasburg Ice Cream shop is good too, and they also serve light meals there as well. I have never been, but I have relatives who adore Sight and Sound theater. It does look like a pretty neat place.

I am not a huge fan of Shady Maple Food (or the crowds), but I love the gift shop there. It is HUGE!

 

[Conway733]

I live in Lancaster and a new place for kids opened not too long ago called the Lancaster Science Factory. You can google it and look at their website. It looks like a fun place for kids!

I too recommened going to Hershey and visiting Chocolate World. The actualy ride is free...and you get a piece of candy when you exit.

The Strasburg Railroad is also a nice place to visit.

I also recommend visiting the Central Market in downtown Lancaster. It is open on Tues, Fri and Sat.

If you have any other questions, just ask. We always are doing "touristy" things when our relatives visit.

 

[cybrkitn]

My family and I are trying to plan a trip there at the end of June. You can try these websites. They have helped my family every time we plan our trips to Lancaster.

http://www.800padutch.com/mem-att.shtml
http://www.lancasterpa.com/

Have fun!

 

[tazdev3225]

I have to put another thumbs up for Shady Maple and Kitchen Kettle Village. I take my grandkids there and they love it. Go to the Lapp Valley Farm for ice cream. There are cows that the kids can pet and absolutely the best ice cream ever. They make the ice cream with the milk from their cows. Just watch out for speed limit signs. The speed limit will drop to 25mph suddenly. My mom got caught in a speed trap in Strasburg on Wednesday on the way to her uncle's funeral. The cop did let her go but I noticed the trap on our way home.