Three Day Itinerary for an Amazing Lancaster County PA Road Trip
My sister and I took a 3-day road trip to the Lancaster Pennsylvania area. It was in December, so it was a great get-away to do some Christmas shopping and get into the holiday spirit.
Lancaster County is the heart of Pennsylvania Dutch country, with a large Amish community, horse-drawn buggies, quaint shops of handmade goods and miles of rolling hills of gorgeous farmland.
Links are provided to each of the places listed.
Where to stay:
Red Caboose Motel at Paradise Station – This is a motel comprised of 45 REAL old-time railroad cars that have been converted to motel rooms and suites. They are actually mounted on railroad tracks. The rooms are nice and it was a cool experience to stay in one of the caboose cars. The motel is located on the Paradise Station farm in Ronks PA, which is right in the heart of Amish farm country.
Also on the property:
- Casey Jones Restaurant, a great diner-type restaurant in two converted train dining cars
- Strasburg Railroad – The Strasburg Railroad steam locomotive tour goes right next to the property and has a train stop there.
- The National Toy Train Museum
- The Barn at Paradise Station – a large event facility that hosts weddings, celebrations, concerts and other entertainment. We went in December and they had a Christmas Dinner Theater Show that was a really good time.
- A cute gift shop
- Playground and petting zoo for the kids
Click on Photo Gallery below:
Day 1
- Kitchen Kettle Village – An outdoor market of approximately 40 little shops and eateries in Intercourse PA (yes that’s the name of the town), selling everything from cookies to quilts. Including jewelry, paintings, country crafts, clothing, Amish built furniture, jams, jellies, popcorn, meats, cheeses, coffee, olive oil & vinegars, ice cream and wines. Open Mon-Sat 9am-5pm.
- Bird in Hand Farmer’s Market – A large very good indoor farmer’s market in Bird-in-Hand PA (yes that’s the name of the town). The market sells fresh meats, cheese and produce, a wide variety of baked goods, chocolates and candies, bulk foods, spices, coffee and loose leaf tea, locally made chips and hard pretzels, hand-rolled soft pretzels, fresh-squeezed lemonade, apple cider, made-to-order subs, fried chicken and rows of homemade canned goods. It also has a number of locally made crafts, clothing and quilts. Open Weds/Fri/Sat 9am-530pm.
- Bird in Hand Artisan Village – Another village of 60+ shops selling handmade furniture, home décor, leather goods, clothing, crafts, artwork, soaps, candles and jewelry. Open Mon-Sat 9am-5pm.
- Bird in Hand Bakery and Cafe – A good size bakery with Amish Country baked goods from scratch, including Grandma Smucker’s original recipes, shoofly pies, whoopie pies, giant apple fritters, pumpkin pies, birthday cakes, donuts, breads, and other Pennsylvania Dutch favorites. There is also a café that has delicious sandwiches, salads, soups, smoothies and desserts.
Click on Photo Gallery of some goodies we bought:
- Stone Gables Estate – A 275+ acre private estate and event destination in Elizabethtown, PA, featuring rolling countryside, woodlands, orchards, streams, and several restored historic venues. It is a huge wedding/event venue but also has public events throughout the year. Including:
- National Christmas Center Museum, which is on the property and includes over 18,000 square feet of Christmas décor and antiques, open mid-November through the end of the year for tours. Cost $25 adults/$15 children age 5-17
- Annual Christmas Light Drive-Thru – Since we went in December, we visited Stone Gables Estate to do the 3-mile long Annual Christmas Light Drive-Thru around the property, which is decorated with over 1 MILLION brilliant LED lights and various displays of the Christmas message. It took well over an hour to drive through all the displays and it was spectacular! It was $30 per vehicle. I think it was open between 6pm-9pm nightly (except Sundays) from mid-November through January 2nd.
- Harrison, Lincoln & Lancaster Railroad – a nostalgic 35-45 minute train ride on a historic steam locomotive around the property. They have special train excursions throughout the year, including for Father’s Day, 4th of July, Fall/Halloween and Christmas.
- Herr’s Mill Covered Bridge – originally built in 1844 and located in Paradise, PA, it was dismantled and relocated and restored on Stone Gables Estate property
Day 2
- Turkey Hill Experience Tour – Home of Turkey Hill Ice Cream and Turkey Hill Iced Teas located in Columbia PA. Tours feature interactive exhibits allowing you to create your own virtual ice cream flavor, package, and commercial. You get plenty of unlimited samples of iced tea and ice cream all while learning about Turkey Hill’s history and how the products are made. Generally open daily from 10am-3pm, but check the website for the day you want to go because they ended up being closed on the Thursday we had planned to visit. Experiences range from $16 to $30 per person depending on which type of tour you select. Tours are anywhere from 1 to 2-1/2 hours long.
- Sturgis Pretzel Bakery Tour – The Julius Sturgis Pretzel Bakery, founded in 1861, was the first commercial pretzel bakery in the United States. It is located on East Main Street in Lititz PA. It is currently not a working factory but is a historic site where pretzel are made. You can tour the original pretzel bakery, get a hands-on lesson in pretzel twisting using a dough mixture, observe the bakers twisting old-fashioned soft pretzels by hand, and shop for delicious treats and souvenirs in the bakery store. Tours are $6 per person and last about 30 minutes. Open 7 days a week, 1030am-430pm (Noon-4 Sundays). This tour was a pleasant surprise, much more entertaining, educational and fun than we anticipated. Very kid friendly as well.
- Dinner with Christmas Show at the Barn at Paradise Station 5-9pm. Cost was about $75 per person, but that includes a four course sit-down dinner and an hour and half musical show.
Click on Photo Gallery below:
Day 3
- Lancaster County Covered Bridges – Lancaster County has 28 historic covered bridges. We were able to search out and find about seven of those bridges in a few hours.
- Erb’s Covered Bridge – Built in 1887, located in Lititz PA
- Keller’s Mill Covered Bridge – Built in 1873, located in Lititz PA
- Zook’s Mill Covered Bridge – Built in 1849, located in Leola PA
- Shenck’s Mill Covered Bridge – Built in 1855, located in Manheim PA
- Pinetown Amish Covered Bridge – Built in 1867, renovated in 2013, located in Bird-in-Hand PA
- Hunsecker’s Covered Bridge – Built in 1843, renovated in 1975, located in Lancaster PA
- Eshelman’s Mill Covered Bridge – Built in 1893, located in Gordonville PA
Enjoying your trips! We found The Greenfield Restaurant & Bar in Lancaster. The chef previously worked at The White House. Food was great as well the pictures and memorabilia at entrance. We time the trip with AMT concert/show and Sight & Sounds Theatre. We found 5 covered bridges and use your map to find some more.