A Peaceful Week with the Pennsylvania Dutch
My wife and I have always had a tendency to take exhausting vacations filled with lots of moving around with morning till night activity. Visiting the land of the Pennsylvania Dutch, or Amish, was an excellent alternative. Lancaster County, which is a reasonable stone’s throw from Philadelphia, has the well deserved reputation of being the garden spot of America. It owes this distinction to the hundreds of years of effort expended by the local Amish farmers. It’s their lifestyle that draws people to the area, and my wife and I were no exceptions. Imagine spending a vacation being voyeurs to an entire community.
We spent a week in a fine, clean, inexpensive, and unmemorable motel just outside of Philadelphia, which required only a short easy drive to be right in the heart of the Amish countryside, easily recognized by the abundance of horse drawn carriages. As would be expected in a productive farming area, food is plentiful and excellent.
One famous restaurant in Lancaster, called the Good and Plenty, absolutely must be visited. We entered the restaurant, which is always busy, expecting the usual separate tables with two to four seats. Instead we found a great hall with family sized tables filled with guests sharing country style service. The food is excellent. The chicken pot pie is superb, and I can’t really speak about the pastries. I’m still full from the shoofly pie and apple dumplings.
Naturally, shopping for Amish made wares is a prime activity when visiting the area. If you’re into high quality collectible quilts, Lancaster is heaven. Amish women are queens of the craft, and every country store and gift shop has excellent handmade quilts for sale. Homemade jams, preserves, and jellies are also excellent gifts to take home or send to friends.
Not all of Lancaster’s farm products are sold at local shops. Most farmers bring their produce and crafts into the Farmer’s Market in downtown Philadelphia. My wife and I spent a full morning browsing and shopping at the market. It was a cultural learning experience, meeting and talking with the Amish farmers and their wives. During the afternoon, after our shopping spree, we did all of the touristy things expected from visitors to Philadelphia like visiting Betsy Ross’s house, the Liberty Bell, and Independence Hall.
If you should decide to follow in our footsteps into Lancaster County, be sure to plan your vacation during the warm season. Pennsylvania enjoys a robust four season climate. Unless you enjoy deep snow, avoid visiting Lancaster in winter. Enjoy the rich lush green countryside with the bright sun in your face.
