How and Where to See Amish in Lancaster County (Pennsylvania): Experience

If you are going to travel by car between New York y Washington durante a trip along the east coast of the United States, you have the excellent opportunity to visit the Lancaster Amish County, riding a pennsylvania.

I can tell you that it will be one of the most curious visits you can make to this area of ​​the United States, in addition to its cultural interest.

Known as the Dutch Country, by its number of members, in Lancaster the most important group of Amish in the United States, after the one that exists in the Holmes County, in Ohio.

What are the Amish and where can they be seen?

The Amish They are a Christian religious group of anabaptist doctrine, which is characterized by its rejection of modern technologies, such as automobiles or electricity, which leads them to live largely like they did in the 17th century.

Their customs were reflected, as you may remember, in the film The only witness, Played by Harrison Ford.

In total, there are an estimated 200.000 people belonging to this congregation, distributed in 22 settlements throughout the United States and in Ontario, Canada.

How to See Amish in Lancaster County

When you arrive in the city of Lancaster and its surroundings, you quickly realize that you are in the Amish County.

Specifically, while you travel by car on highways 340 and 30, and especially on the local routes that connect these roads between the towns of Paradise, Intercourse and Bird in Hand,

But, yes, no one expects to find towns like the typical western ones that you can see in cowboy movies, or uninhabited areas or arid landscapes.

In reality, it is a rich agricultural area with an abundance of farms in which their enormous silos stand out, and in which the Amish They are dedicated, above all, to grow tobacco.

It will be easy for you to come across Amish driving their carriages along these narrow roads, or working in the field with horses and manual implements, and without any type of machinery.

You will also be able to see members of this congregation moving through the small towns of the county, all very modern and well-kept, and will always catch your attention due to their characteristic clothing.

You will see very simple clothes, the men with long beards, black hats in winter and straw hats in summer, and the women always covered in white caps.

Below you have some Tips for Visiting Lancaster Amish County.

What to see when visiting Lancaster Amish County

For starters, you should know that to get to know Amish County, as we have mentioned before, it is advisable to drive on local roads that surround highways 340 and 30.

This will allow you to go through Amish farms, come across passing carriages, and even visit a grocery store. remembrances Amish.

Paradise o Bird in Hand They are two towns that you should visit on your route through the area.

But the first specific visit you should make is Amish Farm House Museum, which is very near Lancaster on Highway 30, heading east toward Paradise. and where you can learn about the customs and traditions of this religious community.

How to Visit an Amish Farm in Lancaster

It is a old Amish farm which has been converted into a house museum whose visit is ideal to learn about the Amish customs.

Served by some older ladies, they will offer you some texts written in Spanish that will be useful during the guided tour of the farm if you don't speak English well.

During the aforementioned visit, you will visit all the rooms of the house, seeing the furniture and the simple equipment common in the amish houses.

To highlight the clothes that you will find properly displayed in the bedrooms of the couple, as well as the children.

It will catch your attention a lot characteristics of Amish clothing, which, for example, lacks buttons for being a sign of ostentation.

Also noteworthy are the home appliances manual operation, common in Amish houses.

The visit is completed with a walk around the farm, where you can see the farmers' own equipment.

Of note are the instruments for collecting and processing tobacco, a very common task among the Amish, and you will also see the stables where the animals are kept.

You can complete your visit with a ride on a typical horse carriage used by the Amish to take a walk around the farm.

You can also hire a sightseeing bus tour by all the Amish County.

Hours to visit Lancaster Amish Farm House Museum

The Lancaster County Amish Farm Visiting Hours, always in guided groups, are, from 9,45:16,45 a.m., every hour until XNUMX:XNUMX p.m.

The ticket prices (2019) are $9,96 for adults, $8,95 for seniors +60, $6,96 for children ages 5 to 11, and free for children under 5 years old.

Where to See Wooden Bridges in Amish County

Also on your route you must locate and see some of the covered bridges made of wood who have become more famous after the movie The bridges of Madison, Clint Eastwood.

This type of bridge is common in Pennsylvania and in particular, There are 28 bridges in Lancaster Amish County..

Tunnel-shaped, they have a characteristic and striking red color.

Built in the 19th century, The oldest wooden bridge is known as Pine Grove (1816); Specifically, between 1820 and 1900, more than 1.500 bridges were built, although most were destroyed by floods.

In total, In Pennsylvania there are 219 bridges left in 40 counties, as well as the Lancaster County It is the one that preserves the most bridges.

Also known as the kiss bridgess, the reason for building them covered was to protect them from the cold.

In 1814, what would be the longest bridge, almost a mile long, was built, but it was destroyed in 1832 by a flood.

Here you have access to the list and maps of wooden covered bridges in Lancaster Amish County.

Where and what to eat in Lancaster Amish County

And, finally, you should not miss the opportunity to try the typical Amish food,

You can taste it in open buffet restaurants geared towards tourists that you will find in various places in the county.

The food is German style, with cold cuts, sausages, sauerkraut, etc... For dessert, a good variety of cakes is offered.

How to Get to Lancaster Amish County

For go to Lancaster Amish County, you can do it in different ways:

From New York you are 164 miles away, which means almost 3 hours road trip (3 and a half hours with traffic).

The route is along the 95 that leads to Philadelphia, but before reaching this city, you must take the 276 that takes you to the county.

From Washington you have to travel 120 miles, in 2,20 hours (almost 3 hours with traffic).

Going north on 95, at the end of the ring road Baltimore, you have to head northwest on 295, until you reach Y, and take the 30 until Lancaster.

If you are in Philadelphia, you are 70 miles away and an hour and a half, on 202, and then take 30 towards Lancaster.