Lancaster County is where the strip malls of Route 30 give way to silos, and a horse and buggy is as normal on the road as a pickup. It’s home to one of the largest Amish communities in the country, but it’s also a place of steam trains, big-stage theater, the oldest farmers market in America by its own count, and a small, lively city with galleries and good restaurants. The best things to do in Lancaster PA mix all of that, and they’re closer together than you’d think: most of the county is within 30 minutes of Lancaster city. This guide covers the lot, with 2026 hours, prices and the etiquette that makes Amish Country work for everyone.
Quick answer: Ride the Strasburg Rail Road and see the Railroad Museum of Pennsylvania across the road, take a guided farmland tour or buggy ride through Bird-in-Hand and Intercourse, and spend a Tuesday, Friday or Saturday morning at Lancaster Central Market. Add Lititz’s pretzel bakery and Main Street, a Sight & Sound show, and a smorgasbord dinner. Avoid Sundays for Amish Country, when many businesses close, and don’t photograph Amish people.
Last updated September 29, 2026. Hours, prices and events were checked on September 24, 2026 against each attraction’s website.
- Sundays are quiet: many Amish-run stands and shops close, as do Kitchen Kettle Village and Shady Maple Smorgasbord. Plan Amish Country for Monday to Saturday.
- Market days: Lancaster Central Market opens Tuesday, Friday and Saturday only, 6am to 3pm, as of September 2026.
- Closed days: the Railroad Museum of Pennsylvania closes Mondays and Tuesdays; Hands-on House closes Mondays.
- This fall: the Pennsylvania Renaissance Faire runs weekends through October 25, 2026 at Mount Hope in Manheim, and farm corn mazes run into early November.
- Coming up: Sight & Sound’s 2027 production is JONAH, from March 11 to December 31, 2027.
On this page: At a glance | Visiting the Amish respectfully | Amish Country | Strasburg and the trains | Lancaster city | Lititz, Ephrata and the north | The river towns | Seasonal and family | With kids | Rainy days | Where to eat | Where to stay | Itinerary | FAQ
Things to Do in Lancaster PA: The County at a Glance
Lancaster County sits in south-central Pennsylvania, about 1.5 hours west of Philadelphia and 50 minutes southeast of Harrisburg. The city of Lancaster is in the middle, Amish farm country spreads east of it along Routes 340 and 30, and the Susquehanna River forms the county’s western edge. Drive times below are free-flow estimates.
| Area | Known for | From Philadelphia | From Harrisburg | From Lancaster city |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Lancaster city | Central Market, galleries, restaurants, theaters | 1.5 hours | 50 minutes | n/a |
| Bird-in-Hand and Intercourse | Amish farmland, buggy rides, quilt shops, Kitchen Kettle Village | 1 hour 15 minutes | 50 minutes to 1 hour | 15 minutes |
| Strasburg and Ronks | Steam trains, the Railroad Museum, Sight & Sound | 1 hour 15 minutes | 55 minutes | 20 minutes |
| Lititz | Pretzels, Main Street, Moravian history | 1.5 hours | 50 minutes | 20 minutes |
| Ephrata | Ephrata Cloister, farm markets | 1 hour 15 minutes | 1 hour | 25 minutes |
| Manheim | The Renaissance Faire at Mount Hope | 1.5 hours | 40 minutes | 25 minutes |
| Columbia and the river | Chickies Rock, river overlooks, small museums | 1.5 hours | 45 minutes | 20 minutes |
A few Lancaster favorites have their own statewide guides: Dutch Wonderland belongs with the amusement parks in Pennsylvania, the county’s wineries with Pennsylvania’s wine trails, and shoofly pie and chicken pot pie with the famous food in Pennsylvania. They get brief mentions here.
Visiting Amish Country Respectfully
The Old Order Amish and Mennonite families of Lancaster County are not a tourist attraction; they’re neighbors living a faith-based life, farming land their families have worked for generations, driving horse-drawn buggies and dressing plainly. Visitors are welcome at their farm stands, markets and many shops, and a few simple habits make the experience better on both sides.
- Don’t photograph people. Many Amish believe posed photographs are prideful, so point your camera at the landscape, the barns and the buggies from behind, not at faces. Never photograph children.
- Drive with care. Buggies move at a trot, often on narrow roads with blind hills. Slow down, pass wide and only when you can see well ahead, and never honk near a horse.
- Respect private property. Farms are homes and workplaces. Stay on the road unless a stand, sign or tour invites you in.
- Plan around Sundays. Church services are held in homes on alternate Sundays, and most Amish-run businesses close on Sundays. Monday through Saturday is the time to visit.
- Buy local. Roadside stands, often run on an honor box, sell eggs, produce, baked goods and crafts. They’re the most direct way to support the families you’re visiting.
- Learn before you look. A guided tour or a museum like the Amish Farm and House explains a way of life that’s easy to misunderstand from a car window.
Amish Country: Bird-in-Hand, Intercourse and the Farm Roads (1-8)
The villages east of Lancaster city, along Route 340 and the back roads south of it, are the heart of Amish Country. Come on a weekday morning, when the buggies are out and the traffic is light.
1. The Amish Farm and House
Paid; spring to December; east of Lancaster city. One of the county’s longest-running introductions to Amish life, with guided tours of a farmhouse and grounds that explain the faith, the dress and the daily routine, while preserving the privacy of the families it describes. Its 2026 tours began in mid-March, and it’s taking bookings for Christmas cookie tours on Fridays and Saturdays.
Plan it: On Route 30 between Lancaster city and the villages; about 1 hour 15 minutes from Philadelphia. Check amishfarmandhouse.com for tour times. Allow 1.5 hours. Best for: first-timers, families.
2. The Amish Experience at Plain & Fancy Farm
Paid; year-round; between Bird-in-Hand and Intercourse. The best way to see the farmland with context: 90-minute guided tours in small minibuses that take the back roads, plus an “Amish VIP” tour that visits three Amish properties not normally open to visitors. Book the VIP tour if you want real conversation rather than a view through glass.
Plan it: On Route 340. Open daily, 9:30am to 5pm Monday to Saturday and 11:30am to 5pm on Sunday, as of September 2026. Allow 2 hours. Best for: first-timers, adults.
3. The Amish Village
Paid; year-round; Ronks, near Strasburg. A farm property with a guided house tour, a one-room schoolhouse, a blacksmith shop and farm animals, which suits families with younger children who need to move around. It’s more museum than farm, and it doesn’t pretend otherwise.
Plan it: On Route 896. The main grounds open daily at 9am, with the last tour at 5pm. Allow 1.5 hours. Best for: families.
4. A buggy ride
Paid; spring to fall; Bird-in-Hand, Intercourse and Strasburg. Several operators run horse-drawn rides from lots along Route 340 and near Strasburg, and the better ones leave the highway for farm lanes, sometimes stopping at a working farm. Ask who drives, how long the route is and whether it leaves the main road before you pay.
Plan it: Many operators close on Sundays. Weekday mornings are calmest. Allow 30 minutes to an hour. Best for: families, couples.
5. Intercourse and Kitchen Kettle Village
Free to browse; Monday to Saturday; Intercourse. The crossroads village with the famous name has a cluster of shops at Kitchen Kettle Village where cooks make jams, relishes and fudge in front of you, along with quilt and craft shops around the crossroads. It’s touristy and knows it; an hour or two is plenty.
Plan it: Route 340 at Route 772. Kitchen Kettle Village is open Monday through Saturday. Allow 1 to 2 hours. Best for: food lovers, shoppers.
6. Bird-in-Hand’s farm stands and bakeries
Free to browse; Monday to Saturday; Route 340. The village of Bird-in-Hand is lined with bakeries, farmers markets and roadside stands selling whoopie pies, shoofly pie, jams and seasonal produce. Drive the side roads north and south of 340 to find honor-box stands at farm lanes.
Plan it: About 15 minutes east of Lancaster city. Bring small bills for honor boxes. Allow an hour. Best for: food lovers.
7. Quilt shops
Free to browse; Monday to Saturday; Intercourse and Bird-in-Hand. Lancaster County is one of the country’s great quilting centers, and shops in the villages sell handmade Amish and Mennonite quilts alongside fabric and wall hangings. A full-size handmade quilt is an investment, so ask how it was made and by whom.
Plan it: Most shops cluster around Intercourse and Bird-in-Hand. Allow an hour. Best for: shoppers, crafters.
8. Bike the back roads
Free with your own bike; spring to fall; south of Route 340. The quiet lanes between the villages are flat to rolling and lined with farms, and seeing them by bike is slower, quieter and more respectful than by car. Ride single file, give buggies plenty of room and carry water; stores are far apart on the back roads.
Plan it: Park in a village and loop south of Route 340. Allow 2 to 3 hours. Best for: outdoors, couples.
Strasburg and the Trains (9-12)
South of the villages, the small town of Strasburg is the county’s train capital, with a steam railroad, a state museum and a model-train barn within a mile of each other.
9. Strasburg Rail Road
Paid; year-round, best spring to fall; Strasburg. Steam trains on what the railroad calls America’s oldest short line, running out through Amish farmland toward Paradise and back at a pace that suits the view. Pick the open-air car in good weather or the dining car for lunch, and book the holiday trains early.
Plan it: On Route 741 east of Strasburg; about 1 hour 15 minutes from Philadelphia and 55 minutes from Harrisburg. Book weekend trains on strasburgrailroad.com. Allow 2 hours. Best for: families.
10. Railroad Museum of Pennsylvania
Paid; Wednesday to Sunday; across Route 741 from the Strasburg Rail Road. A hangar-size hall of historic locomotives and railcars, run by the state, where you can climb into cabs and compare a century of engines side by side. It’s the natural pairing with the train ride, and it works in any weather.
Plan it: Adults $10, seniors $9, ages 3 to 11 $8, as of September 2026; closed Mondays and Tuesdays. Fall events include Trains & Treats on October 17. Allow 1.5 to 2 hours. Best for: families, history.
11. Choo Choo Barn
Paid; year-round; Strasburg. A 1,700-square-foot model train layout, open since 1961, with animated scenes of Lancaster County life that change as the lights cycle from day to night. It takes 30 minutes and delights small children and train-loving grandparents equally.
Plan it: On Route 741 in Strasburg. Open daily 10am to 5pm; closed Easter and Thanksgiving. Allow 30 to 45 minutes. Best for: families.
12. Sight & Sound Theatres
Paid; year-round; Ronks. Big-budget Bible stories staged with live animals and sets that wrap around the audience, drawing church groups and theater fans from across the country. The 2027 production is JONAH, from March 11 to December 31, 2027, and the company runs a Christmas show through the holidays.
Plan it: 300 Hartman Bridge Road, Ronks. Book weekend seats weeks ahead. Allow about 3 hours. Best for: families, groups.
Lancaster City (13-18)
Lancaster city is one of the oldest inland towns in the country and was, for one day in 1777, the national capital. Today its compact downtown mixes 18th-century streets with galleries, independent shops and some of the county’s best restaurants.
13. Lancaster Central Market
Free to browse; Tuesdays, Fridays and Saturdays; downtown. The market calls itself the oldest continuously operated public farmers market in America, dating to 1730, and its 1889 brick market house is packed with Amish and Mennonite stands selling whoopie pies, chow-chow, sweet bologna, horseradish, flowers and shoofly pie. Come early on Saturday for the best choice.
Plan it: 23 N. Market Street, off Penn Square. Open Tuesday, Friday and Saturday, 6am to 3pm, as of September 2026. Park in a downtown garage. Allow an hour. Best for: food lovers.
14. Downtown Lancaster’s galleries and streets
Free; year-round, best on First Fridays; Queen and Prince Streets. Galleries, boutiques and restaurants fill the blocks around Penn Square and along Queen and Prince Streets, and on the first Friday of each month the galleries stay open late with a street-party feel. It’s the best evening in the county for couples.
Plan it: Start at Penn Square. Allow an evening. Best for: couples, art lovers.
15. Wheatland
Paid; seasonal tours; west of downtown. The Federal-style home of James Buchanan, the only president from Pennsylvania, shown on guided tours that deal frankly with his failures in the years before the Civil War. It’s a thoughtful hour for history lovers.
Plan it: 1120 Marietta Avenue, run by LancasterHistory. Check tour times before you go. Allow 1.5 hours. Best for: history.
16. The Fulton Theatre
Tickets per show; year-round; downtown. The 1852 Fulton, a Victorian jewel box on Prince Street, bills itself as one of the oldest continuously operating theaters in the country, and it stages Broadway musicals and plays with professional casts. A show and dinner downtown make a good night out.
Plan it: 12 N. Prince Street. Allow an evening. Best for: couples, theater lovers.
17. Hands-on House
Paid; Tuesday to Sunday; north of the city. Lancaster’s children’s museum is built for ages 2 to 8, with hands-on rooms for pretend play, building and art. It’s a lifesaver on a rainy day with small children.
Plan it: Open Tuesday through Sunday, 9am to 4pm, as of September 2026. Allow 2 hours. Best for: families with young kids.
18. Landis Valley Village & Farm Museum
Paid; spring to fall; north of the city. A state-run living history village of Pennsylvania German farm life, with historic buildings, heirloom gardens and craft demonstrations. It explains the “Pennsylvania Dutch” story more fully than anything else in the county.
Plan it: Adults $12, seniors $10, ages 3 to 11 $8, as of September 2026. Allow 2 to 3 hours. Best for: history, families.
Lititz, Ephrata and the North (19-23)
North of the city, the landscape turns to rolling farms and Moravian and German towns with their own character.
19. Lititz
Free to wander; year-round; 20 minutes north of Lancaster. A Moravian-founded town with a tidy Main Street of cafes, shops and old stone houses, a spring-fed park at its center and a church square that looks much as it did two centuries ago. It’s the county’s best small town for a slow afternoon.
Plan it: Main and Broad Streets; about 50 minutes from Harrisburg. Allow 2 to 3 hours with lunch. Best for: couples, food lovers.
20. Julius Sturgis Pretzel Bakery
Paid tours; year-round; Lititz. Founded in 1861, the bakery calls itself the first commercial pretzel bakery in America, and its short tours end with you twisting a pretzel of your own. Buy a bag of hard pretzels on the way out; they’re the real thing.
Plan it: On East Main Street in Lititz. Allow 45 minutes. Best for: families, food lovers.
21. Ephrata Cloister
Paid; year-round, check days; Ephrata. In the 1730s a German religious community built these steep-roofed wooden buildings, lived celibate lives of prayer and work, and produced remarkable music and printing. The narrow halls and low doorways, meant to encourage humility, stay with you: strange, spare and quiet.
Plan it: About 25 minutes from Lancaster city. Buy tickets on arrival or online at ephratacloister.org. Allow 1.5 hours. Best for: history.
22. Shady Maple Smorgasbord
Paid; Monday to Saturday; East Earl. The county’s most famous buffet is enormous, often described as the biggest in North America, with Pennsylvania Dutch dishes, a carving station and a dessert section longer than some restaurants. Go hungry, go early and remember it’s closed on Sundays.
Plan it: 129 Toddy Drive, East Earl, about 30 minutes east of Lancaster city. Weekday lunches are calmer than Saturday dinner. Allow 1.5 hours. Best for: families, big appetites.
23. Pennsylvania Renaissance Faire
Paid; weekends through October 25, 2026; Manheim. Jousting, turkey legs and a different theme every weekend on the grounds of Mount Hope Estate & Winery, running Saturdays and Sundays from 11am to 8pm this season. Tickets are sold online only, not at the gate.
Plan it: Mount Hope Estate & Winery on Route 72, about 40 minutes from Harrisburg. Allow a full day. Best for: families, couples.
The River Towns (24-26)
The Susquehanna forms the county’s western edge, and its bluffs and river towns are Lancaster’s least-crowded corner.
24. Chickies Rock
Free; year-round, best in fall; near Columbia. A short walk through the woods in a county park leads to a quartzite outcrop high above the Susquehanna, with a long view up the wide, shallow river. The Northwest Lancaster County River Trail runs along the water below it for walkers and cyclists.
Plan it: Chickies Rock County Park, off Route 441 north of Columbia; about 20 minutes from Lancaster city. Stay back from the cliff edge. Allow an hour. Best for: outdoors, couples.
25. Susquehannock State Park and the Pinnacle Overlook
Free; year-round; the southern river hills. Farther south, a plateau above the Susquehanna has some of the best river views in the state, from the overlooks at Susquehannock State Park and the nearby Pinnacle. Bald eagles are regular in winter.
Plan it: About 35 minutes south of Lancaster city. Free, like every Pennsylvania state park. Allow 1 to 2 hours. Best for: outdoors, photographers.
26. Columbia
Free to wander; year-round; on the Susquehanna. A former canal and river town that was once considered for the national capital, with a sleepy downtown, antique shops and river access. It’s the natural lunch stop between Chickies Rock and the southern overlooks.
Plan it: About 20 minutes west of Lancaster city. Allow 1 to 2 hours. Best for: history, antique hunters.
Seasonal and Family Picks (27-30)
27. A fall corn maze
Paid; mid-September to early November; around the county. Harvest season brings corn mazes, hayrides and pumpkin patches to farms across the county. Cherry Crest Adventure Farm near Strasburg is the best known, with a 5-acre maze and more than two miles of paths.
Plan it: Check farm calendars for fall dates and buy tickets online. Allow half a day. Best for: families.
28. Covered bridges
Free; spring to fall; around the county. Lancaster County has more than two dozen covered bridges, many still carrying traffic over creeks on the back roads. Hunsecker’s Mill Bridge, the county’s longest single-span covered bridge, makes a good anchor for a loop.
Plan it: They’re working bridges, so pull fully off the road for photos. Allow 2 hours for a loop. Best for: couples, photographers.
29. A hot air balloon ride
Paid; spring to fall, weather permitting; the farm country. Balloon companies fly over the patchwork of Amish farms at dawn and dusk in the warm months, which is the one view of Lancaster County you can’t get from a road. Flights depend on calm winds, so keep your schedule flexible.
Plan it: Book ahead and expect an early start. Allow half a day with launch and landing. Best for: couples, special occasions.
30. The Route 30 outlets
Free to browse; year-round; Route 30 east of the city. Two outlet centers along Route 30 draw shoppers from across the region, especially since Pennsylvania doesn’t charge sales tax on most clothing. Pair a shopping stop with Kitchen Kettle Village or a buggy ride.
Plan it: Route 30 traffic is heavy on Saturdays. Allow 2 hours. Best for: shoppers.
Things to Do in Lancaster PA by Interest
| If you love | Start with | Then add |
|---|---|---|
| Amish culture | The Amish Experience VIP tour (2), the Amish Farm and House (1) | A buggy ride (4), Landis Valley (18) |
| Families | Strasburg Rail Road (9), Choo Choo Barn (11), Hands-on House (17) | The Amish Village (3), a corn maze (27), the Railroad Museum (10) |
| Couples | Lititz (19), downtown Lancaster (14), a balloon ride (29) | The Fulton Theatre (16), Chickies Rock (24), covered bridges (28) |
| Food | Central Market (13), Bird-in-Hand’s stands (6), Shady Maple (22) | Kitchen Kettle Village (5), Sturgis pretzels (20) |
| History | Ephrata Cloister (21), Wheatland (15), Landis Valley (18) | Columbia (26), the Railroad Museum (10) |
| Free | Chickies Rock (24), Susquehannock (25), covered bridges (28) | Downtown on a First Friday (14), browsing Central Market (13) |
Lancaster County With Kids, by Age
Under 5: the Choo Choo Barn’s model trains, a short buggy ride, the farm animals at the Amish Village and a morning at Hands-on House, which is built for ages 2 to 8. The Strasburg Rail Road’s ride is just long enough for toddlers.
Ages 5 to 10: Lancaster County’s sweet spot. Pair the Strasburg Rail Road with the Railroad Museum, twist a pretzel at the Sturgis bakery in Lititz, try a fall corn maze, and book a farm stay where kids can gather eggs and feed calves.
Tweens and teens: the Renaissance Faire at Mount Hope in the fall, the Amish Experience’s farm tours, which answer the questions older kids actually ask, a bike ride on the back roads, and the climb to Chickies Rock above the Susquehanna. Dutch Wonderland, the county’s family amusement park, suits the younger end of this range.
Things to Do in Lancaster PA When It Rains
- The Railroad Museum of Pennsylvania: a vast indoor hall of locomotives, open Wednesday to Sunday.
- Hands-on House: the children’s museum for ages 2 to 8, open Tuesday to Sunday.
- Lancaster Central Market: on market days, it’s all under one roof.
- The Choo Choo Barn and a Sight & Sound matinee: both indoors in the Strasburg area.
- Ephrata Cloister and Wheatland: guided house tours that go on in any weather.
- The outlets on Route 30: shopping with covered walkways.
Where to Eat in Lancaster County
Lancaster County eats in three styles. The smorgasbords and family-style restaurants along Routes 30 and 340 serve Pennsylvania Dutch food by the platter: fried chicken, chicken pot pie with thick noodles, mashed potatoes, chow-chow and pickled beets, and shoofly and whoopie pies for dessert. Shady Maple is the giant; others line Route 30 near Ronks and Bird-in-Hand. The markets, starting with Central Market, are the best breakfast and lunch in the county. And downtown Lancaster has a real restaurant scene, from farm-to-table dining rooms to breweries and global kitchens along Queen and Prince Streets.
What to order: a Pennsylvania Dutch starter menu
| Dish | What it is | Where to try it |
|---|---|---|
| Chicken pot pie | Not a pie at all here: thick square noodles and chicken simmered in broth | Smorgasbords and family-style restaurants |
| Shoofly pie | A molasses pie, either “wet-bottom” with a gooey layer or drier and cakey | Central Market, bakeries, farm stands |
| Whoopie pie | Two soft chocolate cakes sandwiching a sweet white filling | Bakeries and market stands everywhere |
| Chow-chow | A sweet-and-sour relish of pickled mixed vegetables | Market stands, Kitchen Kettle Village |
| Sweet bologna | A smoky, tangy cured beef sausage from nearby Lebanon County | Central Market deli stands |
| Soft and hard pretzels | The Pennsylvania German snack, twisted by hand | Lititz and the markets |
Three tips. Many Amish-country restaurants close on Sundays, so plan Sunday meals downtown. Smorgasbords are calmest at weekday lunch. And for the best pie, buy it from a farm stand or market rather than a gift shop.
Where to Stay in Lancaster County
| Area | Best for | Worth knowing |
|---|---|---|
| Downtown Lancaster | Couples, food lovers, car-free evenings | Walk to Central Market, galleries and restaurants; Amish Country is 15 minutes away. |
| The Route 30 and 340 corridor | Families | Chain hotels and family resorts close to the trains, buggy rides and smorgasbords. |
| Strasburg and Bird-in-Hand | Amish Country immersion | Inns and motels among the farms; evenings are very quiet. |
| A farm stay | Families with young kids | Working farms that rent rooms, where kids can gather eggs and feed animals. |
| Lititz and Ephrata | Couples, repeat visitors | B&Bs and inns in walkable small towns. |
Rooms fill and prices rise on October weekends, during the Christmas season, when Sight & Sound’s holiday show and the Christmas trains draw crowds, and on summer Saturdays. Midweek in spring is the best value.
Lancaster County by Season
Spring: the fields are plowed by horse teams, and the Amish fire company “mud sales,” auctions that raise money for volunteer fire companies, draw crowds in late winter and spring. It’s the quietest and cheapest time to visit.
Summer: farm stands overflow, the trains run full schedules and the Renaissance Faire opens in mid-August. Route 30 traffic peaks.
Fall: harvest season, corn mazes and pumpkin patches, the Renaissance Faire through October 25, 2026, and fall color along the Susquehanna. October weekends are the busiest of the year.
Winter: Christmas shows and trains, holiday lights and quiet, snowy farm roads. Many attractions shorten their hours in January and February, so check before you drive out.
A Two-Day Lancaster County Itinerary
Day 1, Amish Country and the trains: start with a guided farmland tour at the Amish Experience, then browse Bird-in-Hand’s bakeries and Kitchen Kettle Village in Intercourse. After lunch, ride the Strasburg Rail Road and see the Railroad Museum across the road. Have a smorgasbord dinner, or catch a Sight & Sound show.
Day 2, the city and the north: on a Tuesday, Friday or Saturday, have breakfast at Central Market and walk downtown’s galleries. Drive to Lititz for the pretzel bakery and lunch on Main Street, then continue to Ephrata Cloister. End at sunset at Chickies Rock above the Susquehanna.
With only one day, start at the Amish Experience or a buggy ride, have lunch in Bird-in-Hand, ride the Strasburg Rail Road in the afternoon, and finish with dinner in downtown Lancaster. On a Tuesday, Friday or Saturday, begin with breakfast at Central Market instead.
With a third day, Hershey is about 40 minutes west; our Hershey PA vacation guide covers the park, the chocolate town and the resorts. Gettysburg is about 1 hour 15 minutes west.
Getting to Lancaster County
| From | To Lancaster city | Worth knowing |
|---|---|---|
| Harrisburg | 50 minutes | US 283 runs straight to Lancaster. |
| Philadelphia | 1.5 hours | Amtrak’s Keystone Service also stops at Lancaster station. |
| Baltimore | 1.5 hours | North on I-83, then east on US 30. |
| Washington, D.C. | 2 hours 15 minutes | Allow more on Friday afternoons. |
| New York City | 3 hours | A free-flow estimate; traffic often adds more. |
Once you’re here, you’ll need a car: the attractions are spread across farm roads with no practical transit between them. Hershey sits about 40 minutes west, which makes the two regions an easy pairing; start with our guide to a Hershey vacation if you’re combining them. Lancaster also makes a strong base for families, and it appears on most lists of things to do in Pennsylvania with kids.
What’s Changed, and What to Skip
- Sight & Sound: the 2027 production is JONAH, from March 11, 2027; check the company’s site for the current show and Christmas dates.
- Turkey Hill Experience: the ice cream attraction in Columbia may not be operating this year, so check its website before you go.
- Railroad Museum: open Wednesday to Sunday and closed Mondays and Tuesdays, so plan the Strasburg trains around it.
Skip photographing Amish people. It’s the one thing visitors do that genuinely offends. Skip Sundays in Amish Country, when most of it is closed. Skip anything branded “Amish” on Route 30 that you can’t trace to a maker; buy from farm stands, markets and shops where you can meet the people who made it. And skip Route 30 on Saturday afternoons if you can; take Route 340 or the back roads.
Things to Do in Lancaster PA: FAQ
What is Lancaster, PA known for?
Lancaster County is known for its Amish and Mennonite farm communities, horse-drawn buggies and Pennsylvania Dutch food, along with the Strasburg Rail Road, Sight & Sound Theatres, Lancaster Central Market and its outlet shopping. Lancaster city itself has a lively downtown of galleries, theaters and restaurants.
Can you visit the Amish in Lancaster County?
Yes, respectfully. Amish families sell at farm stands and markets, and guided tours such as the Amish Experience’s VIP tour visit Amish properties with their owners’ agreement. Don’t photograph people, stay off private farmland unless invited, and plan visits Monday to Saturday, since most Amish-run businesses close on Sundays.
What is the best day to visit Amish Country?
Any weekday or Saturday. Tuesday, Friday or Saturday lets you add Lancaster Central Market, and weekday mornings have the lightest traffic and the most buggies on the roads. Avoid Sundays, when Amish families attend church and most stands, shops and some restaurants close.
What are the best things to do in Lancaster PA for adults?
Take the Amish Experience VIP tour, spend an evening in downtown Lancaster’s galleries and restaurants, see a show at the Fulton Theatre, wander Lititz, visit Ephrata Cloister and watch the sunset from Chickies Rock. In the warm months, a dawn balloon flight over the farms is a memorable splurge.
What can you do in Lancaster PA with kids?
Ride the Strasburg Rail Road, see the Railroad Museum of Pennsylvania and the Choo Choo Barn, visit the Amish Village, and spend a rainy morning at Hands-on House, built for ages 2 to 8. In fall, add a corn maze, and in summer, a buggy ride and a farm stay.
How many days do you need in Lancaster County?
Two days covers the highlights: one for Amish Country and the Strasburg trains, and one for Lancaster city, Lititz and Ephrata. Add a third day for the Susquehanna river towns, a Sight & Sound show or a side trip to Hershey, about 40 minutes west.
Is Lancaster Central Market open every day?
No. Lancaster Central Market opens three days a week, Tuesday, Friday and Saturday, from 6am to 3pm, as of September 2026. Saturday is the busiest day and has the fullest selection; come early for baked goods and the best produce.
Where should you stay in Lancaster PA?
Downtown Lancaster suits couples who want to walk to restaurants and the market, the Route 30 and 340 corridor suits families near the trains and buggy rides, and inns around Strasburg and Bird-in-Hand put you among the farms. Farm stays are a favorite with young children.
Related Pennsylvania Guides
Sources and How We Checked
We checked the hours, prices and events on this page on September 24, 2026 against the official sources below and compiled the guide from them rather than from first-hand visits. Drive times are free-flow estimates from OpenStreetMap data using the Valhalla routing engine, rounded to the nearest 15 minutes.
- Lancaster Central Market
- Railroad Museum of Pennsylvania
- The Amish Experience
- Strasburg Rail Road
- Landis Valley Village & Farm Museum
- Ephrata Cloister
We also used the official sites of the Amish Farm and House, the Amish Village, Kitchen Kettle Village, the Julius Sturgis Pretzel Bakery, the Choo Choo Barn, Hands-on House, Sight & Sound Theatres and the Pennsylvania Renaissance Faire, plus listings for Shady Maple and Cherry Crest Adventure Farm.
Pennsylvania Tourism Guide is an independent publication. We are not affiliated with any attraction, restaurant, tour operator or theater named here, and no one paid to be included.
Photo Credits
- Farmstead, East Earl Township: photo by Nicholas A. Tonelli from Pennsylvania, USA, via Wikimedia Commons (CC BY 2.0)
- Farm along the Strasburg Rail Road: photo by Rlevse, via Wikimedia Commons (Public domain)
- Railroad Museum of Pennsylvania: photo by Zeete, via Wikimedia Commons (CC BY-SA 3.0)
- Lancaster Central Market: photo by Jared Kofsky/PlaceNJ.com, via Wikimedia Commons (CC BY-SA 3.0)
- Downtown Lancaster: photo by Randolph Carney, via Wikimedia Commons (CC BY-SA 3.0)
- Sutter House, Lititz: photo by Smallbones, via Wikimedia Commons (CC0)
- Ephrata Cloister interior: photo by Jlmachlin, via Wikimedia Commons (CC BY-SA 4.0)
- Chickies Rock overlook: photo by JNolt, via Wikimedia Commons (CC BY-SA 4.0)
- Hunsecker's Mill Covered Bridge: photo by Photo by and (c)2006 Derek Ramsey (Ram-Man), via Wikimedia Commons (CC BY-SA 2.5)