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Lancaster Lures Visitors with Living History Lessons

By Dan Schlossberg
ConsumerAffairs.com

September 9, 2006
Pennsylvania Dutch Country is tucked into southeastern Pennsylvania less than 60 miles west of Philadelphia. But it seems much more distant than that.

The name alone conjures up images of men in black riding horse-drawn buggies on country roads carved through rolling hills. The buggies are dark, travel less than 8 miles per hour, and are especially hard to identify at night. But all display triangular warning signs with orange centers and red borders. Visitors in motorized vehicles should leave impatience at home.

For many of the locals, little has changed since they fled Germany for religious freedom a half-century before the American Revolution. The area's nickname is actually a misnomer, Americanized from Pennsylvania Deutsch Country. They're not from the Netherlands, after all.

At its heart is Lancaster County, home to North America's largest contingent of "Plain People," some 70,000 members of the Amish, Brethren, and Mennonite faiths. Half of them wear traditional clothing and more than 25,000 still use animal-powered vehicles and eschew such modern conveniences as electricity and motorized vehicles -- even for such arduous chores as farming.

Tradition dominates everything from the suggestive-sounding town names -- including Intercourse, Blue Ball, and Bird-in-Hand -- to vast stretches of open fields unmarred by telephone polls or satellite dishes.

Amish farmers grow both burley tobacco, used for cigarettes, and Pennsylvania broadleaf, chief ingredient of chewing tobacco, and supply milk to the chocolate mills of Hershey, which uses milk from 25,000 cows daily. It helps that Lancaster County has the richest non-irrigated farmland in the United States.

Having horses and mules on local roads all day doesn't help; frequent repaving is required to repair ruts caused by their hooves.

Buggies aren't cheap: they cost about $5500 each, not to mention the cost of acquiring, feeding, and maintaining a horse or mule. Though not licensed by the state, buggies are required to have flashing lights and an orange triangle to warn other traffic of their presence.

Kids are everywhere -- the average Amish family produces 7-10 offspring -- and receive their education in private schools, some of them structures with only one room.

Although there are 155 Amish church districts, none of them have buildings because rotating services are held in homes.

Roadside farm stands and Amish quilts are everywhere and the natives are friendly -- though sometimes shy about tourists taking pictures of their buggies. The best bet may be to photograph the buggy hired by tourists in front of the Historic Strasburg Inn.

The area has more than 100 B&Bs, some of them family farms that include a farmer's breakfast. Many of those farmers make regular trips to the city of Lancaster, home of the oldest continually-operating farm market in the United States (Central Market).

The market sells such regional delicacies as shoo fly pie, chow chow relish, cracker pudding, apple butter, dried corn, and pretzels � often with a flavored topping called a schmier (pronounced shmeer but having no relationship to the amount of cream cheese spread onto a bagel).

With its brick row homes and still-active horse hitching posts, Lancaster is rich in history. The home of James Buchanan, the only bachelor president and the only one from Pennsylvania, Lancaster was also the launching point for the main character in James Michener's Centennial.

Today, it is known for its numerous retail outlets, zero sales tax on clothing, and antiques (Adamstown is widely considered America's antiques capital). It has four wineries, a theater troupe that gives murder mystery dinners a 19th century taste, and a handsome Main Street ballpark that hosts an independent Atlantic League team called the Lancaster Barnstormers (former major-leaguer Tommy Herr is the manager).

The region also has a rich railroad legacy.

The steam-powered Strasburg Rail Road, America's oldest operating short-line service, takes passengers on a nine-mile, 45-minute round trip through rural Amish farmland. The East Strasburg depot, a handsome Victorian edifice, was moved to its present site from its original 1882 location, 20 miles away. It's even older than the line's ancient locomotives (including one built in 1902).

The right-of-way is flanked by farms that depend upon wind, water, and animal power.

There's also a unique tourist attraction called the Maize Maze, where kids carrying tall, flag-topped poles try to find their way through a maze carved through a thick cornfield that some youngsters consider their own personal Field of Dreams.

In addition to its regularly-scheduled service, the Strasburg runs various specials, including one that marked the 125th anniversary of the Battle of Gettysburg in 1988. That train took the same route Abraham Lincoln rode after the Gettysburg Address.

The railroad, founded in 1832, runs daily trains during the summer, operates on weekends into December, then shuts down for the winter.

Weather poses no problems for the adjacent Railroad Museum of Pennsylvania, a deserving member of the National Register of Historic Places. Its tracks, trains, turntables and artifacts date back to the 19th century.

Getting around is easy: Lancaster County has more miles of road than any other county in the Keystone State. Bicycles and buggies often share the roads.

From Lancaster, it's a hop, skip, and jump to the chocolate fantasy world of Hershey, about 30 minutes northwest by car. In 2007, it will mark the 100th anniversary of Hersheypark, the 100th anniversary of the Hershey's Kiss, and the 150th birthday of founder Milton Hershey.

To celebrate, Hershey Entertainment will unveil a new attraction called The Boardwalk at Hersheypark featuring arcades, sights, sounds, and smells typical of East Coast oceanfront promenades � plus five new water attractions, one of them the world's largest water-play structure. Fireworks, free gifts, festive decorations, and 100 nights of music, food, and fun at the park will be part of the triple-anniversary party.

That should enhance the town's reputation as "the Sweetest Place on Earth" -- especially since the wafting smells from the chocolate factory often drift far from their Chocolate Avenue source.

The area caters to kids of all ages � with tame rides ranging from a local sightseeing trolley to a meandering monorail and wild rides that include twisting, looping roller-coasters and a steep-plunging flume. Of the 60 rides at Hersheypark, 10 are coasters. But there are also 24 designed specifically for children. There's even something for grandparents: the World's Fair-type ride at Chocolate World, which reveals the chocolate-making process.

ZooAmerica, adjacent to Hersheypark, reflects Milton Hershey's infatuation with animals. Now in its 90th year, the zoo includes 200 species native to North America.

Admission to the zoo is included in the Hersheypark price, which ranges from $17.95 for seniors over 70 to $41.95 for ages 9-54. Visitors who arrive two-and-a-half hours before park closing time (which varies) can use their next-day's ticket to get in free that evening.

Special Hersheypark in the Dark packages, new this year, will spotlight a Halloween theme for three weekends in October.

Admission is free to Chocolate World, opened in 1973 in response to popular demand for tours of the chocolate factory. The most-visited corporate attraction in the United States, it is open all year � unlike the theme park, which closes for four winter months. Minor-league hockey (the Hershey Bears of the American Hockey League) is a potential replacement for off-season visitors.

Other area attractions include Hershey Gardens, a 23-acre complex marking its 70th birthday this year; the Hershey Museum; the Hershey Theater; and the Milton Hershey School, home to 1,400 students with special needs. Its rotunda is the largest unsupported dome in the Western Hemisphere.

Even the lamp poles reflect the chocolate theme: those along Chocolate Avenue have rounded tops that resemble Hershey's Kisses.

Among the area's best hotels are the 342-room Willow Valley Resort & Conference Center, three miles south of Lancaster, or the 110-room Hampton Inn & Suites, only a mile from Chocolate World in Hershey.

For further information, contact Pennsylvania Dutch Convention & Visitors Bureau, 501 Greenfield Rd., Lancaster, PA 17601 (Tel. 800-PA-DUTCH, www.padutchcountry.com); Willow Valley Resort & Conference Center, 2416 Willow St. Park, Lancaster, PA 17601 (Tel. 800-444-1714, www.willowvalley.com); Hershey Entertainment & Resorts Co., 27 W. Chocolate Ave., Hershey, PA 17033 (Tel. 1-800-HERSHEY, www.HersheyPA.com); or Hampton Inn & Suites, 749 E. Chocolate Ave., Hershey, PA 17033 (Tel. 717-533-8400, www.hershahotels.com).

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