JasonC said:
I am thinking of a short family vacation to the Amish country at mid/late July. I did some research and knew about Rt. 340 and Rt. 896. Anyone has any other suggestions? Any must sees? What is a good place to stay overnight? Thanks.
Jason.
My wife and I and another couple stayed at the Marriott Courtyard Harrisburg/Hershey last October and found it to be quite nice:
http://marriott.com/property/factsheet/HARCY
Convenient to Hershey's, Lancaster, and if you're going any further south, Gettysburg. We stayed one night at this hotel - did Hershey's one day, Lancaster the next, then drove down to Gettysburg and stayed at a B&B for a week. Fantastic vacation.
I would recommend TripAdvisor for anyone looking for a hotel:
http://www.tripadvisor.com/
It has done well by us - travelers actually enter the reports - you have to have your grouch filter on and realize that some people won't be happy no matter what - but it gives you a good idea most times. Free, worth looking.
This is a great website run by Lancaster County - things to do:
http://www.padutchcountry.com/
There is *so much* to do in this area, it is hard to know where to begin. We loved just driving aimlessly through Amish Country - we took a tour on Aaron and Jessica's Buggy Rides:
http://www.amishbuggyrides.com/
Worth every cent (actually quite cheap). The tour guides are Mennonite, not Amish - the Amish would not have anything to do with you that way. However, it is very informative, very nice, worth it in every way.
One thing - not everyone knows this -
the Amish do not like to have their photographs taken. They know full well that they can't legally stop anyone from taking their photograph, but if they detect you're doing it, they'll intentionally turn their heads or turn their backs on you to spoil the shot - they figure they have the same right
not to be your unwilling model as you have to take their photo. It is considered rude to point a camera at them - but the law says you can do it if you want to. Some or most of the Amish do not mind if their children are photographed, however. Still, I took no photos of the adult's faces. Some of the quilt shops in Lancaster county will also forbid the use of cameras in their shops - and since it is private property, they can legally enforce that. Sorry if you already knew that - just passing on some info of possible value to photographers.
Here's some good information on the Amish:
Dead Link Removed
http://www.800padutch.com/amish.shtml
By the way, Hershey's is an interesting side-trip. Not for the theme park (yawn) which is just another set of rides and touristy junk. But we enjoyed learning more about Milton S. Hershey - an post-industrial philanthropist who really walked it like he talked it. If you're interested in that sort of thing:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Milton_S._Hershey
Anyway, have fun, be safe, enjoy. Great part of the country. My wife and I hope to go back one day soon.
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