Lancaster trip report

[Anonymous]

Just returned from overnighter in Lancaster PA with 2 kids ages 4 and 6. Just filing a trip report.

-Iron Hill Brewery in Lancaster, on Harrisonburg Pike. Thumbs up! Good food and kid's menu, perfectly steamed veggies, big menu, draft beer, nice casual restaurant for lunch or dinner, lots of parking, pretty setting on a corner with views of the bucolic Franklin Marshall College campus.
-DoubleTree Resort in Willow Valley. Again, thumbs up. Hotel breakfast buffet was good, room was clean and comfy, kids enjoyed the side by side indoor kiddie waterpark and very warm regular pool. Our room overlooked the little fountain-lake and golf course. The old Willow Valley building has been torn down so no worries about getting a musty old room. Room service until 11 pm was a godsend after a long day. Wish they had a playground and outdoor pool, and room balconies to enjoy a drink after the kids fell asleep, but we were so busy anyway it was fine.
-Dutch Wonderland. Fun state-fair atmosphere, it was a mixed bag for us because my younger child decided she was too scared to go on ANY of the rides. She futzed around eating and climbing on the play structures while her sibling had the time of her life, not so fun for whichever parent was stuck waiting. We did the evening admission deal that essentially gets you in a few hours before closing and a free ticket for another day that you can use anytime before the end of their season, so we'll be back to do all the rides we missed with our eldest. If your kid is brave you need not worry. Soft pretzels, mmmm.
-Strasburg Railroad - this was a hit even with the little one and DH took a ton of pictures of the vintage engines, beautiful woodwork on the old cars etc. We checked out the presidential car and then rode in the open air past bucolic country scenery, rolling hills with pretty farms and saw buggies at the road crossing. The ride is short and very relaxing. Build in a little time for the mini "puffer train", kid-powered hand crank cars, three toy stores and small playground. Ended up skipping the Pennsylvania Train Museum across the road but we'll be back next time.
-Hiking at Trout Run. Small rocky cold water stream with a trailhead off Pennsy Road we found with Google. We had fun hiking and rock hopping the creek but I can't recommend this hike because at the beginning the access route, over and down a rail embankment, is basically a very steep, narrow, muddy trail (more like a narrow mud slide or ditch) with poison ivy on both sides, it was a challenge and not very safe for little kids. the kind where you are asking "Are you sure this is the right path??" Next time we'll try the Tucquan Glen Nature Preserve. Also, we tried to take Route 372 down by Holtwood to get back to DC. OMG was that the long way home.
-One of the best things was just looking at the scenery on the country roads between Strasburg and Route 30, lots of quaint homes, old stone barns, flowerbeds and horse drawn buggies on the roads. There is a HUGE country park with golfing and tennis that would be fun to explore in the area off 222 and Eschelman Mill Road.

[Anonymous]

Thanks!

[Anonymous]

We just got back too! Kids are 1.5, 3, and 5

We also ate at Iron Hill. We had super slow service, but once the food came it was good.

We didn't stay at the Double Tree b/c it was booked (apparently it was wedding season) and too expensive on other available weeks (even with the indoor pool/sprayground we couldn't justify it). We stayed at the Fullton Inn (shape of a steamboat - really cool) that had a small pool, but great playground and fish/duck pond. Nicely decorated, clean, and awesome restaurant (food was cheap too which I found unusual for a hotel restaurant).

DW, as others have posted on this forum, was fun, family friendly, shaded, easy to navigate, etc. Of course the kids had fun.

We skipped Strasburg RR b/c we went last year. The kids were bored by it and lost interest about 10 min. into the ride. DH loves trains so I think that is why we went, but the kids didn't really care for it.
We went to the Hershey Choc. Factory instead. It's free and the kids took a tour 3x b/c they loved it so much. Plus, there were free samples and who could resist?

It was a great trip. We stopped at two road side farmer's stand. The produce was delicous and the people really nice.

Who is next?

[Anonymous]

Any farms that kids can look at animals that you recommend?

[Anonymous]

We didn't do the farm tours but Verdant View and Cherry Crest Adventure Farm are two that are close to Strasburg, they have extensive websites. They are a little built up, kind of like Cox Farms in Sterling. Cherry Crest is closed on Sundays.