Lancaster trip tips?
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Anonymous
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No, we aren't going to Europe or Mexico or Yellowstone...but we are going to Lancaster!
Family trip, 3 children: 5, 2.5, 12 months. 4 adults. Focus of the trip is Dutch Wonderland. We're going for 2 nights over a weekend. Where should we stay? Air BnB or hotel? Several had mentioned Eden Resort or Steamship (?) but it's out of our budget and we wont be at the hotel that much to enjoy the amenities. Any other attractions? |
Anonymous
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Chocolate world at hershey is FREE and there's a little ride/history of chocolate.
The turkey hill ice cream factory is fun. You can hit it on your way there or back. |
Anonymous
| Thanks, but we will do Hershey when the kids are a bit older. Everyone keeps raving about Dutch Wonderland for little kids. |
Anonymous
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RE: hershey - chocolate world isn't part of the theme park. It's free. It's 30 mins from Lancaster. We've gone there without going to the park.
You might keep it in your back pocket in case you get rained out. |
Anonymous
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Turkey Hill Experience is a good on-the-way r on-the-way-back stop!
Try eating at Good n Plenty or Oregon Dairy. You could take a horse & buggy ride. There are lots of outlet shops. |
Anonymous
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We stayed at a Holiday Inn Express that was near one of the outlets - good hotel with good breakfast.
Other attractions - the train and that one farm. I believe the name is Cherry Crest Adventures. Both fun for kids that age. |
Anonymous
| There are a couple hotels across the street from dutch wonderland you can try those. We stayed at the Eden Resort and used the pool Friday afternoon and Sunday morning and that made it worth the extra in hotel costs. We did the character breakfast at Dutch Wonderland and I wouldn't do it again. |
Anonymous
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We just did Dutch Wonderland, and it was great fun! Use the preview night option to get more bang for your ticket buck. You can go in the evening the day before. Our kids were flat out exhausted by 5 the next day.
I also recommend riding the Strasburg Railroad and getting ice cream at the Strasburg Creamery (in the country store in downtown Strasburg). |
Anonymous
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Stay at the Country Inn and Suites across the street from DW. Or any one of the chain hotels around - Doubletree, Holiday Inn Express, Hilton Garden Inn...all are nice (I can't even remember the other ones we stayed in). The Strasburg Train is pretty fun, except that on a hot day, it's HOT. My kids always liked the Choo-Choo Barn, but that's an hour of entertainment tops.
You can do 2 days at DW with kids those ages. They'll like riding things a lot, and splashing in the water park. Turkey Hill Experience is not all that. |
Anonymous
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We are doing the same trip in a few weeks with two kids, 5 and 3. We've been going for a couple of years now and always stay at one of the farm B&Bs. The kids absolutely love it!! They get to do farm chores in the morning, play in the creek, and just run around the open fields. The big breakfast in the morning is also a great way to start the day. We are staying at Airy Hill B&B this year.
As for other attractions, Dutch Wonderland is perfect for the little ones. Between the farm, Dutch Wonderland and the Strasburg Railroad, that's pretty much all we hit given the age of my kids. The farm really is the hit of the trip! |
Anonymous
This is great advice. Farm B&Bs are an excellent alternative to the usual hotels and motels. We stay at the Country Vistas B&B in Manheim. In addition to attractions like Dutch Wonderland and Strasburg Railroad, you could try a buggy ride. There are several operators to choose from and there are always coupons and discounts to be had. It's a nice way to get a glimpse of Amish life. Also visit Kitchen Kettle Village for some shopping - plenty of fun stuff there for the kids and you can stock up on fabulous local crafts, jams, jellies, pickles, and such. Some other food suggestions: Immergut Pretzels is right near there and has the best soft pretzels ever. Also visit the Lapp Valley Dairy Farm for some incredible ice cream. Dienner's and Katie's Kitchen are two of the best restaurants in the area. The Bird in Hand Bake Shop is excellent for baked goods and local groceries. |
Anonymous
| We stayed at the Marriott in downtown Lancaster. They have an indoor pool and was walking distance to lots of restaurants and a farmer's market. |
Anonymous
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We stayed at the Amish View Inn. Great breakfast, lovely view, nice pool.
The Hands-on House (children's museum) is cute in Lancaster. |
Anonymous
| We had an Entertainment coupon for the Landis Valley Village and Farm Museum in Lancaster and decided to check it out last year while on vacation with our two kids and one grandfather in Lancaster. It was great! We spent 5 hours there exploring the houses. There was an adult blacksmithing camp going on, so we spent lots of time sitting on benches and watching the students bang metal and play with fire. There was also a gun shop and even our 5-year-old had fun pointing a gun at me! There was also a wood-toy-making adult camp going on, and the instructor let our kids play with the toys being made during breaks and let all of us try 1800's-era wood-working machines (run by foot pedals). The gift shop was also very reasonably-priced and had some fun electronic-free toys for kids. Here's the site: http://www.landisvalleymuseum.org/ |
Anonymous
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Do not going to Chocolate World. It's out of the way and basically just a big long line of people waiting to buy candy they can get at Walmart and a food court with chocolate themed everything. My tot loved the free ride, but it was so not worth the long wait. I remembered it from when I was a kid, but I wouldn't have done it if I had known the hassle. Parking was also a pain because it's shared with Hershey Park.
Eden is nice but not worth the price if you're staying for only two nights. I'd pick somewhere close to Dutch Wonderland. Eat one meal at Miller's. Delicious! Go hungry. |