My hidden Lancaster
Go slow and go off the beaten path
NEW HOLLAND, Pa. — “Amish country” is one of Pennsylvania’s biggest tourist draws, but somehow, having logged easily 50 trips to the region in the past decade, I’ve managed to miss most of the well-known attractions.
No visit to Hershey Park or Dutch Wonderland or the Quilt Museum. No buggy ride. No shopping at the Central Market in Lancaster.
We are, however, repeat visitors to the New Holland Farmer’s Fair. This year’s fair runs Wednesday through Saturday. In addition to the great autumn foliage, farm produce, livestock, midway and ubiquitous fried-food vendors, you’ll get the delight of tasting local Amish foods, watching the “Baby Parade” and cheering at events such as the 52nd annual Fireman’s Tug-of-War.
Our family’s nontourist-y approach to Lancaster County springs from the fact that our trips there are usually just overnight jaunts, centered here, to sustain a family business. We go there to connect with craftsmen and suppliers, but that’s also how we’ve come to know our chunk of Amish country indepth.
The best travel experiences are those that delve beneath the surface and give you insight into a different way of life, whether it’s in Paris, France or Lancaster County’s Intercourse.
To make the nine or 10 hours round trip spent on the turnpike worth it, we always squeeze in stops at a couple of our favorite haunts that are off the beaten path.
Here’s “My Hidden Lancaster” but under one condition: You must promise to
Having logged so many hours on the winding, dipping, two-lane roads that crisscross Lancaster County, sharing the space with buggies, bicycles, farm wagons and semi-tractor trailers, we have experienced too many heart-stopping moments — most of them caused by speeding cars.
At a reasonable speed, you see delights like the New Holland’s small but lovely Groff Memorial Park, bursting with native trees, shrubs and flowers.
Or the Amish teenagers carefully guiding their buggy into Sheetz to buy propane. (It is impolite to photograph them, so be content to observe the incongruity.)
Or the picnic we saw in late March at a New Holland farm, a dozen Mennonites playing volleyball, the longskirted girls lunging like it was the Olympics and a roadside sign that said, “Honk! Mel is 70!” We honked.
Navigating Lancaster County can be challenging, because the roads follow the topography and the boundaries of centuries-old farms. There aren’t many right angles or neat grids to follow, so a good map or GPS, a strategy and slow speeds are helpful.
The three major roads that help me keep my bearings are Routes 30, 222 and 322.
South of the turnpike, 222 and 322 form a large X, crossing in Ephrata. Connecting them on the southern edge is Route 30, from Lancaster on the west to Downingtown on the east.
For us, Route 30 is too tourist-y and we rarely venture there. We stay north of it, in New Holland, but still in the bottom half of the X. With county road 23 stretching, like Route 30, from 322 to 222 and serving as its Main Street, New Holland is well situated for accessing many of the region’s hidden treasures.
Because we are usually on a tight schedule we stay at the no-nonsense Country Squire Motor Inn and eat at the very good Squireside Cafe next door. But there are some attractive bed-andbreakfasts nearby — we have enjoyed the Richmond House two blocks away — and dozens more throughout the county, as well as hotels at various price points.
We pick one of two strategies each time we visit: We either explore a single road for a few hours or we pick one major event or attraction and throw in a couple of smaller stops nearby.
On a recent trip my husband wanted me to see the Bollman Hat Co. — an American company that still manufactures in America! — located in Adamstown, north of the turnpike and just off 222. A couple of blocks from the factory is its outlet store, which carries up-to-theminute products such as Kangol but also has vintage fedoras, newsboy caps and some ’70s toppers that look disco-ready. The excellent Dave’s Diner and a good antiques mall are yards away.
The other approach is to move slowly down one road. We often leave for home by heading northwest on 322. That takes us through Ephrata, where we might visit the Ephrata Cloister, a fascinating religious commune that is now a historical site. Shopping highlights include Paul B. Hardware (see the story below) and the flagship Ten Thousand Villages store. The latter option also offers an excellent cafe with an international menu to match its mission, but The Udder Choice for ice cream and Olde Lincoln House for dinner are favorites. Topping it all off is a step back in time at the Clay Book Store.
If we leave New Holland west on 23 instead, we can take a tiny detour to Groff Memorial Park, then stop at the Re-Uzit Store, Achenbach’s Pastries and Harry’s Furniture Center and Auction.
Almost any antiques store or thrift shop in the region is worth a look. My favorite allin-one is Renningers in Adamstown, but it is open only on Sunday mornings.
There is no insider’s secret to the local restaurants. If you are a true “foodie,” your options are few, mostly located in the city of Lancaster. But if homestyle cooking, reliable diners and giant smorgasbords suit you, then you’ll find something you like no matter which road you travel through Amish country.