A Charming Guide to Amish Country, Food, Fun & More
If you’re looking for a getaway that combines small-town charm, beautiful countryside, fascinating history, seriously good food, and just enough touristy fun to keep everyone happy, Lancaster, Pennsylvania, is ready to welcome you with open arms—and probably a slice of shoofly pie. There are plenty of things to do in Lancaster, Pennsylvania, whether you’re planning a romantic weekend, a family vacation, a girls’ getaway, or simply need somewhere to go where the pace of life feels a little less frantic.
Lancaster sits in the heart of Pennsylvania Dutch Country, and while the surrounding farmland may look wonderfully peaceful, there is much more happening here than cows contemplating the meaning of life. From spectacular theater productions to historic markets, steam trains, Amish Country excursions, museums, shopping, and some wonderfully indulgent food, Lancaster makes it surprisingly easy to fill a weekend—or several—with memorable experiences.
Here are some of the best things to do while you’re there.
See a Show at Sight & Sound Theatres
If you do only one big-ticket attraction in Lancaster, make it Sight & Sound Theatres. Located in nearby Ronks, this enormous theater is famous for bringing Bible stories to life with elaborate sets, live animals, music, special effects, and productions that are considerably more ambitious than your average community theater production. And by “ambitious,” I mean you may find yourself wondering how they managed to fit all of that on one stage.
Sight & Sound has been entertaining audiences for 50 years, and the Lancaster theater’s productions run from March through December. In 2026, the featured Lancaster production is Joshua, a sweeping story of courage, faith, and adventure. (Sight & Sound)
Even if theater isn’t normally at the top of your vacation list, Sight & Sound is worth considering. The sets can tower three stories high, and the production incorporates the space around the audience in ways that make the experience feel much bigger than simply sitting and watching a stage. (Sight & Sound)
Plan ahead, because popular performances can fill up. And leave yourself time before or after the show to explore the surrounding Strasburg and Amish Country area. You can check the current Sight & Sound shows and tickets before your trip.
Wander Through Lancaster Central Market
Come hungry. Actually, come very hungry.
Lancaster Central Market is the kind of place where a quick visit can turn into an extended relationship with a pastry. Located in downtown Lancaster, it has been operating continuously since the 1730s and is considered the oldest continuously operating farmers market in the country. The current red-brick market building is packed with local vendors selling produce, baked goods, meats, cheeses, prepared foods, and plenty of Pennsylvania Dutch specialties. (City of Lancaster, PA)
The market is open Tuesdays, Fridays, and Saturdays from 6 a.m. to 3 p.m., so check your schedule before heading over. (Lancaster Central Market)
This is an especially good place to get a taste of Lancaster rather than simply seeing it. Grab breakfast, pick up something sweet for later, and browse the stalls. You’ll see locals doing their regular shopping alongside visitors who are trying to figure out how much food they can reasonably take home in a carry-on.
Afterward, spend some time walking around downtown. Lancaster’s center is filled with independent shops, restaurants, galleries, coffee shops, and historic buildings, making it an easy place to explore on foot. (Visit Lancaster PA)
Explore Amish Country
No trip to Lancaster would be complete without spending some time in the countryside. Lancaster County is home to one of the oldest Amish settlements in North America, and the rural landscape—with its farms, barns, fields, and horse-drawn buggies—is one of the area’s defining features.
The key to enjoying Amish Country is to remember that it is, first and foremost, a place where people live and work. The farms aren’t a theme park, and the people you see going about their day aren’t there for tourists. Treat the area with respect, slow down, and enjoy the scenery.
If you’d like to learn more about Amish culture and traditions, there are educational attractions and guided experiences that can provide context. You can also explore the small communities of Bird-in-Hand, Intercourse, Ronks, and Strasburg, each offering its own collection of shops, restaurants, farms, and attractions.
And yes, you may see a horse and buggy on the road. If you’re driving, give it plenty of space. Your vacation will be much more enjoyable if it doesn’t involve explaining to your insurance company why you attempted to race a buggy.
Ride the Strasburg Rail Road
All aboard! If you have even a tiny soft spot for trains, put the Strasburg Rail Road on your Lancaster itinerary.
The historic railroad operates steam-powered excursions through the Lancaster County countryside, traveling through farmland in restored passenger cars. The experience is wonderfully old-fashioned, which is part of the appeal. There’s something satisfying about watching the scenery roll by from a train while somebody else handles the driving.
The Strasburg Rail Road operates on a historic right-of-way and is recognized as America’s oldest continuously operating railroad. Excursions typically take about 45 minutes and travel through approximately 2,500 acres of farmland. (LancasterPA.com)
The railroad is particularly appealing for families, but don’t assume that means adults won’t enjoy it. Adults are perfectly entitled to enjoy trains, too. In fact, adulthood is mostly about realizing you can buy your own train ticket without asking permission.
While you’re in the area, you can also visit the Railroad Museum of Pennsylvania, located across from the railroad, for an even deeper dive into the history of American railroading.
Eat Your Way Through Pennsylvania Dutch Country
Lancaster is not a destination for anyone planning to “just eat salads.”
Pennsylvania Dutch cooking is a major part of the area’s identity, and visitors should absolutely make time to try some local specialties. Shoofly pie is the obvious starting point, but don’t stop there. Depending on where you eat, you may encounter dishes such as chicken pot pie, ham and bean soup, chowchow, scrapple, sausage, homemade breads, and other hearty comfort foods.
Lancaster Central Market is a great place to sample local flavors, but you’ll also find family-style restaurants and farm-to-table establishments throughout the county.
And then there is ice cream. Lancaster County has plenty of farms and creameries producing the stuff, and a scoop of fresh, locally made ice cream after a day of sightseeing is less of a dessert and more of a civic responsibility.
Visit Kitchen Kettle Village
For shopping with a distinctly Lancaster County flavor, head to Kitchen Kettle Village in Intercourse. The village brings together dozens of shops and local businesses, making it an easy stop when you’re exploring Amish Country.
You’ll find handmade crafts, quilts, food products, gifts, home décor, and plenty of things that may cause you to say, “I don’t need that,” immediately followed by, “But it would look really good in the kitchen.”
It’s also a fun place to pick up edible souvenirs. Lancaster is one of those destinations where bringing food home isn’t an afterthought; it’s practically part of the itinerary.
Discover Lancaster’s History and Culture
Lancaster has a surprisingly rich history, and spending a little time exploring beyond the obvious tourist attractions adds another layer to the trip.
Downtown Lancaster has historic architecture and cultural attractions, while museums and local organizations tell the stories of the region’s communities and changing identity. Visit Lancaster City highlights destinations such as LancasterHistory and the North Museum of Nature & Science, along with walking tours that explore different aspects of the city’s past. (Visit Lancaster City)
You can also catch a performance at the Fulton Theatre, one of the oldest working theaters in the United States. Lancaster’s performing-arts scene gives the city a nice counterbalance to the slower pace of the surrounding countryside.
In other words, Lancaster isn’t just barns and butter. Although, to be fair, there are some excellent barns and a considerable amount of butter.
Take a Scenic Drive
One of the best things about Lancaster County is that you don’t always need a formal attraction to have a memorable afternoon. Sometimes the attraction is the road itself.
Take a leisurely drive through the countryside and you’ll find rolling farmland, historic homes, barns, covered bridges, farm stands, and wide-open views. Lancaster County has one of the country’s densest concentrations of covered bridges, and seeking out a few makes for a wonderfully relaxed excursion.
This is also where Lancaster rewards travelers who aren’t afraid to slow down. Pull over at a farm stand. Buy something you can’t pronounce. Take a photograph of a barn. Admire a particularly impressive field. Let the GPS wonder why you’ve stopped for the fourth time in twenty minutes.
You’re on vacation. It will survive.
Have Some Family Fun at Dutch Wonderland
Traveling with kids? Dutch Wonderland is an easy addition to your itinerary. The family-oriented amusement park features more than 30 rides along with water attractions and live entertainment. It’s designed with younger children and families in mind, making it a good choice for a day when everyone needs a break from historical buildings and educational experiences.
Even if you’re not traveling with children, there’s something to be said for embracing your inner kid once in a while. Lancaster is full of history and culture, but vacations should also include at least one activity that makes you grin like you’ve just been handed a funnel cake.
Make Time for the Little Towns
One of the best ways to experience Lancaster County is to visit some of its smaller communities rather than staying exclusively in Lancaster city.
Strasburg is a natural choice if you’re interested in trains and Sight & Sound. Bird-in-Hand offers a classic Amish Country experience, while Intercourse is home to shops, restaurants, and attractions. Lititz, meanwhile, is an especially charming nearby town with a walkable downtown and a long history of its own.
These towns are part of what makes the region feel different from a standard weekend destination. You can spend the morning at a major attraction, the afternoon wandering a small-town Main Street, and the evening eating something homemade. That’s a pretty good vacation equation.
Slow Down and Enjoy Lancaster
Perhaps the best thing to do in Lancaster, Pennsylvania, is to resist the temptation to do absolutely everything.
Yes, there are plenty of attractions. Yes, you could build a packed itinerary from breakfast until bedtime. But Lancaster’s real charm comes from the combination of experiences: the sound of a steam train in the distance, a horse and buggy moving along a country road, the smell of fresh bread at a market, a spectacular theater production, and a quiet evening watching the sun disappear over the farmland.
Lancaster gives you plenty to see and do, but it also gives you permission to slow down. Spend a morning at Central Market, wander downtown without a strict agenda, take a scenic drive, eat a slice of pie that is larger than necessary, and let yourself enjoy the fact that not every vacation needs to feel like an Olympic event.
Whether you’re visiting for a weekend or staying longer, Lancaster has a wonderful way of making you feel like you’ve gotten away without having to go terribly far. And if you leave with a box of baked goods in the car, a few souvenirs you definitely didn’t need, and a new appreciation for steam trains, well, congratulations. You have officially done Lancaster right.
