19 Best Sights in Pennsylvania Dutch Country, Pennsylvania

There are few landmarks as touching as the Gettysburg National Military Park, where General Robert E. Lee and his Confederate troops encountered the Union forces of General George Meade. There are more than 1,300 markers and monuments honoring the casualties of the battle in the 6,000-acre park. More than 30 miles of marked roads lead through the park, highlighting key battle sites. In the first week of July, Civil War reenactors dress in period uniforms and costumes to commemorate the three-day battle.

Self-guided tours as well as tour guides for hire are both available, as are tours on horseback.

Billed as the "Sweetest Place on Earth," Hersheypark offers more than 65 rides and attractions, a boardwalk with a lazy river and wave pool, a wildlife park called ZooAmerica with hundreds of animals, as well as tons of live-entertainment options. Founded in 1907 as a town park for chocolate factory workers, Hersheypark, set on more than 100 acres, is prized as one of America's cleanest and greenest theme parks. Among its historical rides are the Comet, a 1946-vintage wooden roller coaster, and a carousel built in 1919 that has 66 hand-carved wooden horses. "Chocolatetown" is the latest park expansion that includes Candymonium, its tallest and longest roller coaster to date, a virtual-reality experience, a Hershey merch flagship store, and a full-service restaurant.

Aaron & Jessica's Buggy Rides offers four tours of the Amish countryside, lasting between a half-hour and more than an hour, taking passengers through a covered bridge and into a variety of local sites in an authentic Amish carriage. The rides depart from Plain & Fancy Farm. You can also book a private buggy ride.

Abe's Buggy Rides offer tours ranging from 2–7-mile spins down country roads in an Amish buggy with a real Amish driver, who provides a friendly chat about the customs of the Pennsylvania Dutch and the sights along the way.

At this designated Lancaster County heritage site, take a guided tour of a replica nine-room Old Order Amish house, and attached one-room schoolhouse. Located on the Plain & Fancy Farm property, you'll learn about Amish culture, clothing, and day-to-day life.

The Super-Saver Tour Package ($47.95) includes a 90-minute mini-shuttle tour; a guided tour of the homestead; and a ticket to see the film Jacob's Choice.

This 12-acre historic homestead offers guided tours of an authentically furnished house and one-room schoolhouse. The property includes a barn, blacksmith shop, smokehouse market, and outdoor picnic grounds when the weather permits. Mini-shuttle-bus tours of the area are also available.

What started as a family hobby in 1945 with a single train chugging around the Groff family Christmas tree is now the Choo-Choo Barn, Traintown, USA. This 1,700-square-foot display of Lancaster County in miniature has 20 trains, mainly in O-gauge, with 150 animated scenes, including an authentic Amish barn raising, a huge three-ring circus with animals and acrobats, and a blazing house fire with fire engines rushing to the disaster. Periodically, the overhead lights dim and the scene turns to night, with streetlights and locomotive headlights glowing in the darkness.

A self-proclaimed "Kingdom for Kids," this 44-acre amusement park features rides and activities suited for families with younger children. Most rides, such as the roller coaster, merry-go-round, and giant slide, are quite tame. The adjacent water park (no separate admission), Duke's Lagoon, is open weekends, Memorial Day through Labor Day. From Thanksgiving to Christmas, the park is open for its "Dutch Winter Wonderland," with holiday-themed rides and a light show.

Renovated in recent years, the Gettysburg Heritage Center presents the story of the Civil War era and the Battle of Gettysburg through artifacts, a 20-minute film, 3-D programs, and interactive exhibits that include an educational scavenger hunt. There are several ways to tour the battlefield, including Victorian carriage, horseback, electric bike, and 90-minute walking tours (prices vary). Complimentary living-history camps that demonstrate what life was like for the Civil War soldiers are offered most weekends from May to November.

At Hershey's Chocolate World, a free 30-minute automated ride takes you through the steps of producing chocolate, from picking the cocoa beans to making candy bars in Hershey's kitchens. The Chocolate Tasting Adventure (separate admission) offers a multimedia overview of chocolate history and other trivia, as well as samples of Hershey's chocolate. Those with a more creative sweet tooth can now concoct their own chocolate inventions at the new Create Your Own Candy Bar attraction (additional fee). This is the town's official visitor center, so you can get information while tasting your favorite Hershey confections and buying gifts in a spacious conservatory filled with tropical plants.

In 1861, pretzel man Julius Sturgis opened the country's first pretzel bakery. These days, the original site, a stone house on the National Register of Historic Places, operates guided tours and a hands-on lesson in pretzel twisting. An on-site bakeshop has souvenirs and fresh pretzels.

The National Toy Train Museum, the showplace of the Train Collectors Association, displays antique and modern toy trains. The museum has five huge operating layouts, with toy trains from the 1800s to the present, plus nostalgic films and hundreds of locomotives and cars in display cases.

The seasonal Pennsylvania Renaissance Faire, on the grounds of the Mount Hope Estate and Winery, transforms the winery into an extensive 16th-century English village ruled by Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth I. The lively action includes street performers, human chess matches, jousting and fencing tournaments, knighthood ceremonies, street performances, craft demonstrations, battling pirates, jesters, medieval food, and Shakespearean plays performed on outdoor stages. Fun for all ages, but definitely more A Kid in King Arthur's Court than Game of Thrones.

The Railroad Museum of Pennsylvania and the Railway Education Center, across the road from the Strasburg Rail Road, holds 75 pieces of train history, including 13 colossal engines built between 1888 and 1930; 12 railroad cars, including a Pullman sleeper; and memorabilia documenting the history of Pennsylvania railroading. The museum features a railroad town, a gift shop, and a learning center.

The Shriver House was the home of George and Henrietta Shriver and their two children, and reveals what civilian life was like during the Civil War. After George joined the Union troops and his family fled to safety, the home was taken over by Confederate sharpshooters, two of whom were killed in the attic during the battle. Costumed guides give tours and share fascinating tales. A gift shop is on site.

The Strasburg Rail Road marks more than 175 years of history, and visitors can step back in time to travel the rails on a scenic 45-minute round-trip excursion through Amish farm country from Strasburg to Paradise on a rolling antique chartered in 1832 to carry milk, mail, and coal. Called America's oldest short line, the Strasburg run has wooden coaches pulled by an iron steam locomotive. Eat lunch in the dining car or buy a box lunch in the restaurant at the station and have a picnic at Groff's Grove along the line. Visit the Reading Car No. 10, a restored business car that carried the top brass of the Philadelphia and Reading Railroad back in the early 1900s. Kids are crazy for the Thomas the Tank Engine shop and special events. Trains usually depart hourly. Dinner trains run April to December.

This family-owned property offers 40-minute tours through a 10-room circa-1805 house furnished in the Old Order Amish style. A map guides you to a waterwheel, lime kiln, as well as a traditional covered bridge. One of the older attractions in the area, it dates to 1955.

The Neuber family also offers bus tours that include a farm visit.

Offering a first-hand lesson in the process of making ice cream, this new walk-through attraction in a former abandoned mill gives visitors the opportunity to milk a mechanical cow, climb aboard a vintage milk delivery truck, or even concoct a flavor, design its packaging, and shoot a commercial. . Grown-ups may find the facts and figures about dairy farming and the family-owned Turkey Hill company interesting, but mostly this one is for the kids. Reservations are required for the Taste Lab – the make-your-own portion of the Experience.

While the Wilbur Factory has closed and is being sold, you can still get your sugar kicks at the Candy Americana Museum and Factory Candy Outlet, a small museum of candy-related memorabilia with a large retail store filled with brand-name chocolates made with Wilbur Chocolate and signature Wilbur Buds.