Favorite Getaways with Kids: Lancaster, PA
Issue 18: Hidden Gems for Family Adventures
I moved to DC well into adulthood. Among the things we had to figure out from scratch was where people went to escape the city for the weekend. Our first baby was born a year into our DC tenure and the question quickly evolved to where to go with kids. Lancaster became a favorite standby over the years and is still my top recommendation for young families looking for a local getaway.
Getting There and Around
Lancaster is about 2.5 hours from DC and New York City, making it an easy destination to meet for a weekend trip if you have friends or family in these metro areas. A car is a must to navigate. We’ve spent as little as one night and as many as three, but a daytrip is also feasible. I’ll walk through three ideal days in Lancaster below, but readers, feel free to mix and match!
Day 1: Adventure on the Way and Dinner in Lancaster
We took our first trip to Lancaster when our son was 18 months old and visited annually for many years thereafter. Over time, we developed a rule that we had to try at least one new adventure each time we went. Here are a few of our favorites.
Turkey Hill Experience: my kids and husband still rave about our visit to Turkey Hill, more an interactive exhibit of the brand’s ice cream than the factory tour I had originally imagined. We stopped for visit to Turkey Hill, thirty minutes outside Lancaster, when our kids were 3 and 5. They enjoyed the various play areas until it was time for our Taste Lab session where we learned about making ice cream and created our own custom flavors. We finished the visit with unlimited free samples of their onsite ice cream and their iced teas and lemonades.
Playtime before Ice Cream at Turky Hill
Herr’s Potato Chip Factory: Turkey Hill threw me down a rabbit hole of factory tours in Pennsylvania. The Herr’s tour was heavy on the science of factory and mass food production, making this one arguably better for older kids (or um, people like me, who are obsessed with potato chips). The best part is the hot chip you get to try at the end, fresh off the production belt.
Julius Sturgis Pretzel Bakery: Visitors can tour America’s first commercial pretzel bakery built in the 1860s, learn pretzel twisting using sample dough, and observe bakers making old-fashioned soft pretzels by hand.
Practicing Pretzel Twisting
Whether or not you adventure on the way, I’d recommend getting into town early enough to enjoy dinner in Lancaster. I’ve included a few suggestions for where to go at the end of this newsletter.
Day 2: Strasbourg Railroad, Lancaster Central Market, and Day 3 Preview
When our children were under 6, day 2 had an early start and so we’ve enjoyed many experiences in Lancaster over the years. One of our favorites was riding the Strasbourg Railroad, the oldest continually operated short-line railroad in the U.S. The farmland scenery outside is beautiful and there are many satisfying steam whistles throughout the 45-minute journey.
Last year, with older kids, we managed to fit in a visit to Lancaster’s Central Market, America’s oldest farmer’s market building and named one of the top 10 best fresh markets in the world. The market is open just three days a week from 6 a.m. to 3 p.m., which makes it a little more challenging to fit in without planning in advance. The market is heavy on fresh produce and butcher stands but also has plenty of stalls with snacks and options for lunch.
With the nursery and preschool set, I recommend heading back to the ranch for a post-lunch nap. After naps, head to day three’s destination, Dutch Wonderland, for a free preview of the amusement park. I discovered Dutch Wonderland through a colleague who reminisced about her annual visits there as a child, and to date, I have not found a better amusement park for young children under 10. Every ticket to Dutch Wonderland comes with a park preview that allows ticketholders to enjoy the last three hours of the park the day before your full day visit at no charge. We’ve spent anywhere from 45 minutes to the full 3 hours at the preview, and nothing builds more excitement for the next day than the preview.
Day 3: Dutch Wonderland
Start the morning with a big breakfast, because it will be a long day. Time breakfast to arrive at Dutch Wonderland about 30 minutes before opening, which is usually 10 a.m. on summer weekends. Though the park is never all that crowded, arriving early gives you a chance to walk on most of the rides you previewed the day before or stroll around the park to acclimate. We took a stroller with us until our youngest was about 5, using it largely as mobile storage for sunscreen, hats, water bottles, and snacks.
Annual Dutch Wonderland Photo
Operators will stop most rides if a kid’s nerves get the best of them, and the wait for any ride in the park is rarely longer than 10 minutes max (it’s common to walk on a ride with no wait at all). We usually wear our bathing suits under shorts and rash guards in the morning and spend the afternoon at the park’s island themed water area, which has a few smaller and bigger water slides. We end the day with a few more rides and after a quick dinner at one of the many nearby fast casual restaurants, we head out with happy, exhausted kids who sleep most of the way home.
Bookmarks
My top recommendations, all in one spot
Stay: We’ve visited Lancaster anywhere from one to three nights over the years and tried several different hotels and inns. With young kids that nap, I recommend staying close to from Dutch Wonderland if the park is in your plans. The ParkView Inn (formerly The Comfort Inn) is directly across the street. We’ve stayed in suites at my husband’s favorite based on name alone, the BestWestern Plus Intercourse Inn several times. The Eden Resort is also a good option; our kids loved the pools when they were younger.
Eat: On the way into town last year for a cousins meetup, we stopped at Southern Market Lancaster, a fantastic modern food hall and bar that began in 1888 as a farmer’s market. We’ve also enjoyed dinner at restaurants in downtown Lancaster, including the terrific modern Caribbean restaurant Callalloo. Luca is a slightly fancier option, but still fine with kids; I recommend making a reservation a couple of weeks in advance.
We generally ate breakfast in our hotel, although one year we stayed at an inn that gave us breakfast certificates for the terrific Speckled Hen. If it’s not too out of the way, I’d recommend stopping in for the food and the indoor and outdoor play areas, which make dining with younger kids almost enjoyable.
Play: my kids have sadly aged out of Dutch Wonderland at 11 and 9, though they are good natured about visiting with younger cousins and friends. The next time we are in town, we’ll probably hit Hershey Park, about 40 minutes outside Lancaster, instead. In addition to the places noted above, we’ve also visited and loved Cherry Crest Adventure Park and the fascinating Toy Train Museum.