LANCASTER, PA A Great Place!
GETTING HERE How To Get Here
SLEEPING Sleeping-Intro.
Hotels & Motels
Other Lodging
ATTRACTIONS Our Attractions
Museums-History
Performing Arts
For The Kids
THE AMISH Lancaster's Amish
Amish B&Bs
Amish food
An Amish Day Trip
Amish things to do
EATING Eating-Intro.
Fine Dining
International
Assorted
Still More Dining
Fast Food
SHOPPING Shopping Intro.
Amish furniture
Amish quilts
Outlet Shopping
Food
Events
CITIES & TOWNS LIVING HERE Living Here
Tell your story
  

Is a Lancaster vacation in your future?
If not, it should be.



Why is a Lancaster vacation a great idea? There are many reasons, as countless thousands of others have discovered; the small city of Lancaster, and surrounding Lancaster County, is one of the most popular vacation destinations in the United States. You might think that is amazing, that is until you visit here. Or live here. Why? Because the area seems to have almost everything you'd want in a perfect location: beautiful scenery, the Amish culture to learn about, excellent shopping, live theater, an art scene, amusements, tours, a solid economy, a better climate than most places, and on and on.

Display of mums-net My wife Joan (I'm Arnie) and I moved here in 1991 so I could start a new job with what is ranked as one of the 50 best hospitals (of more than 4,000) in the United States. As a retired Navy officer, by then we'd lived in fifteen homes in seven states. We'd also visited all fifty states and almost forty countries. In short, we had a lot of experience with other places. We thought Lancaster County would be just another locale we'd pass through. We were wrong; we love it here and plan to stay for the rest of our lives. Perhaps some of our town names say it all: Paradise, Eden, Mount Joy, and New Providence. Our goal is to show you why we love it here and help ensure that you do too.

The purpose of this web site is to give you some tips that will help your Lancaster vacation be a great one, whether you're a visitor or a future resident. We can't begin to include all the things to see or do, or places to stay or eat. Other sites (links are provided later) have spent years listing everything possible to see of do here. We can't begin to duplicate their hard work; instead we'll focus on the places that are the favorites of ourselves and our friends. This page is just to get you started.

Autumn Leaves

Our web site is a work in progress with information and recommendations being added every week (or sooner). Please come back and visit us often.

OK, that's enough of an introduction. Let's get started; click any button on the left to design your Lancaster vacation.

Notes: (1) With several exceptions pictures used on the site were taken by us, or borrowed from the web site or brochure of the other party. The exceptions are those which are copyrighted and published on the Daily Encouragement Net at www.dailyencouragement.net and through which subscriptions can me made. They include the caption photo of Amish playing volleyball and the others on this page. Other NET photos used are designated by "net" following the picture title.(2) We have no commercial affiliation with any of the places we recommend. In fact, it's more than likely that many of them do not even know we are recommending them.







LANCASTER VACATIONS
Why are Lancaster vacations a great idea? The scenery, the Amish, excellent shopping, attractions, the food, and more.

GETTING HERE
Getting here is easy. Whether you come to Lancaster by car, train, bus, or plane these tips will help make your travel plan easier.

LANCASTER HOTELS
Finding Lancaster hotels (meaning any sleeping accommodation) is easy, there are hundreds to choose from.

HOTELS IN LANCASTER
What are the hotels in Lancaster that are recommended. Try these twenty.

LANCASTER LODGING
On this page I'll address Lancaster lodging other than hotels and motels: B&Bs, campgrounds, Amish guest homes, and Mennonite inns.

LANCASTER ATTRACTIONS
The best Lancaster attractions for you to visit when you come to see us? Whether your interests are in the performing arts, Lancaster's museums, railroading, a scenic hike, history or something else,

LANCASTER HISTORY
Lancaster history is a rich tapestry of indians, settlers, Mennonites and Amish, and contributions to the culture of the United States. Local museums tell the story well.

THE PERFORMING ARTS
Lancaster's performing arts are very much alive and well. They include legitimate theaters, dinner theaters, a puppet theater, and an Elizabethan fair.

FOR THE KIDS
Lancaster has a lot of things to do for adults, but what is there for the kids? Quite a lot depending on their age and interests. Science? Railroading? Amusements? Shows? Farms? And more.

THE AMISH
What makes the Amish one of the reasons people come to Lancaster? Their culture? Quilts? Furniture? Cooking? Maybe; come find out why for yourself.

AMISH B&Bs
Want to really get close to the Amish? Then stay in an authentic Amish B&B.

AMISH FOOD
Amish food is excellent. Where can you try it?

AN AMISH DAY TRIP
Want to get the real flavor of Amish country? Take this day trip.

AMISH THINGS TO DO
Lancaster has a wide variety of attractions. Here are some Amish things to do.

LANCASTER RESTAURANTS
Lancaster restaurants span the entire range from fine dining to fast food, expensive to budget, Amish to Vietnamese, and pretty much whatever else you can think of.

FINE DINING
There are more fine dining restaurants in Lancaster County than visitors might expect. In fact, there are more recommended restaurants in this category than any of the others.

INTERNATIONAL DINING
Lancaster has a wide range of international dining cuisines. A few them are presented here for your dining pleasure.

ASSORTED DINING
There are numerous other assorted dining opportunities in Lancaster, but since they may be difficult to categorize they are listed here as "assorted".

STILL MORE DINING
In addition to those already listed, there are still more dining options to consider.

FAST FOOD
Listing all the fast food places in Lancaster would take forever, but here are a few of Lancaster's best.

LANCASTER SHOPPING
Why Is Lancaster shopping good? For for Amish quilts and Amish furniture! And for handicrafts, art, and food. For the farmer's markets..

AMISH FURNITURE
Amish furniture is craftsmanship at it's best, and Lancaster has it in abundance.

HOW TO BUY AMISH QUILTS
Amish quilts are one of the things that immediately come to mind when you think about Lancaster. Would you like to buy one?

LANCASTER OUTLETS SHOPPING
There are two Lancaster outlets centers. Combined they have more than 160 stores and restaurants.

Lancaster food! Yummm...!!! What else can you say?
Lancaster food! Yummm...!!!There is little else to say; except that it's excellent, plentiful, and well worth taking home.

LANCASTER EVENTS
The Lancaster events calendar is always full, particularly so from May to October

LIVING HERE
I love living in Lancaster County. Living here as long as we have has been both a surprise and a great joy. Is it for you?

Contribute to Lancaster Vacation
Would you like to share your knowledge about lancaster vacation? Great, find out how you can submit your story or tip here.