Holidays in Amish Country!

Everyone is curious about Lancaster during the holidays. After the long days of summer and the harvest is in, what is there to do in Amish Country? PLENTY!

Have you finished your shopping for the holidays? Or, have you even started? We have two outlet malls – Tanger and Rockvale.  At the Australian Walkabout Inn B&B, we can provide you with directories and coupons for both, to make your shopping cost-effective and time-efficient. If you’re looking for something unique, head downtown to the Gallery Shops. Here again, we can provide you with maps and other information. Looking for something Amish-inspired? We like local Amish-owned shops like Riehl’s Quilts and the Countryside Road Stand.

Rather than giving that special someone something in a box for the holidays, why not give them an experience? Our local theaters – Sight and Sound; American Music Theatre; Ephrata Performing Arts Center; Rainbow Dinner Theatre; Dutch Apple Dinner Theatre; and Fulton Opera House (just to name a few) all have special productions just for the holidays! I can tell you from experience, that this is some of the easiest gift shopping you’ll ever do, and the memories last a lot longer than a Wii game, tie or bottle of perfume.  

Other experiences might include a Segway Tour, a zip line canopy tour, a hot air balloon ride, a couples’ massage, or horseback riding. The possibilities are virtually limitless!

All this shopping, Segway-riding and theatre-going is probably going to make you hungry. We have a wide variety of food choices here in Lancaster. You can go the Amish-Dutch route at Katie’s Kitchen in Ronks, or Dienner’s Family Restaurant in Paradise (both minutes from the Walkabout Inn). Hungry for ethnic food? We have everything from Asian-fusion to Peruvian and Italian. If American fare is more your style, then we recommend The Brasserie. For an intimate dinner, we prefer the Greenfield Restaurant. The downtown area also has wonderful restaurants that rank right up there with places we’ve eaten in DC, Philly or other major metropolitan areas (without the high prices and long waits for reservations).

So see? There’s a lot to do here in Lancaster, PA during the holiday season. You’ll need several days to experience it all. Call today to reserve your favorite room. See you soon!

Two weeks

So, starting this Saturday, our daughter leaves on a two-week vacation. The first week she'll be staying with family and the second week will be at a church music camp. I'm not sure who looks forward to this more, me or her. She gets to experience what she refers to as 'freedom' and, well, so do mom & dad. I think all families should be this fortunate!

Her version of freedom includes sleeping till noon and then swimming the rest of the day; getting a pedicure; going shopping with grandma for those things that mom won't buy because they aren't 'needs'; eating whatever she wants whenever she wants and this includes ice cream for dinner (yeah, grandma, she told on you!) Fortunately, this is only the first week. The 2nd week is a bit more structured. It only takes me half of the remaining summer to re-program her.

Don't get me wrong. We love our daughter more than anything in the world! She's reallly a fantastic kid and we're very proud of her. Generally, she's a joy to have around. It's just that this two weeks is a very important time for her parents. We get to take a little time to 'reconnect' as a couple. We've made this a priority since our daughter was very young and like I've commented before in this post, she understands that this is important.

Our daughter has always been quite 'portable'. We've taken her with us just about everywhere except during the aforementioned vacation times. This year, vacation for mom & dad is going to include some of the following: Music and Wine on the Lawn at Waltz Vineyards; A Ghost Tour of Lancaster;
dining out at Greenfield Restaurant and/or The Orchard.

I think I need to make a list.

Commercial Approach

For over a year now, I've been the chair of the marketing committee for our local B&B association . I get to work very closely with a lot of very talented people who are passionate about innkeeping. In addition to marketing together as 40 unique B&B properties among about 160 in Lancaster County, PA, we also share ideas, stories and a lot of laughs.

We've done our share of rack cards, print advertising in newspapers & magazines and social media like Facebook and Twitter. This year, we decided to pull out all the stops. At the end of April, we produced a commercial for our association. We would not have been able to do this without the help of our local CVB and a matching grant from the state. It was a long day and a lot of people worked very hard to turn out a great product. You can see it here:

Another very similar version of the commercial is airing this week and next on cable stations and WGAL. We had great participation from the association members. Thanks to Bob & Vivian Abel of the Pheasant Run B&B - they were so gracious in hosting the event.

Just wait to see what we do next!

Why do they call it the Dog Days of Summer?

One quick look on Wikipedia succinctly answers this question. These days, usually between July 1 and September 1 in the Northern Hemisphere, are the hottest, most sultry days of summer. So named by the Romans who believed that Sirius, also called the Dog Star, was somehow responsible for the hot weather.

Well, it's a good thing that those ol' Romans were so superstitious. These days, the Dog Days are utilized as an perfectly legitimate reason to celebrate just about anything...department stores, grocery stores and factory outlets use it as a reason to have sales; car dealerships mark down vehicles to clear out for the next year's models. And this year, we here at the Australian Walkabout Inn Bed & Breakfast in Lancaster, PA are using it as a theme for our Buy 2 Nights, Get the 3rd Night FREE special!! Book here NOW!

So, what's there to do in Lancaster for 3 days in the middle of the summer, you might ask. Plenty! Museums - Music - Dinner and a Movie - First Friday Downtown - Spend some time in the Park - Maybe you like Gardens? - Dinner Theatres? - or Music in the Vineyards?

Is shopping your thing? Good Food Outlet Store; Rockvale Outlets; Tanger Outlet Center; Wilton Armetale Factory Store just to name a few. We have hot air balloon rides, Zip Lines; Trail rides; hiking; scooter rentals; biking and pretzel twisting! And you Must, MUst, MUST do a Red Rose Segway tour of the downtown area!!! We've got coupons here for you for many of these activities, so they're not only a lot of fun, they're a great deal, too!!

These are but a few of the activities here in Lancaster County. I could go on for paragraphs! Check out our visitors' bureau website for itinerary ideas!! We hope you come and stay at least 3 days with us. There's so much to do here in Lancaster, not only during the Dog Days of Summer, but year round!

Springtime in Lancaster County

Well spring is officially here, at least that's what my calendar says. Although the nights have been quite chilly lately, the days have been warm and sunny. The leaves on the trees are bursting with all-encompassing color and my porch is green!

Actually, my front porch is painted red, but all the pollen in the air makes it look a sickly shade of green even if I hose it off each day. But that's alright, the pollen is a sign that summer is on the way! I love the change in seasons and I'm one of those people fortunate enough NOT to have to deal with seasonal allergies.

We lived in South Florida for 4 years. At first, I was quite excited to be in a place where it's summer all the time. But it got old really fast. I missed the change in seasons - the leaves changing color in the fall, spring crocuses and daffodils. After about 2 years, I even missed snow and I didn't think that was even possible! I grew up in Northwestern Pennsylvania where winters can be long and harsh thanks to that lake-effect snow.

The thing I missed most was my ritual of spring planting! When I was a kid, my grandmother had two greenhouses. She grew and sold all kinds of plants, especially geraniums. I still think of her when I smell those plants. Now, as an innkeeper, I take great pride and joy making the grounds look fabulous! And, since Grandma's green thumb seems to have found its way to my hand, things around The Australian Walkabout Inn look pretty good, even if I do say so myself.

I'm now fortunate enough to live in one of the most fertile places in the country...well, in regards to the soil, that is. And, we have the most wonderful greenhouses around with good prices, spectacular selection and friendly, helpful people.

When you're looking for bountiful plants, trees and shrubs, you'll find them here in Lancaster County. Ask me about my favorite places. See you soon.

The Big Lancaster Meltdown!

Well, the big snows here in Lancaster County, PA are over (hopefully) and the temps will be reaching almost 40 this week, so that means things are going to start thawing out. In fact, while I was writing this, a huge bunch of snow slid off my roof and disconnected my cable! So, where there is melting snow, there is mud; and where there is mud, that means it must be time for the Amish Mud Sales!

What are Mud Sales, you might ask. No, they're not retailing dirt and water mixtures. Wikipedia doesn't even define the term. The words are used to describe annual auctions or sales at local fire companies (though some churches and communities host them, too). They're so popular that they're held outdoors, often in the thawing fields - hence the term Mud Sale. And with all the snow melting, there's sure to be plenty of mud, so bring your boots!!

No matter which one you decide to attend, we'll be here to make your stay in Lancaster a memorable one! Book your stay at the Australian Walkabout Inn. We'll be happy to provide a restful place for you to relax after a long day at the sales.

Here's a list of some local sales that you might want to put on your itinerary:

Feb 25-26 Rawlinsville Farm Equipment & Auction 8:30am

Rawlinsville Fire Company

33 Martic Heights Dr. Holtwood 717-284-3943

Feb 26th - Farm equipment

Feb 27th - Antiques, antique tractors, etc.

Feb 27 Strasburg Spring Consignment & Mud Sale 8am

Strasburg Frie Co. #1

46 W. Main St. Strasburg 717-687-7232

Furniture, antiques, quilts, crafts, livestock, homemade goodies

March 6 45th Annual Bart Township Auction/Mud Sale (This is a BIG one!) 8:30am

Bart Fire Co.

11 Furnace Rd. Quarryville 717-786-3348

Antiques, quilts, furniture, equipment, hay & straw, livestock, tools, crafts, food

March 13 Gordonville Spring Mud Sale 8:30am

Gordonville Fire Co.

Old Leacock Rd 717-768-3869

Quilts, antiques, collectibles, furniture, farm equipment, livestock

March 20 4th Annyal Penryn Fire Co. Mud Sale 8:30 am

Penryn Fire Co #1

1441 N. Penryn Rd. Penryn, 717-665-4767

Wood crafts, furniture, antiques, quilts, crafts, farm equipment

March 27 Gap Annual Spring Mud Sale 8am

Gap Fire Company

802 Pequea Ave. Gap 717-442-8100

Carriages, buggies, wagons, furniture, quilts, crafts, dry goods, groceries

April 3 Robert Fulton Volunteer Fire Company Mud Sale 7am

Robert Fulton Fire Company

2271 Robert Fulton Hwy. Peach Bottom 717-548-8995

Crafts, plants, tools, antiques, furniture, food, livestock

An even more comprehensive listing can be found here.

The Quilters are Coming!!!

...and the railroad enthusiasts and the volleyball players...and the barbershop quartets...


Earlier this year, Lancaster welcomed the opening of our long-awaited Convention Center. While it's still working out the kinks of trying to service a whole new market of visitors and convention-goers, I believe it's going to be a good thing for Lancaster County tourism. Do the math - some of these conventions host thousands of people. The AQS Quilt Show and Contest , for example, is supposed to draw 17,000 people to the area. The Convention Center has only 300 rooms. So, as an innkeeper with a B&B only about 10 minutes from downtown, I'm wondering how I can get a piece of that pie.


Granted, the AQS quilt convention is one week out of the year, but these people will most likely come early, stay longer and come back if they feel welcome here. So another member of our Bed & Breakfast Association and I met with the organizers of the convention. We were not able to make any appreciable headway with any of our suggestions (a LONG story...for another blog, maybe) , but it did give us a new outlook on how these things are organized. We're still trying to get a meeting with people at the convention center, and that will eventually materialize. But in the meantime, each B&B will be encouraged to do what they can to make themselves attractive to the convention-goers.


Location is certainly a big factor when considering lodging options during a convention. Sure, you can stay right at the hotel (if you're one of the lucky 300), but then you don't get to experience all of what Lancaster County has to offer - Amish culture, superb shopping, great food, beautiful countryside. And staying at the convention hotel will not only set you back over $150 a night, but in addition, you'll have to pay for parking ($14/night), breakfast ($20+pp), and oh, don't touch that bottle of water in your room or it will show up on your bill at check-out.


On the other hand, stay at a local B&B and you'll get a special convention rate , but of course breakfast is included, parking is free and so is the bottled water you'll find in your room! So, when you're attending a convention at our beautiful, new convention center downtown, don't be afraid to think a little 'out of the box' and reserve a room at one of Lancaster's finest - a bed & breakfast!