It's THAT Time of Year Once Again!!

Well, Thanksgiving is over and (most of) the halls are decked here at the Australian Walkabout Inn B&B. This year was a bit different in that we weren’t met with our usual early-November lull in guests thanks to Sight & Sound’s running Jonah through to the end of the year.

Speaking of the end of the year…that brings a NEW Year. Back by popular demand is our BOGO. Stay with us one night in January or February 2013 and add week-night for only $20.13! Of course, holiday weekends are excluded and some other restrictions apply, but you really can’t beat this deal!

But wait!!! There’s lots going on in Lancaster before the end of the year– too much to fully appreciate in just one day. You’re going to need two or three, at least.  And where else to lay your head after a busy day full of fun things to do? Well, the Australian Walkabout Inn, of course! Currently, we’re offering 25% off a consecutive 3-night stay.

            First of all – Shopping!! Outlets, including Rockvale and Tanger. Not to mention Park City Center, Kitchen Kettle Village, the shops in Downtown Lancaster and a myriad of other choices, both commercial and Amish. Don’t forget to get a little something for yourself!

            Next, we have theater! I’ve already mentioned Sight & Sound, but there’s also The Fulton, with a fabulous production of Singing in the Rain, but they’re also doing A Christmas Carol (my personal favorite) on December 1, 8, 15, 22 and 27. The American Music Theater has its original Christmas show, Home for the Holidays, that’s not to be missed. Dutch Apple Dinner Theatre is currently running a production of A Swingin’ Christmas. And, don’t forget Rainbow Dinner Theatre’s offering of Christmas In Paradise. Of course, all of these places also offer gift certificates, so you can pick up gifts for someone special while having a good time yourself.

            Historic offerings this time of year? Just a few…how about Wheatland Yuletide, Historic Poole Forge, or Country Christmas Village?

            If you’re interested in trains, we have just the ‘ticket’! All Aboard Railroad at Landis Valley is a 800+ square foot display of American Flyer Trains. The Columbia Historic Preservation Society offers a model train layout of over 1000 square feet depicting Columbia from the 1920’s to the 1950’s (eight trains running at a time at this display!) For life-sized trains, you can visit the Strasburg Railroad for their ‘Night Before Christmas Train’ on Friday, December 14^th.

            After all that excitement, you’re going to get hungry and you deserve to treat yourself to someplace special. Some of our favorite places to have dinner include – The Brasserie, The Greenfield Restaurant, Fenz, John J. Jefferies, Checker’s Bistro, Ciro’s, Lancaster Brewing Company or Carr’s. Here again, gift certificates are available – perfect for stocking stuffers!

            So, there you have it! Just the little extra push you need to schedule that much-needed getaway to Lancaster! See you soon. 

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!

Classic Memories

Just the other day, I got an e-mail from one of our local theaters announcing a new show called Rocketmen. It features the music of Billy Joel and Elton John and is at the American Music Theatre from April 17th to June 6th.

Now, I'm going to be showing my age here, but I grew up with this music. Not only that, but I could probably sing Elton John lyrics before I could walk. Ok, maybe that's a bit of an exaggeration, but when I was a kid, my parents had an 8-track player and Elton John was one of my mother's favorite artists. There was a time that I could recite for you not only all the lyrics of all the songs on each tape, but I could tell you what order they came in and between which songs the tracks changed. That was a sound like no other! That big 'click' in between tracks. Sometimes it occurred right in the middle of a song. By the time I was 4 or 5, I could operate the thing. I wonder if my parents marveled at the technology that was available to me at that age that they didn't have. Sort of the same way I marvel at our 10-year-old with her i-pod (only on a much larger physical scale).

I find myself quite surprised at the memories that certain sounds hold for me, especially music. There were two places that we would go on vacation on a yearly basis - my uncle's mountain lodge cabin in Northern Pennsylvania and we'd rent a cottage in Conneaut Lake, Ohio. It seems, as I remember, anyway, that there was always music playing in the background. And it was GOOD music; Classic music. Notice I didn't say classical music. My husband finds it quite amusing that the only exposure I had to classical music as a child was whatever I heard on the Looney Tunes cartoons. There's a lot more to that story, but that's another blog for another day.

When I think of the music of Elton John and Billy Joel, I can hardly imagine anything in the music stores these days ever being considered as classic as that! Music 'artists' of today come and go so quickly - but Elton's first album was in the late 60's and he's still going stronger than the Energizer Bunny! Wonder if he has a pink bunny-eared costume. Classic music of the 60's and 70's was much like the cars of that same time. When I was in high school in the 80's, every guy I knew was trying to restore or purchase a muscle car. They just don't make cars like that anymore. I really don't believe that someone 20 years from now is going to want to own a 2009 Ford anything, but the 1965 Mustang is a completely different story!

So, if you're a friend or fan of the "Classic" anything - cars, music, or food - you can find it here in Lancaster. Come re-live some of your classic memories or create some new ones! Of course you're going to want to stay at a 'classic' bed & breakfast, so don't forget to make your reservations. We're here to help make your stay a memorable one.