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!

What's Goin' On?

So, here we are in the 'middle' of winter. According to that famous Pennsylvania groundhog, what's-his-name, we've got 6 more weeks of winter. blah! That puts us well into March before we have any hope of thawing out. Personally, I'm sick of winter and being cold; tired of snow boots, hats, gloves and ear muffs; grown weary of getting shocked every time I get out of my car.

However, there are some redeeming qualities to the winter months for those of us who live in, and those of you who visit, Lancaster County. Because there are fewer tourists, we can take advantage of less traffic, more open and available seating at restaurants and shows, and a generally slower pace of life than we experience from June through October.

A couple of weeks ago, we were finally able to go to one of the new restaurants in town that we've been wanting to experience. Fenz Restaurant has a very hip decor and fantastic food. Entrees range from $12- 28 and there are plenty of wonderful appetizers to choose from as well as an ample (and reasonably priced) wine list. This place opened this past fall and my guess is that come summer, you'll need reservations at least a week in advance.

Another Lancaster offering that we've been able to sample during the winter is the Rainbow Dinner Theatre. This is not someplace you go to for the cuisine, as it is pretty much a run-of-the-mill, feed the masses buffet. The talent, on the other hand, is something NOT to be missed! The producers have done well and keep their audience in mind regarding content of the shows as well as length and other physical attributes of the stage. There's no bad seat in the house.

Next weekend, of course, is Valentine's Day. Today I did a little checking to see which of the restaurants to which we commonly refer guests, still had reservations available. I was surprised to find that most places are almost completely booked for Saturday and both Friday and Sunday are filling up fast as well. Did someone say there's a recession going on? Looks like there are many people who are refusing to participate.

While my schedule of bed and breakfast guests is still somewhat light, I've made a list of Lancaster County offerings that I want to take advantage of. They include - Herr's Snack Factory Tour, Sturgis Pretzel Bakery, a Ghost Tour, Lancaster Newspapers Newseum, the Lancaster Quilt & Textile Museum, Susquehanna Glass Factory, the Ephrata Cloister, President James Buchanan's Wheatland , and the Conestoga Area Historical Society. We've been here 18 months and I've still got so much to get out there and see!!

Of course, we've always got room for you, whether you want to enjoy Lancaster County during the cooler winter and spring months (don't forget, Mud Sales are going on!) or if you want to wait a while until the daffodils, tulips and iris start blooming. We hope you'll join us soon.