Posted:
04/04/2024
| by Tori
Top Must-Take Tours in Lancaster, Pennsylvania
An interactive way to explore Lancaster.
Amish Tours & Farm Tours
1. Amish Farm and House Countryside Tours
Take the backroads to get a glimpse into Lancaster County life with the Amish Farm and House Countryside Bus Tours. This 90-minute bus tour weaves through the farmland, takes riders to a tucked-away covered bridge, and passes Amish schoolhouses, buggies, barns, homes, and farmland vistas, all while sharing stories and facts about the Amish way of life.
Tip from the Tour Guide: Have your camera at the ready, but keep in mind that it’s considered impolite to take photos of the Amish where their faces are recognizable. Refraining from taking up close photos is more than just a courtesy; it’s a respect for our Amish neighbors and their beliefs.
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2. Kreider Farms Tour
Experience a real, working dairy farm at Kreider Farms. A high-tech view of farming, a drive down the Cow Palace, and a bird's eye view of the milking carousel, and enjoy a sample of farm-fresh milk! It is recommended you book in advance for your 90-minute tour.
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3. The Amish Experience Farm & House Tour
Visit Plain & Fancy Farm to take a guided tour of the on-site Amish Country Homestead and One-Room School. Their tour is the only designated Lancaster County "Heritage Site" Amish house tour. Learn about the Amish way of life, one-room education, life without electricity, and Plain dress. They also offer an Amish Farmlands Tour where guests hop aboard a shuttle bus and explore Amish culture at work and play. The Amish V.I.P Tour includes immersive visits to 3 Amish properties - a farm at milking time, a craftsman in their workshop, and an Amish family home.
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4. The Amish Village Farmhouse Tour
Take a guided tour of an authentic 1840's Amish farmhouse and learn about today's Amish lifestyle. Then, after your farmhouse tour, explore their 12-acre village grounds. If you're up for an hour and a half excursion, book the Amish Village Backroads Bus Tour. This tour takes you off the beaten path, past working farms and along country roads where buggies roll along and farmers work their fields. Each bus tour includes at least at one stop at unique locations such as an Amish home, quilt shop, pretzel bakery or bake shop.
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5. Old Order Amish Tours
Tour with Old Order Amish Tour's knowledge guides around beautiful Lancaster County. Many of the stops along the tour are exclusive to Old Order - one stop is an 80-acre farm where you can see how people live without electricity and plow their fields with horses. These tours are great for both children and adults!
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6. Old Windmill Farm Tour
Visit an authentic working Amish farm for a tour! This one-hour farm tour invites guests to partake in many hands-on experiences like bottle feeding a calf, milking a cow, gathering eggs, plus other fun activities like their petting farm and corn box. The 90-minute Farm & Garden Tour includes all of the farm activities and a tour of the luscious garden. Hayrides are also available on the farm!
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7. Verdant View Farm Tour
Experience hands-on learning on a family-operated farm. Milk a cow, feed a calf, venture inside a historic barn, interact with other farm animals, and listen to the hens while playing fetch with the farm border collie. Guided walking tours range from 60 to 80 minutes and offer a behind-the-scenes glimpse into Lancaster's rich agricultural heritage. Participate in a farm-to-table experience by joining introductory-level classes to learn about Homemade Ice Cream or Artisan Cheesemaking.
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8. Spooky Nook Llama & Alpaca Farm Tour
Have you ever head of a llama walk? If close-up animal experiences interest you, you'll want to book a tour at Spooky Nook Farm. The llama walks include educational information about how to walk them and some little-known facts about llamas. Your trek will take approximately 45 minutes, and include a tour of the farm.
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9. The Barnyard Express Farm Tour Train at Oregon Dairy
Hop aboard The Barnyard Express Train Ride and enjoy a beautiful tour of the dairy farm at Oregon Dairy! Meet the dairy herd, visit friendly farm animals, feed the goats and learn all about the importance of agriculture on a real-working farm in Lancaster, PA! Combo tickets available to enjoy ice cream from The Milkhouse at Oregon Dairy after your tour! Tours are available on weekends May through September
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10. Moonbeam Meadows Farm
Looking for an unforgettable farm experience? Look no further than Moonbeam Meadows Farm tours in Bird in Hand, PA! Hosted by the Old order Amish community, their tours offer an up close and personal look at our animals, with no boundaries or fences to get in the way. And with seasonal treats provided, you're sure to have a truly authentic experience. Plus, for those looking for something extra special, their Smores Camp Fire Finale tour is the perfect way to end the day. And if you're looking for a more private experience, their tailored tours for groups of 10 or less are perfect for you. Don't miss out on this unforgettable opportunity to experience farm life like never before!
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Experiential Tours
1. Strasburg Scooter Tours
Scoot along the backroads for a one-of-a-kind experience in Lancaster’s countryside. Strasburg Scooters Tours takes riders over the creeks and through the woods and fields to discover covered bridges and farms. Not only will you learn to drive a scooter or scoot coupe (no special license required), but you’ll also learn lots about Amish life, farming and the history behind the covered bridges you’ll visit.
Tip from a Tour Guide: Dress for the weather at 25+ mph! While driving, there will be a constant breeze, in addition to the weather conditions. Hot summer days have a nice breeze to them, and cool fall days will feel a bit crisper. Dress in layers on cool days.
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2. LoKal Experiences
LoKal Experiences offers a range of tours such as their Craft Beer Walk, Tour & Meal with an Amish Family, Sweet & Savory Tour, and more! Each tour offers a great way to get to know the county through a different lens, and there's options for everyone so no matter what your interests you're sure to have a fantastic day in Lancaster.
Tip from a Tour Guide: keep in mind that it’s considered impolite to take photos of the Amish where their faces are recognizable
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3. Unique Lancaster Experiences
Unique Lancaster Experiences host a variety of tour and experiences in Lancaster, PA! Indulge in an array of delicious foods on our Food Tour in Lancaster, PA. Explore Lancaster City with a self-guided, hands-on Scavenger Hunt! Remember your adventure to Lancaster by booking a photo shoot with a photographer in Lancaster, PA.
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4. Smoketown Helicopters Tour
See Lancaster from new heights by helicopter! Smoketown Helicopters offers tours from an 8-minute tour flying over the Strasburg Rail Road to a 50-minute tour that flies to neighboring Hershey and Harrisburg, with a variety of times and sights in between. These high-flying flights showcase the beautiful farmland and popular attractions you’ll want to visit after you land.
Tip from the Tour Guide: Consider taking this tour at the beginning of your trip. Flying over the local area can give you ideas of other things to do while in Lancaster County.
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5. Hot Air Balloon Ride
Soar up to a mile in the air at Lancaster Balloon Rides with The US Hot Air Balloon Team. Float gently over treetops and the quilt-like patchwork of Lancaster County farmland. This is a truly memorable way to experience Lancaster from a birds-eye-view.
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6. Indian Echo Caverns & Echo Dell
Take a 45-minute guided tour of Indian Echo Caverns and see the stunning natural underground beauty.
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7. Train Ride at Strasburg Rail Road
Take a 45 minute ride on America's oldest operating railroad. The train chugs along for a 45-minute ride through Lancaster's picturesque farmland. There are multiple train car options like their Presidential, First-Class, Coach, and Open-Air Cars.
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8. Stiegel Glassworks 1976
Stiegel Glassworks creates art glass using the traditional techniques used in 1762. Book a tour today to learn more about the process and try your hand at creating your own masterpiece!
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9. Best Kept Secrets Tour
Travel at your own pace to participating small businesses and shops to take advantage of the exclusive coupons and gifts and have fun joining in the games and demonstrations offered.
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10. Horse & Buggy Ride
There's no more authentic way to experience Lancaster County than with a ride in a horse & buggy. Many of Lancaster's horse & buggy ride operators have an Amish or Mennonite driver at the reigns, so you get the unique opportunity to talk together and learn more about their culture. AAA Buggy Rides Inc., Aaron and Jessica's Buggy Rides and Abe's Buggy Rides are a few places to book a ride with!
11. Brewery Tours
Ultimate Craft Beer Experience! Brewery Tours has been offering exceptional craft beer experiences since 2018. Their knowledgeable and experienced Beer Guides lead guests through guided craft beer tastings while exploring local breweries, providing behind-the-scenes access, local and historical anecdotes & more!
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History & Heritage Tours
1. Lancaster City Architectural Walking Tours
Looking to learn even more about Downtown Lancaster. Join a self-guide architectural walking tour and learn about all the historic building that Downtown Lancaster has to offer. The tour focuses on three parts of Downtown, E. King St., W. Chestnut St., and Mussertown/Churchtown giving you details on each historic building along the way.
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2. Ghost Tours of Lancaster
If you’re looking for a tour of a spookier sort, discover mysteries and tales from the past on a candlelight walking tour of the city with Ghost Tours of Lancaster. You won’t have to wait until Halloween to discover the city’s haunted history – tours are held year-round.
Tip from the Tour Guide: Don’t forget your camera – you never know when the spirits will be restless!
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3. Historic Lancaster Walking Tours
This tour takes you for a stroll back in time around Downtown Lancaster. As you walk, the knowledgeable tour guides tell stories about Lancaster’s rich history as one of the oldest inland cities in the United States. You’ll get a taste of the diverse architecture and cultures that helped build Lancaster to what it is today.
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4. Bube's Brewery Ghost Tours
Bube's Brewery is a 19th century brewery complex; a series of buildings which collectively performed the various functions needed at a brewery operating at that time. Ghost tours are offered by their resident ghost expert, Jean Ellis who happens to be Alois Bube's great granddaughter!
Tip from the Tour Guide: Don't forget your camera!
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5. African-American Heritage Walking Tours
During the African-American Heritage Walking Tour, you'll gain insight into the roots of civil rights activism & Black business pioneers. Discover the role of various City churches in the African American Experience and explore sites in the National Underground Railroad Network to Freedom. You will also visit the center of one of the largest National Historic Districts in America.
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6. Ticket to the Past - Unforgettable Journeys Virtual Reality Experience
Step inside the Gettysburg Lincoln Railroad Station™ where U.S. history was made. Journey back to 1863 in this new immersive virtual reality experience.
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7. Historic Rock Ford Tour
Historic Rock Ford was the home of Edward Hand and his family as well as enslaved and free servants and laborers. It offers guided tours of the elegantly furnished rooms of the circa 1794 Hand Mansion as well as the opportunity to visit the John J. Snyder, Jr. Gallery of Early Lancaster County Decorative Arts which is housed on the 2nd floor of a re-constructed 18th century bank barn.
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8. Lititz Historical Foundation Tour
Learn a bit more about one of our "coolest small towns", Lititz PA by taking a tour of the 1792 Johannes Mueller House OR a Walking Tour of historic Main Street in Lititz. Through personal stories and beautiful architecture, Lititz, Pennsylvania's heritage and unique past will come alive as you travel from one end of historic Main Street to the other learning about over 25 historic structures, many of which date back to the 1700's while the guided tour of the Mueller House lets you see the history of the Moravians living in Lititz in the 18th century.
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