Amish Country
Getting oriented
East and southeast of Lancaster City, the county opens into farmland dotted with small villages. The best-known are Bird-in-Hand and Intercourse along Route 340, with the Strasburg area a bit to the south. This is a living agricultural community, not a theme park: working farms, roadside stands, and horse-and-buggy traffic share the roads with visitors.
What to do
Stop at farm stands and markets like the Bird-in-Hand Farmers Market for produce, baked goods, and local specialties. In Intercourse, Kitchen Kettle Village gathers shops and food vendors in a walkable cluster. To see the countryside at its own pace, book one of the Amish Buggy Rides that run along the back roads.
The area is also home to several historic Covered Bridges worth a slow scenic drive, and the Strasburg Rail Road offers heritage train rides through the farmland. For a quintessential — and famously divisive — Pennsylvania Dutch meal, Shady Maple Smorgasbord in nearby East Earl bills itself as the largest buffet in the country.
Visiting respectfully
The Amish and other Plain groups are private about their faith and daily life. Do not photograph Amish people, drive patiently and carefully around slow-moving buggies, and remember that many family businesses close on Sundays. For fuller context, see Pennsylvania Dutch Culture.