The Amish Village #VisitLancaster

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Disclosure: My Family and I were invited to this blogger media trip. All opinions and experiences are my own.

Located right outside of Strasburg, The Amish Village is a great learning experience for adults and kids alike. The family and I were fortunate enough to visit The Amish Village this past weekend, and the kids haven’t stopped talking about it. It was educational, beautiful and full of fun for everyone. Whether it was petting a calf (my husband’s favorite part of the visit), feeding the animals at the petting zoo, or visiting the Marketplace and stocking up on goodies (my favorite part), each of our family member had a blast.

First off, we were given a tour of the Amish House. Our tour guide, Betty, did a wonderful job of explaining the simplicities of Amish life, most of which are still practiced today. It was exciting to see a vintage Singer sewing machine in the dining area of the house. Since the Amish make most of their clothes, a tried and true sewing machine is needed and they know which ones are best. In an Amish family, the wife does all of the sewing. If she has daughters, they are also taught how to sew as they get older. A usual Amish house will only have one mirror, located near the kitchen sink. It’s only used to assist the men with daily shaving, and for the women to properly place their bonnets on their heads first thing in the morning. The Amish frown on anything that has to do with vanity, so they don’t even have pictures of themselves on the walls.

We also saw the bedrooms of a typical Amish family. These rooms were all connected, most without doors and none with closets. The Amish feel that all things should be out in the open so it doesn’t seem like you’re “hiding” something. I love that idea.

My favorite part of the house was the Summer Kitchen. This residual kitchen was located underneath the house, in the “basement” of sorts. The Amish women use this area to cook during the summer, so the house doesn’t get too hot. This means bread and pie baking all year round!

The kids really enjoyed the petting zoo. My daughter loved the miniature horse and my son read every sign he could find to learn why an Amish family would have these animals on their farm. He was pretty interested in the fact that horses are used for just about anything, especially tilling the farmland and transportation. My husband was just happy that he got to pet a calf for the first time ever. Did you know that the Amish used to keep peacocks on their farms? They make loud noises when they sense danger nearby, so they were just as good as dogs, but eat way less. Genius!

Lastly, you know that I had to hit up the Marketplace. It was filled with jams, jellies, raw and flavored honey, and lots and lots of candy. I’m not ashamed to say that we went crazy in there.

We had such a wonderful time that we promised the kids we’d come back for another visit, possibly in the Fall. I’d love to take The Amish Village Backroads Bus Tour to get an even deeper look at Amish life. And by then I’ll need to restock my preserve stash, so it’s a win-win. If you’d like to take a video tour, feel free to do that HERE. And if you’re planning a vacation (or staycation for those of us in the try-state), add The Amish Village to your plans.