A spring break in Lancaster, Pennsylvania, can be a very unique experience. Lancaster is in the heart of Amish country. Also known as Pennsylvania Dutch, these descendants of German settlers live a very traditional lifestyle. A visit to the Lancaster Visitors Center can provide you with all you need for a self-guided tour of the city and surrounding countryside, or you can join a guided tour. The Lancaster Heritage Center Museum is housed downtown in the old city hall and in a Masonic Lodge dating back to the 1790s. It displays regional folk art and crafts. These include painted furniture, quilts, metalwork, clocks, silverware, copperware, homemade toys and weathervanes. There is a hands-on interactive classroom that is great for kids.
Just around the corner from the Heritage Center Museum is Lancaster's Central Market. This is the country's oldest publicly owned farmer's market. It is a blend of deli counters, gourmet coffee booths and farm produce stands. Some of them are operated by Amish women. A favorite traditional pastry is shoofly pie, which is a mixture of chocolate and molasses. The Best time to visit the market is Saturday morning.
At the Landis Museum you can wander through a series of outdoor displays that show daily life on a Pennsylvania farm. The buildings are authentically recreated, and docents in costume explain the work of the farmers and artisans. One of the most popular displays in the pottery shop. Here you can watch craftsmen create beautiful works of Pennsylvania redware. Two buildings constructed for the movie "Beloved", which was filmed in part here, can still be seen. Be sure to browse the museum's shop, The Weathervane. Also see the Hans Herr House, a stone building that dates back to 1719, and is the oldest building in Lancaster County.
