 Pennsylvania's Amish Country is a place where time seems to stand
still. Gray-covered buggies, their horses’ hooves clip-clopping
against the macadam, ride the back roads of Lancaster County,
Pennsylvania. No electric wires run to the houses, barns, or tobacco
sheds standing crisp in the morning light. White wooden fences outline
pastures that resemble giant quilts of neat rectangles in earthen
tones. Though it's the 21st century, it looks more like the 18th.
At 22 working Amish and non-Amish farms throughout
Lancaster County, you can stay for a few days or a few weeks and take
the time to relax and even help with the chores. Operated as bed and
breakfast establishments with a twist, they invite you to help milk
the cows and afterwards share a hearty breakfast with the farmer and
his family or participate in a number of other farm chores.
Spring, summer and fall are all excellent times to
sample Lancaster County's farm fare. In spring, the earth smells sweet
and flowers bloom everywhere. Summer is often hot, with the corn high
and the days long. In fall, the fields are filled with the brilliant
oranges of ripening squash and pumpkins. Harvest season is the busiest
time on a farm, so visitors are sure to see and participate in many
activities.
While many of the farms, such as Country Pines,
owned and operated by Lloyd and Irma Esbenshade, are modern, some,
like Smucker's Farm Guest House, owned by Amos and Malinda Smucker,
are operated in the old way.
Amos Smucker, an Old Order Amishman, abides by the
old ways and operates his guest house as an extension of his farm. It’s
located across the road from his farm house and has electricity,
though his farm doesn’t. More than any other guest farm here, the
Smucker farm allows you to get to know the Amish lifestyle firsthand.
 You can enjoy a hearty breakfast with the family in
their kitchen, all shiny clean and painted a pale green. If it's cold,
you'll welcome the warmth of the wood kitchen stove on which Malinda
has just baked fresh bread. During the day you can watch the family
harvesting tobacco or you might join in on the hard labor. Evenings
are spent gathered around a single propane lamp in the kitchen
listening to Amos tell of Amish life.
Accommodations on Lancaster County farms range from
spare bedrooms in Mennonite homes—different from the Amish in that
they allow electricity and modern plumbing–to cozy suites in modern
dairy operations.
Country Pines offers a full suite in a 200-year-old
smokehouse located next to their sprawling brick farmhouse. It
features a living room, bath, and two bedrooms with all conveniences
for about $50 a night plus a small additional charge for children.
If you find farm life a bit limiting, there are
plenty of other things to do in Lancaster County. Farm families offer
advice on attractions in the area, or you can venture out on your to
own to create your own adventure. < Back to
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