cpeicott

Hi,
Thinking of going from Boston to PA this spring with my 15year old daughter.
Would like to check out Hershey, The Amish, and other interesting places in the area.
I would love advice on:
Best way to get from Boston area to PA (Car, fly, train?)
Places to stay
Things to see, places not to be missed!
Restaurants
Suggestions on things to see on the way, if driving is the best option.

Thanks in advance!

justme22

direct drive boston to philly is about 6 hours without hitting any rush hours. if you fly between wait times at the airports for checkin and lugguage you don't save all that much time and you would still need a rental car. (this assumes you are starting from boston) you can take the train, but then you would still need a car to do hershey , amish country etc. suggestions : drive, hit new hope, pa, very interesting artsy, shops town. it is a gay community but it is really interesting. ;you can then continue onto center city philadelphia (new hope is about 1 hour north of center city ;you would take route 32 south out of new hope scenic along the delaware river, then pick up 95 south again near yardley trenton area, then you get to philly for historical stuff: elfrith's alley, liberty bell, independence hall etc. then take 676/76 west and head out to hershey/amish country. you can get off at morgantown (which used to be exit 22 they may have changed to mile based numbers) and then you do route 23 to lancaster making a loop using 340 or 30 on your way home this circles where the horse and buggies go. there is outlet shopping at lancaster on route 30. (lots of hotels but call ahead for a room you can cancel by 6 pm ) OR you can skip new hope as it makes the drive a little more difficult, it's just that it is something a little different along the way, but you can easily make boston to center city philly on 95 in a day.

Anonymous

We've driven this trip from Boston a couple of times, I agree that it makes far more sense (in terms of money, time and hassles) to drive yourself.

cpeicott

Hi,
Thanks for all of the detail.
How many days would you reccomend staying there?
Is there a good place to stay over on the way to or from there, just to break it up a little?
I am just starting to look into this and there doesn't seem to be that much info on that area.

justme22

search landcaster and hershey, they have the most hotels in the area but also if you look at a map, look at town names close by and search also, i suspect there will be hampton inns. i believe there is one in center city philly too. but in lancaster there are more independant hotels than chains so you need to do individual searches. i think two days is good for the area as most stuff is close together unless you want to spend a day at hershey then maybe 3. you can do a couple of days in center city too. a really neat place to eat is the continental. two locations in center city. again a web search should get you there, one is on 18th st.

Cara_PADutch

Hi cpeicott!

Welcome to Pennsylvania! I actually work with the Pennsylvania Dutch Convention & Visitors' Bureau, and if you're coming this spring, one thing to definitely not miss if you're at all a fan of the movie "Witness" is our "Witness Movie Experience Tours," which are running in 2005 only to celebrate the 20th anniversary of the film. The tours will take you to the farm here in Lancaster where the movie was filmed, as well as a look at other filming locations and to a special exhibit at the Lancaster Cultural History Museum. It's a great way to learn about the Amish culture.
As for hotels, the other posters are right, there are literally dozens of hotels and more than 100 B&Bs here in Lancaster - some on the western end of the county would be convenient for you to check out Lancaster and Hershey (which are about 45 minutes apart).
Feel free to check out our web site, www.padutchcountry.com!

cheapbutnice

Drive west to the 87S/287S corridor thru NJ. Take Rte. 78 west to Allentown and get on route 222 south.Lancaster has mediocre hotels but tremendous restaurants. Consider using Lancaster as your home base. Plan for a full day trip to Gettysburg, only go to Hershey for Hersheypark, hit the Tangier outlets in Lancaster,the Amish country between Rts. 23 & 340 and consider a train trip to Philly for the day.Try now the best price at the Hilton Garden Inn, Hampton Inn or Bird in Hand (in the Amish area). Give an idea of your restaurant preferences and I'll target the choices.Might want to consider a casual visit to a college or 2 while you're traveling. Lots in the area.

Jean

If you're interested in Amish quilts, there is a very good quilt museum in Lancaster.

cheapbutnice

Jean is right, the quilt museum in downtown Lancaster is world-class.It's like visiting an inexpensive art museum. Easy to find with directions from the Visitors Bureau. Try to go on a Tues., Friday or Saturday before 2PM and also visit the downtown Farmers market.

bookhall

This weekend, April 1 & 2, is a MAJOR quilt sale in Harrisburg! Go to http://www.pareliefsale.org/ for more information.

cpeicott

Hi,
Thanks.
Any more thoughts or suggestions?

beth48

Don't forget the town of Intercourse in Lancaster county; there are wonderful little shops there. Strasburg Railroad is a fun trip through Amish Country. Lots of shopping along Rt. 30 with the Rockvale Outlet Center - it's huge! I would suggest you just drive on some of the roads off Rt. 30 just to see all the wonderful farms in the area.

leahinsc

Our teens had never heard of Witness so you'd probably want to rent it if yours hasn't either. We took or 15 & 17 yr olds (and 7 yr old) there in Nov for THanksgiving w/ family. We did Chocolate World at Hershey and that was mildly entertaining for them but they were enthralled with the candy shops and all the inexpensive candy. They were also fascinated by the Amish way of life but we didn't make it to the museum - wish we had. Other things you might want to see if this would appeal to both of you - Wyeth Museum in Chadds Ford (Chester County), Longwood Gardens
There are also some caverns very close to Hershey if you like caves. She might enjoy seeing a Farmer's Market....