orangeneko

I may be in Philly later this summer. I don't drive but would like to take a tour of the Amish country if possible.

The tours I've found through searching the web all ask for you to meet them in Lancaster. Obviously this is a problem for me.

Does anyone know if there are any good tours that pick you up and drop you off in Philadelphia?

PaulRabe

Before you get your hopes up, be aware of certain things about "Amish Country":

1) 95% of what is there has nothing to do with the Amish and, indeed, most (like the outlet shopping malls) is contrary to the Amish spirit. If all you want to do is go shopping, there are many places near Philly you can go to do that.
2) One thing the Amish want, almost more than anything else, is to be left alone. No matter how much you pay someone, you will not have any significant interaction with any Amish people while near Lancaster.
3) any information you might acquire about the Amish while in Lancaster will be from books sold in gift shops. You can get these same books at any online book site.
4) you will probably see some Amish people while visiting there, but looking at them will almost certainly be the extent of your interaction, unless you go to buy something from a home. In that case, your conversation will be that of salesperson and buyer.
5) Sunday is the best day to see Amish traveling around, as that is the day they visit. However, all of their shops will be closed and you will none of them in the fields.

I enjoy going to Lancaster (have been over a dozen times), as I enjoy shopping and eating. But I recognize that to go solely for the sake of meeting Amish is a waste of time, as that simply won't happen.

HOWEVER, if you're still interested in visiting Lancaster, you can get there fairly easily by taking Greyhound. Just be certain where your tour starts, as you will be in downtown Lancaster, far from the Amish farms.

Jean

You can also take a train from Philadelphia to Lancaster.

yk

Another option would be wait until you are in Philadelphia:
Go to the Tourist info center - they might have some suggestions, or you might find a flyer/brochure advertisment for tour groups.

Good luck.

Don't forget to visit the Reading Terminal Market in Philadelphia. It has a good number of Amish stalls selling produce. It is closed on Sundays.
http://readingterminalmarket.org/index.php

cheapbutnice

I live in Lancaster and must say that PaulRabe is 100% correct but it is a nice place to live & visit. Call the Bird-In-Hand Restaurant and ask for advice on how you can get from the Lancaster AMTRAK station to Bird-In-Hand.In nice weather, you could walk enough to get a feel for what the Amish are like. Not much to do but pretty & relaxing.Expect that they could get you local & reasonable transportation.

LilyLace

I live in North Central Pennsylvania in the heart of a large Old Order Amish community. My neighbors are the best, but prefer privacy. I'm quite sure the Lancaster Amish feel the same way. I do hope our valley never becomes the tourist mecca that Lancaster seems to be.

k_999_9

Well, what the heck -- let's start a debate.

Rants about the poor, taken-advantage-of Amish are off the mark.

Fact is, the Amish have no problem with setting up stands to sell produce and other items, like quilts, to tourists. The Amish are as adept as anyone at turning a buck from tourism. So, please, if they want to be left alone, they should, for a start, close up all their roadside stands.

I'm not against their making money. But I do tire of complaints from non-Amish about how the Amish lifestyle gets despoiled be tourists.

Gimme a break.

LilyLace

k9: You may be correct about Amish in Lancaster, but I must tell you that most of my neighbors would not know what a tourist is. In fact my one friend (29 year old married farm wife with 3 children) has only been out of our little community one time in her entire life. No grocery store, no shopping mall, no Walmart. Just to a relative's home for a wedding about 30 miles from here.

Yes, it's true most are farmers and all are self supporting by either selling goods or services. Just like my non Amish neighbors. Most in our area are dairy farmers, some also sell produce, rabbits and eggs in season. All pay taxes and are more than friendly. I don't know of any quilts for sale, but my neighbor's son will come and paint my house if I want to hire him. These things are just life.

While it's true I am non-Amish, I do have many Amish friends, and I can tell you they have no desire to become a tourist attraction! Again, maybe in Lancaster the whole Amish tour thing is accepted but please don't think it is elsewhere. My neighbors are quiet, humble people just farming and caring for God's earth.

PaulRabe

No need to debate, because there is no disagreement. Very simply, I never said the things you disagree with.

It was not my point that the Amish are being taken advantage of or being destroyed by tourism. It was to make people aware that any attempt to become more familar with the Amish by going to Lancaster is doomed to fail because (1) almost nothing in that area has anything to do with the Amish and (2) the Amish that live there do not want any MAJOR interaction with us. They'll gladly sell you a shoo-fly pie, but they won't discuss their choice of lifestyle with you. So go ahead and visit, enjoy the shopping and food, and even get a look at people who choose to live differently from you -- fully aware that they are out of step with the entire culture around them, and not really caring that much about the fact. Just don't expect to get any deeper knowledge about the Amish beyond seeing them as you drive by them.

k_999_9

Well, actually, there is a disagreement, a respectful one. (First, though, to LilyLace, my comments are strictly about Lancaster, which is the area the original poster inquired about.)

My opinion -- and others' -- is that the Amish in Lancaster can't expect to have it both ways -- "we'll take your money, but stay away from us."

Sorry, it doesn't work that way. That's like a restaurant courting your business while saying "but don't expect the staff to be friendly."

Mind you, I'm not upset with the Amish for doing business. It's just that this notion of wanting to be "left alone" is a false one. So, you say, they don't want "MAJOR" interaction? Exactly where do you draw that line? Wherever the Amish want it?

And as far as learning "nothing" about the Amish by going to Lancaster, that's not entirely true either. There are tours conducted by former Amish who describe the lifestyle and take people on walk-throughs of former Amish farms.

That sort of thing doesn't interest me, but it is available, and it satisfied the normal curiosity some have about an out-of-the-mainstream lifestyle.

pat

I asked the very same question a few months back. No one seemed to know, so I emailed the concierge of a hotel. (We will be going in about a month) Anyway, Trolley Works picks you up at your hotel, but you do go by amtrek train to Lancaster, where you take the tour. It`s rather expensive ($99) and no food is included. It`s all day from 8am to 6pm. Since I will probably never be back in the area again, I am considering it, or going by train to Lancaster and getting a tour there.

cheapbutnice

To orangeneko Keep in mind that Lancaster is a relatively small area.Consider my previous suggestion of visiting the Bird-in-Hand area.Only a few miles from the AMTRAK station with public bus service to the rest of the beatuiful county at the front door.It's not rural Indiana but it's easy and convenient.http://www.800padutch.com/z/bihinn.htm

orangeneko

Aah, that Trolly Works tour may be the kind of thing I'm looking for (she says, not having had a chance to look up the details yet! But it looks promising). I don't know yet when I'll be in Philly for sure. And if I am there, it'll only be a 1 or 2 day visit at the most. That's why I want a tour that picks you up from Philly -- I want to know if there's something that you can do without planning too far in advance or worrying about logistics, because I just don't know when this mini visit to Philly is happening.

I travel a lot and I'm the type who researches forever before doing a trip, but with this thing, it's not gonna be a typical situation for me. So I want a nice tour to see what's there as an introduction to the area. Just to visit and see a little something. No, I'm not looking to go to an outlet mall, stare at anyone or intrude on any Amish lives (I have to say respectfully that I resent the implication that that's what I or anyone wants to do on a tour). I just want a quick introductory peak around.

cheapbutnice

Sounds good. I have lived there for 28 years and completely disagree with the negative perspective that you have read but don't think that this is the forum for a debate like that. I didn't want you to miss out on a nice chance to see a small remaining piece of Americana.