pgoclac1234

Have gone to Lancaster County several times and hotels are a disappointment. Want to stay on Route 30 in Lancaster . Anyone been there recently?? Recommendations. Had liked Country Inn and SUites but last I left at 1 am. SO niosy could not get any sleep

Wendy9334

You might like the Country Inn of Lancaster instead. Try my web-page http://www.pa-dutch-travel.com/lancasterhotels.html
I have various hotels listed their. There is also a Bed and Breakfast page on the site. Hope it helps.

MP07950

My current favorite in that area is the Fulton Steamboat Inn. It's at the far side of Route 30 and the last time we were there the noise level was not noticeable (of course, I always turn on the fan in the room to block out any noise)...

Waldo

Pennsylvania Dutch country is the biggest waste of time ever! Lousy restaurants also.

persimmondeb

Depends on where you eat. My family has an obsessive relationship with Miller's Smorgasboard, however, I have had some rather mediocre meals in that part of the world.

bachslunch

I'm with persimmondeb on this one. I had a family-style dinner at Good and Plenty and liked it very much.

There are blanket naysayers on the food experiences both on this website and at Chowhound. I think this is very likely a question of liking the cuisine rather than any sort of quality issue. PA Dutch food is non-fancy comfort food heavy on traditional meat dishes, butter-laden carbs of all kinds, pickled or well-cooked veggies, and heavy, sweet desserts, and some people apparently just don't enjoy such things. There are people who squawk about old fashioned Yankee-style cooking of the type found in Boston at Durgin Park, too -- and there are similarities between the two cuisines.

This isn't fancy 4-star restaurant fare, folks.

persimmondeb

The rest of Miller's food is good, providing one likes that kind of thing, but their pies are among the best of that kind I've ever had. And even my sister, who does not eat that kind of food and once made a meal at Miller's almost exclusively out of salad and pie, thinks they do a nice job. I did once buy a shoo-fly pie at a roadside stand that would have doubled as a hockey puck, though.

Good and Plenty is quite decent too. And I think there's another one with that kind of name that's also good. It should be stated that this is a tourist locale where it is advisable to follow the herd (tour busses, in this case), rather than looking for little out of the way gems, though.

bachslunch

As to whether PA Dutch Country is a "waste of time," I've been there. And I'm of the opinion that if one chooses attractions wisely, one can have an enjoyable time here.

If you expect to see an unspoiled ultra-rural area with nothing but Amish farmland, or limit yourself to the endless strip malls and tacky attractions like Dutch Wonderland, you'll understandably come away disappointed.

Instead, walk the streets of Lancaster to see the lovely downtown architecture. Go to the Lancaster Quilt and Textile Museum, a fine example of its type. Visit the Amish Farm and House, which is probably as close to experiencing anything Amish as you'll get -- and just suck it up and ignore the fact that the attraction is surrounded by strip malls on either side. Other attractions I've not been to but have seen good reports about include Ephrata Cloister, Wheatland (James Buchanan's home), Hans Herr House, and the Landis Valley Museum -- had I had more than a day in Lancaster, I'd have gone to these.

You're also very close by Hershey, which has several kid-oriented attractions. And Harrisburg, home to good museums on both Pennsylvania history and the Civil War as well as arguably the most stunning state capitol building in the US. And Gettysburg, for crying out loud. I've been to all of them, and they were well worth the visit.

Yeah, PA Dutch Country isn't New York. So what? In fact, I'll boldly paraphrase what Myrna Loy said about NYC here, "If you're disappointed with Pennsylvania Dutch Country, it's your own fault." Gripe if you must, but we'll have to agree to disagree. Or better yet, know what to expect and do some research instead of complaining.

pgoclac1234

Thanks for the replies....but I was looking for hotels.

The fulton steamboat. OK anyone ever stay at the Amish Inn and sweets at the plain and fancy farm???

ALso I think the best place to eat is the shady maple..check their website...you will not be disappointed