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Lancaster County lodgings off a wide range of options—stay at a historic inn, or indulge yourself at a luxurious resort. A good selection of moderately priced motels caters to families. Although hotels welcome guests year-round, rates are highest in summer. Some inns and bed-and-breakfasts have minimum stays in high season.
Many working Amish and non-Amish farms throughout Lancaster County welcome guests to stay for a few days to observe and even participate in farm life. Operated as bed-and-breakfast establishments with a twist, the farms invite you to help milk the cows and feed the chickens, and afterward share a hearty breakfast with the farmer and his family or help with other farm chores. Reservations must be made weeks in advance, as most farms are heavily booked in summer. The Pennsylvania Dutch Convention & Visitors Bureau has a listing of all area B&Bs and farms that welcome guests. Lancaster County Bed-and-Breakfast Association has information on 15 area B&Bs.
Gas-burning fireplaces, bathrobes, and a chef-made breakfast are among the amenities offered at this adults-only (18 and up) inn with contemporary country style. All but four of the 12 accommodations are suites housed in a collection of rustic buildings along a brick path back from the busy road. The multi-course breakfast is served on china in the 1909 main house or it can be brought to your room. A separate building houses a day spa.
Built in the late 1990s on a 26-acre former homestead, this expansive, luxurious B&B offers suites with electric fireplaces, jetted tubs, and private balconies or patios. Each room is unique, with decor that runs from Victorian to Alpine, some warm and dark and others bright and airy. A full three-course breakfast is served at your private table in the dining room, and complimentary coffee and snacks are available in the open kitchen and rec room. The meticulously manicured grounds have a picnic area and two gazebos. All profits go to a local charity.
In this former tavern built in 1763, all of the rooms have electric fireplaces and hand-sewn quilts, and some have four-poster or half-canopy beds. The stone building is filled with hand-tooled furniture that is true to the period, much of it built by local craftspeople. Friday to Sunday a small bar serves local wine and beer, as well as pizza from the oven in the backyard; sometimes there is live music.
This 1786 Georgian-style home listed on the National Register of Historic Places has a comfortable living room, library, and sitting room with a fireplace, and a fish pond in the small garden. The warm and dedicated owners have furnished the guest rooms with Amish quilts and vintage objects that reflect the charms of an old home. A hearty breakfast is served in the country-style dining room. All rooms have private baths, but some are located down the hall (bathrobes are provided). The B&B is in the center of the village.
Sumptuous guest rooms with modern amenities draw guests to this grand 1887 Victorian house that retains many of its original design features without feeling stuffy. Each room has its own traditional style and might include a stained glass window, hand-painted French tiles, an electric fireplace, or a whirlpool bath. Afternoon snacks are laid out in the comfy parlor, and wicker furniture awaits on the long porch overlooking the garden and town. A full breakfast is served at a long dining room table.
This 1812 farmstead just outside the hustle and bustle of downtown Gettysburg offers 10 carefully restored rooms among three 19th-century homes. Many of the antique-filled rooms have fireplaces; those on the carriage house's ground floor have their own patios. The included three-course breakfast is served in the airy great room or on the terrace overlooking the broad lawns. The property was used as a field hospital during the Battle of Gettysburg.
This 1810 inn's guest rooms are decorated with period antiques and Victorian furnishings, including four-poster beds. Downstairs, the Meade and Lee Dining Rooms present Civil War–era dishes such as game pie and peanut soup; there are also a tavern and an outdoor beer garden. The building sheltered Confederate soldiers during the Battle of Gettysburg—more than 100 bullet holes are forever part of the walls. The purportedly haunted inn hosts several ghost tours of its property ($10–$15) that begin with dramatizations and stories in the basement's Mourning Theater.
Surrounded by pretty gardens, this 1912 Dutch Colonial inn is known for outstanding hospitality and a full breakfast served in an antiques- and art-filled dining room. Unfussy yet cozy guest rooms feature cast-iron electric fireplaces, robes, and free Wi-Fi. Guests must be 16 or older and the inn is about 1½ miles from the heart of downtown, so the property exudes a relaxing charm.
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