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We've compiled the best of the best in Strasburg and Ronks - browse our top choices for the top things to see or do during your stay.
This is an absolute must-see for railroad buffs. In a 100,000-square-foot exhibit hall, the remarkable Smithsonian-affiliated museum showcases a world-class collection of 100-plus vintage locomotives and railroad cars made or operated in Pennsylvania. Exhibits contain a treasure trove of photos, artifacts, and memorabilia documenting the history of railroading in the state.
This 12-acre historic homestead offers guided tours of an authentically furnished 1840 home and one-room schoolhouse. The property includes a barn with farm animals, blacksmith shop, simulated smokehouse, and market. There are outdoor picnic grounds when the weather permits, and shuttle-bus tours of the area are also available.
This 1,700-square-foot display of Lancaster County in miniature has 22 model trains, mainly O-gauge, with 150 animated figures in scenes such as an Amish barn raising, a three-ring circus, and a blazing house fire with fire engines. Periodically, the overhead lights dim and the scene turns to night, with streetlights and locomotive headlights glowing in the darkness.
The showplace of the Train Collectors Association, this museum displays both antique and modern toy trains and is a must for toy train buffs. The museum has five huge train operating layouts, with toy trains from the 1800s to the present, plus nostalgic films and hundreds of locomotives and cars in display cases.
Passengers can step back in time more than 175 years to ride the rails of the Strasburg Rail Road. Called America's oldest short line, the steam locomotive and vintage coaches travel a scenic 45-minute round trip through Amish farm country between Strasburg and Paradise. Eat lunch in the dining car or take an evening dinner ride that might be themed as a murder mystery or wine and cheese tasting. Tours of the mechanical shop are available for a fee, but kids are crazy for the Thomas the Tank Engine excursions. Trains usually depart hourly.
