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We've compiled the best of the best in Pennsylvania Dutch Country - browse our top choices for the top things to see or do during your stay.
At this designated Lancaster County heritage site, take a guided tour of a replica nine-room Old Order Amish house and attached one-room schoolhouse. Along the way, you'll learn about Amish culture, clothing, and day-to-day life. The Super-Saver Tour Package ($47.95) includes a 90-minute mini-shuttle tour; a guided tour of the homestead; and a ticket to see the film Jacob's Choice.
The David Wills House is where Abraham Lincoln stayed and completed his Gettysburg Address on November 18, 1863. The restored building features seven galleries, including the bedroom where Lincoln slept and worked on the final versions of his speech, as well as the office of Wills, a prominent lawyer who was a leading force behind the creation of the national cemetery.
The farm residence of President Dwight D. Eisenhower, who bought it in 1950, was a weekend retreat and a meeting place for world leaders. The property adjoins the battlefield and the brick-and-stone farmhouse is preserved in 1950s style. Free home tours are conducted Thursday through Sunday, and seasonal walking tours of the farm are offered once a week.
Set on 33 acres, Historic Rock Ford Plantation is the restored homestead of General Edward Hand, a Revolutionary War commander, George Washington's confidant, and wealthy landowner. Period antiques and folk art are displayed in the 1794 Georgian-style mansion, which is on the National Register of Historic Places. In partnership with the African American Historical Society of South Central Pennsylvania, the plantation presents programs on the legacy and stories of the slaves who lived and worked on Hand’s farm and in the household.
Costumed guides share fascinating tales at Shriver House, the home of George and Henrietta Shriver and their two children, revealing what civilian life was like during the Civil War. After George joined the Union troops and his family fled to safety, the home was taken over by Confederate sharpshooters during the Battle of Gettysburg. You can visit their attic nest, where two of them were killed during the battle, and get a look at Shriver's Saloon in the cellar.
Wheatland was the home of James Buchanan, the only U.S. president from Pennsylvania, who served from 1857 to 1861. A National Historic Landmark, the restored 1828 Federal-style mansion and outbuildings display the 15th president's furniture just as it was during his lifetime. A one-hour tour, departing from the LancasterHistory museum, includes a profile of the only bachelor to occupy the White House; a movie; and access to the arboretum on the grounds. There are holiday candlelight tours with costumed guides.
Just a few blocks from the waterfront, Wright's Ferry Mansion was the residence of English Quaker Susanna Wright, a silkworm breeder and intellectual who counted Benjamin Franklin among her friends. Docents guide visitors around the 1738 stone house, which showcases period furniture in the William & Mary and Queen Anne styles as well as an extensive collection of English needlework, clothing, ceramics, and glass, all predating 1750.
