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Its "Amish country" reputation is what most people remember about this heartland of Pennsylvania Dutch heritage. Lancaster County, Pennsylvania, is a peaceful place where the farm-country lifestyle and activities still thrive. Take a hot air balloon ride, shop the farmers' market, tour a dairy farm, or stroll the 1,050-acre Longwood Gardens. Small children will love Dutch Wonderland Family Amusement Park and Kettle Kitchen Village, as well as seasonal attractions like the National Christmas Center and Thomas the Tank Engine. And if you are curious about the Amish lifestyle, there are plenty of opportunities to experience it, from a narrated buggy tour to a visit to Amish Farm & House. Create your own souvenirs at Make-a-Friend workshop, or stroll through Amish Village and get snapshots to show back home.
Just west of the menage a trois of towns formed by Bird-in-Hand, Intercourse and Paradise lies Lancaster, gateway to Pennsylvania Dutch Country (a.k.a. Amish Country). More than 5 million people visit Lancaster County each year to enjoy the scenery and ambiance. Tourists mingle with the Amish, who clip-clop down country roads in horse-drawn buggies. Visitors can tour a former Amish schoolhouse, ride in an Amish buggy and buy Amish products (this is America's quilt capital). Other attractions include farmers' markets, covered bridges (there are 28 in the county), museums and loads of historic sites. The area, which was settled in the early 1700s by German Mennonites, also features hundreds of factory outlet stores. The city of Lancaster (population 56,000) is home to Lancaster Laboratories, one of the largest analytical laboratories in the country, and other light industries. Lancaster's rich history includes an important role in the American Revolution, service as the state capital from 1802 to 1812 and the development of the Conestoga wagon. President James Buchanan lived in Lancaster, which is about 65 miles west of Philadelphia, and his restored home, Wheatland, is open to the public.