The Amish Countryside (Lancaster, PA)

Hi everyone! Last month my sweet husband and I had the chance to visit Lancaster County (PA) for two days and one night. I shared some of my finds from that trip with you in Vintage Finds #82. Today I thought I’d show off the beautiful countryside we drove through and the Amish farm we took a tour of.
The Amish Countryside (Lancaster, PA)
Amish country combines wide open spaces with lightly rolling hills, and green everywhere your eye can see. Amish farms, along with “English” (non-Amish) farms, dot the landscape.
The Amish Countryside (Lancaster, PA)

Quiet fills the air when you venture off the main pathways and pull over to enjoy the views.

The Amish Countryside (Lancaster, PA)

One way to distinguish an Amish farm from an English one is the lack of power lines–no electricity for the Old Order Amish.

The Amish Countryside (Lancaster, PA)

 The fog created some romantic photos.

The Amish Countryside (Lancaster, PA)

 But then it burned off, leaving cotton ball clouds behind.

barn

 Each barn possesses so much character and charm.

amish buggy

And of course, every where we drove, we saw buggies–passing by while we sat on the front porch of our B&B, pulled over to the side of the road as we sped past, and sometimes clopping noisily behind us. Occasionally, a small child would smile; once, a wave.

A is for Amish Buggy Rides

We decided that while in Amish country, we should take a buggy ride ourselves. We chose a ride to an Amish farm, from among the several destinations offered by A is for Amish Buggy Rides.

amish buggy ride (driver)
Jessie, our guide, comes from an Amish family, but he has chosen not to be baptized into the faith, but rather to go to vet school. He and some of his friends have been involved in the show, “Amish Mafia,” a heavily “produced” show as he described it. A very interesting tour guide!
amish farm
The dairy farm we took a mini tour of.
amish barn

 The main barn.

amish barn

 The barn cat.

amish farmer

 The Amish farmer.

amish donkey

 His donkey.

amish barn
You can see the barn has stood for years.
amish barn

 Lots of aged wood, rubbed and worn to please the eye.

amish barn

 

amish barn

 

amish barn

 

tack in amish barn

On our way out, we spied four sweet little girls, dressed in bright pink dresses and white head coverings. We asked if we could meet them and Jessie brought us over to say hello to the barefoot, rosy-cheeked sweethearts.

amish brooms

 

Before returning to the buggy station, we made a quick stop at an Amish shop where a barefoot, teenage girl brought out a tray filled with homemade root beer, cookies, and pretzels. We clopped back to the station, enjoying the views and sipping our root beer.

Other posts you might enjoy:

 

Bye for now,

 


Linking up with these great parties:
The Cottage Market
The Barn Collective
Elizabeth & Co.
Bella Rosa Antiques
Teach Me Tuesday
From My Front Porch to Yours
Your Turn to Shine

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16 Comments

  1. Your photos are beautiful. I enjoyed the tour through your photos and would love to visit Amish country.

  2. Thanks for the tour. I enjoyed your photographs. I'm glad you honored their wish not to have their faces photographed.
    My parents came from Lancaster and I lived there when I was in grade school for two years. Last time I was there was to visit my parents grave in Strasburg. My ancestors on both sides settled there in the late 1600s when they emigrated from Switzerland seeking religious freedom to be Mennonites. My cousin, Beverly Lewis has written many books about the Amish.

    1. Hi, Marcia. My maternal grandfather was educated in the Netherlands to be a minister; he grew up in the Mennonite faith. When he came to this country in the early 1900's, he instead became a farmer in South Dakota. When he and the family moved to Michigan in 1917, he became a church janitor. I sometimes wonder what would have happened had he followed his calling into the ministry.

      I enjoyed reading your reply. I've seen your cousin's books but have never read any of them.

  3. Diana, these photos are wonderful! That mule, of course, is a favorite, but I also loved the leather gear. I recently purchased an Amish cookbook; the woman who put it together lives in an Amish community in Michigan.

    Sending blessings your way as always —– they follow us, they chase us down, and the Lord says, "Wait! Here's more!"

  4. It's really beautiful and seems like such a peaceful way to live. I think I'd miss some of our "English" luxuries though!

    Tania

  5. Hi Diana,
    I enjoyed the tour with you. What beautiful countryside. The Amish make the best homemade foods too. Happy Friday and have a wonderful week end.
    Kris

  6. YOUR PICTURES OUR BEAUTIFUL. I LIVE ON THE OUTSIDE OF PITTSBURGH PA AND I BEEN WANTING TO GO TO LANCASTER FOR YEARS TO SEE THE AMISH COUNTRY. BEEN TO OTHER PLACES IN PA LIKE ERIE PHILLY BUT NEVER BEEN HERE BUT AFTER I SEEN THESE PICTURES I TOLD MY FAMILY HERE IS A WEEK END GET AWAY FOR OCTOBER THE FALL COLORS WILL BE WONDERFUL . WE GOING TO SEE THE NIARGA FALLS AND THINGS AROUND NIARGA AND TO SEE BUFFALO NEW YORK THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR SHARING YOUR PICTURES

  7. Wow I really enjoyed this and you must have had such a good time visiting the Amish countryside. Thanks for sharing this. Take care.
    Julie

  8. Diana, what a delightful day you had, I feel like I was there! Thanks for sharing these beautiful images and I hope that you will return in the future with more. Tom The Backroads Traveller

  9. Really nice post, Diana! I love your photos and enjoyed seeing where I live through your lens. The everyday hustle and bustle of life means I don't always get to enjoy it all myself!

  10. I dearly wish I could visit the Amish country. Have always been fascinated by them. Your post was such a pleasure to visit.

  11. Lanco, one of my happy places. Livving on the edge of it, I spend a lot of time tooling around the highways and glorified cow paths they call roads. This time of year, the fruits of their labor make up a lot of our meals and nobody I mean nobody makes molasses crinkle cookies like the Bird-in -Hand Bakery! And Lanco is home to the best flower nursery in the world, Black Creek Nursery!

  12. Pingback: Upcycling a Vintage Cupboard Door

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