Things To Do In Amish Country and Hershey, Pennsylvania
I discovered things to do in Amish country and Hershey, Pennsylvania that made my trip to the northeast a truly memorable adventure. From crafting a candy bar at Hershey’s Chocolate World to wandering the picturesque streets of Lititz, Pennsylvania, I found myself immersed in a world where tradition and modernity seamlessly intertwine.
I am going to share with you the things that I did on the trip with my sister a couple of years ago. I have written it as an itinerary hoping that it inspires you to take a trip and discover the magic of Amish country and Hershey, Pennsylvania for yourself.
Visiting Amish country is so much more than watching the Amish go by in their horse and buggies. When you’re on a getaway to Amish country in Pennsylvania, there are a lot of things that have nothing to do with buggies or barns.
From excursions into the countryside to indulging in an evening treat of homemade ice cream, there is always something interesting on a getaway to Pennsylvania Dutch Country.
Plan Your Amish Country Getaway
This sample itinerary can be enjoyed during the week or weekend. It will give you a taste of some fun things to do and eat in Pennsylvania, including the towns of Lititz and Hershey. Trip highlights include:
- Making your own chocolate bar at Hershey’s Chocolate World.
- Lunch at the Tomato Pie Cafe in Lititz.
- Enjoy a night in a cozy bed at EJ Bowman Bed and Breakfast.
- Drive a scooter through Amish country and indulge in ice cream.
- Shop until you drop at Green Dragon Farmers Market and Auction.
- Dine on Pennsylvania Dutch Style Home Cooking.
Let’s take a look at a sample two-day itinerary.
Make Your Own Candy Bar at Hershey’s Chocolate World
Day 1: Begin your journey at Hershey’s Chocolate World located in Hershey, Pennsylvania, naturally. Hershey’s is located approximately 3.5 hours southeast of Pittsburgh and two hours northwest of Philadelphia.
Hershey’s Chocolate World is a chocolate lover’s dream come true. If you have ever wanted to try your hand at designing your own candy bar, this is the place. You can go online and buy a ticket for $29.95 before you go. Print out your ticket and make your way to the exhibit.
You will be provided with a hairnet and apron and then guided to computers where your chocolate-making experience really begins.
You get to choose a base of milk chocolate, dark chocolate, or white chocolate. Then you have a choice of fillings to select. The final result is a thick chocolate bar made with your inputs and enrobed in milk chocolate.
You also get to design a cover for the metal box that your chocolate bar is nestled in at completion.
Whether your choose to make a chocolate bar or not, you should definitely explore Hershey’s largest chocolate store where you will find familiar favorites along with exclusive sweet treats available only at the store.
Making a chocolate bar isn’t the only activity at Hershey’s Chocolate World. Other things to do are:
- Ride the free Hershey’s Chocolate Tour, which follows the chocolate-making process from cocoa bean to finished candy—and includes a sweet sample at the end.
- Climb aboard the Hershey’s Great Candy Expedition, an interactive train-themed experience where the audience helps choose which candy-filled destinations to visit. The 30-minute attraction combines large screens, special effects, and a few treats along the way.
- Experience Hershey’s Unwrapped, a 30-minute interactive show that puts your senses—and your chocolate-tasting skills—to work. You’ll receive a tasting kit and learn more about chocolate while sampling it, which seems like a particularly agreeable form of education.
- Create an oversized treat at Reese’s Stuff Your Cup, where you can fill a one-pound Reese’s Peanut Butter Cup with your choice of mix-ins.
- Browse the enormous Hershey’s store for familiar favorites, unusual flavors, souvenirs, and treats you may not find back home.
- Grab lunch, a milkshake, ice cream, or another appropriately chocolate-laden snack before continuing your trip.
Some experiences require separate tickets, while the Hershey’s Chocolate Tour is free. Attractions and prices can change, so check Hershey’s Chocolate World for current options and reserve ticketed experiences ahead of time when possible.
Hershey’s World is located at 101 Chocolate World Wy and is open from 9:00 am until 5:00 pm Monday through Friday and from 9:00 am until 9:00 pm on Saturday and from 9:00 am until 7:00 pm on Sunday.
After spending a few hours where the focus is on chocolate, make your way to a cute little town where pretzels take center stage. Lititz, Pennsylvania is a 45-minute drive from Hershey.
Step Back in Time in Lititz, Pennsylvania
While Hershey’s is known for chocolate, Lititz, Pennsylvania is known for pretzels. In 2013, the city was named the coolest small town in the country.
In downtown Lititz, you won’t find a Wal-Mart or Target. Instead of chain stores lining the streets, there are locally owned boutiques and shops that offer customers an experience they cannot get anywhere else in Lancaster County.
Lititz was first settled in 1742 when Count Nicholas Ludwig von Zinzendorf arrived from Saxony, Germany.
The Count was a leader in the Moravian church, which still has a presence in Lititz to this day. There is a Moravian gift shop, antique shop, and church – all part of the Lititz Moravian Historic District (national historic district) which includes 113 buildings.
Although it has been nearly 300 years since its settlement, you can still see traces of history in Lititz, like the Johannes Mueller House which he acquired in 1792.
Mueller was the town dyer (one who would color fabric). His home was located in the stone portion of the building and his business was in the adjacent wooden structure.
A stroll down East Main Street and South Broad Street is a must, especially if you enjoy architecture.
In Lititz, you’ll find a variety of food to satisfy your appetite, like pretzels from Julius Sturgis – the country’s oldest commercial bakery. Among other places you can grab something quick are Sugar Whipped Bakery, Cafe Arabella, and Tomato Pie Café.
The Tomato Pie Cafe is an eclectic urban eatery inside a building with rustic charm. With indoor and outdoor seating, this eatery serves up its signature tomato pie as well as other delicious comfort foods like the Rooster Street Beef Burger! Their carrot fries with dill dipping sauce are a veggie lover’s dream.
The Tomato Pie Cafe is located at 23 N Broad St and is open daily from 7:00 am until 3:00 pm.
Word on the street is that if you want to taste America’s best cannoli, head straight for Lititz at Piccolo Eatery. (I can personally attest to the fact that the cannolis are outstanding!)
You won’t find American-Italian food there – they only serve authentic Sicilian and Southern Italian cuisine, including their mouthwatering cannoli.
Piccolo Eatery is located at 53 E Main St and is open from 10:00 am until 4:00 pm Monday through Friday and from 10:00 am until 3:00 pm on Saturday. (It is closed on Sunday.)
The Lititz Farmers Market is the best time to get your hands on fresh produce and other goods grown by local farmers. Every Thursday evening from spring through fall, find live music performances, and chef demonstrations with children’s activities for all ages!
The farmers’ market takes place from May until October, 4:30pm until 8:00pm, in Lititz Springs Park.
Stay at the E J Bowman Bed and Breakfast
After spending the better half of your day imbibing on chocolate and exploring Lititz, you’ll be delighted to check into E J Bowman House, an 1860 Italianate home located in the heart of Lancaster County filled with antiques from eras past.
Its location at 2674 Lititz Pike in Lancaster makes it an ideal spot for further exploration of the area.
When my sister and I stayed at E.J. Bowman House, our hostess Diane made us feel right at home. The homemade breakfast the following morning made the stay even better. The inn is still welcoming guests today, although ownership and amenities may have changed since our visit.
Be sure to book your room online prior to your trip as there are only five guest rooms and they are often full.
Ride Through Amish Country with Strasburg Scooters
There’s even more fun on Day 1 – a Scootin’ for Scoops Ice Cream Scooter Tour with Strasburg Scooters.
Before your tour begins, you can pick up dinner in Lititz at one of the places that piqued your interest or stop by the Farmers Market in Bird-in-Hand. Inside the market, you can order soups, chili, and sandwiches, and naturally, there is a lot of homemade Amish bread.
There are two locations of Strasburg Scooters – Bird-in-Hand and Strasburg. Regardless of which location you choose, you will explore Lancaster County through the back roads of Amish country.
The company offers several guided tours through Amish Country, with routes that take you past farms, covered bridges, and countryside you might otherwise never see from the main roads.
My sister and I chose the Scootin’ for Scoops tour, and I highly recommend it. The evening ride winds through Pennsylvania Dutch Country and includes a stop for locally made ice cream. Apparently, sightseeing is even better when there’s ice cream waiting somewhere along the route.
Tours and schedules change seasonally, so check Strasburg Scooters for the current lineup before your trip.
When the tour sadly comes to an end, head back to EJ Bowman Bed and Breakfast for a restful night followed by coffee and breakfast the next morning.
Shop at the Green Dragon Farmers Market & Auction
Day 2: After breakfast, hop in your car and make your way to Green Dragon Farmers Market in Ephrata. The market is a quick 21-minute drive from EJ Bowman Bed and Breakfast.
The Green Dragon Farmers Market & Auction is a must-stop when in Amish country. It was voted the #2 Best Farmers Market in America and once you are there, it’s easy to see why.
There are over 100 vendors with fresh produce, homemade goods like soaps and jams, local craftsman wares for sale as well as delicious treats from bakeries who make their bread on-site!
One important thing to know before planning your trip: Green Dragon is only open on Fridays. If this market is on your must-do list, build your itinerary around it.
You never know who you might run into at Green Dragon. While there, my sister and I were delighted to meet cookbook author Sherry Gore while she was selling her homemade marshmallows!
The Green Dragon Market is located at 955 N State St in Ephrata. It is open on Friday from 8:00 am until 8:00 pm.
Eat at Dienner’s Country Restaurant
Once you have shopped until you are ready to drop, drive 32 minutes to the town of Ronks, Pennsylvania for a hearty Pennsylvania Dutch lunch.
You can order off the menu at Dienner’s Country Restaurant or opt for their lunch or dinner buffet which has plenty of options to satisfy even picky eaters.
Dienner’s Country Restaurant is located at 2855 Lincoln Hwy E in Ronks.
Optional Day 3: See a Show at Sight & Sound Theatres
If you can stretch your getaway to three days, there’s plenty more to experience in Lancaster County. One attraction worth making time for is Sight & Sound Theatres in Ronks.
I’ve been to Sight & Sound, and this isn’t your typical night at the theater.
Sight & Sound brings stories from the Bible to life with enormous sets, elaborate costumes, music, special effects, and even live animals. The stage wraps around the audience, making the production feel much more immersive than a traditional theater performance.
When I visited, I saw DAVID, which followed David from his days as a shepherd through his rise to become King of Israel. The story included the familiar battle with Goliath, but what I remember most is the sheer scale of the production. The enormous sets, music, special effects, and live animals made it unlike a typical theater performance.
Productions change periodically, so the show you see will likely be different from the one I experienced. Check the current schedule before your trip and book your tickets ahead of time. Performance times can also help you decide how to spend the rest of your third day in Lancaster County.
Sight & Sound is located at 300 Hartman Bridge Road in Ronks. Parking is free, and there is no dress code, so casual clothes are perfectly fine.
If Biblical stories interest you, Sight & Sound is an especially memorable way to add another day to your Pennsylvania Dutch Country getaway.
If you have more than 2 days, you can spend an entire day at Hershey Park and enjoy fun roller coasters, a museum, ZooAmerica North American Wildlife Park, and a water park with rides for the whole family.
How Many Days Do You Need for Amish Country and Hershey?
You can experience quite a bit of Hershey and Pennsylvania Dutch Country in two days, which is what my sister and I did on this trip.
Our itinerary combined Hershey’s Chocolate World with Lititz and Lancaster County on the first day, followed by more time exploring Amish Country on the second.
If you have three or four days, even better. You could slow down your pace and add places such as Hersheypark, Strasburg Rail Road, Lancaster Central Market, or another small town without trying to cram everything into two very full days.
If you’re following my itinerary closely, pay particular attention to the days of the week. Green Dragon Farmers Market is only open on Fridays, so that one detail can determine how you arrange the entire trip.
A Note About Visiting Amish Country
Remember that Amish Country isn’t a theme park—it’s home to people going about their everyday lives.
Be respectful when taking pictures, particularly when photographing Amish people. Many Amish avoid posing for photographs or having identifiable pictures taken because of their religious beliefs. Don’t walk onto private property for a better photo, block the road to photograph a horse and buggy, or treat someone’s home or farm as a tourist attraction unless it is specifically open to visitors.
You’ll have plenty of opportunities to enjoy the beautiful countryside, shop at local businesses, eat Pennsylvania Dutch food, and learn about the area’s culture without making anyone uncomfortable in the process.
There are so many ways to explore the Hershey and Amish Country region–whether it’s for a group of girlfriends, friends, family, or even solo.
The amiable townships in this area offer their visitors an intriguing balance between modernity and tradition that can’t be found anywhere else!
Additional reading/resources:
Planning a bigger Pennsylvania adventure? Pair this Amish Country & Hershey getaway with meaningful stops like the Flight 93 National Memorial, a relaxing Latrobe weekend, or a delicious stroll on the Gettysburg Food Tour. Together, they create an unforgettable Keystone State itinerary packed with history, flavor, and scenic charm.
Final Call
Did this Amish Country & Hershey post get your wheels turning (and your stomach rumbling)? Drop a comment below with your favorite stop or a place you’ve been that blew you away. And if someone you know loves road trips with delicious detours, send this post their way.
Please send me information.
looking at a two day/night visit with a long time friend.