25 Best Things to Do in Lancaster, PA (2026 Local Guide)

Lancaster County packs more into one county than almost anywhere in the Northeast: the heart of American Amish country, the oldest farmers market in the United States, steam trains, a theme park built for little kids, and a downtown dining scene that punches far above its weight. Here's what's actually worth your time, organized so you can build a real itinerary.

Experience Amish Country (the Right Way)

This is why most people come, and the difference between doing it well and badly is the difference between a back-road farm visit and a gift-shop parking lot. Start with a guided experience — operators here have spent decades building real relationships with Amish families. The Amish Farm and House has run tours since 1955, and the Amish Village takes small buses down genuine back roads near Strasburg.

The most popular bundled option is the Amish Experience SuperSaver, which combines a farmlands shuttle tour, a theater show, and a guided house-and-school tour in one ticket:

Then take a buggy ride. Aaron & Jessica's Buggy Rides in Bird-in-Hand is owned and driven by an Amish family — choose the longer back-roads route. Browse all options on our Amish tours rankings.

One etiquette rule above all: never photograph Amish people's faces. Farms, buggies, and landscapes are fine. And remember that nearly everything Amish-owned closes on Sundays — read our Amish culture and etiquette guide before you go.

Ride the Rails in Strasburg

The Strasburg Rail Road is America's oldest continuously operating railroad — a 45-minute steam ride through working farmland. Directly across the road, the Railroad Museum of Pennsylvania houses over 100 historic locomotives you can walk among and board. Train-obsessed kids (and adults) should read our full Strasburg train lover's guide.

Eat Like You Mean It

Pennsylvania Dutch food is its own category: smorgasbord buffets, family-style platters passed around shared tables, shoofly pie, and whoopie pies. Miller's Smorgasbord has been at it since 1929; Good N Plenty serves family-style in a converted farmhouse. Downtown, The Horse Inn and LUCA anchor a genuinely excellent farm-to-table scene. Full rankings in our restaurants guide and Lancaster food guide.

For the most personal meal in the county, book a small-group lunch inside an Amish family's home:

Hit the Markets

Lancaster Central Market has run since 1730 — Tuesday, Friday, and Saturday only. The Green Dragon in Ephrata (Fridays only) is 400 vendors of pure local life. Kitchen Kettle Village in Intercourse wraps 40 shops around a working jam kitchen. Market strategy lives in our farmers markets guide.

Bring the Kids

Dutch Wonderland is the rare theme park actually designed for ages 2–10. Add the steam train, a buggy ride, and a farm stay and you have a perfect family weekend — mapped out in our Lancaster with kids guide and Dutch Wonderland guide.

See a Show, Shop the Towns

Sight & Sound Theatre in Ronks stages Bible stories on a 300-foot panoramic stage with live animals — plan around it with our Sight & Sound trip guide. For shopping, split your time between Tanger Outlets on Route 30 and the quilt and craft shops of Route 340 — The Old Country Store in Intercourse is the quilt benchmark. Then spend a half day in Lititz, repeatedly named one of America's coolest small towns; see our Lititz day trip guide and small towns roundup.

Plan the Logistics

Lancaster is 90 minutes from Philadelphia and 3 hours from New York — our day trip guide covers routes and trains. Decide where to sleep with our where-to-stay guide, and if you only have two days, follow the weekend itinerary hour by hour. Visiting in autumn? October is the county at its best — see the fall foliage guide.