My sister is a middle school history teacher and wanted to tour historical cities to add real life content to her class. We came to Philadelphia as the second city on her list and were devastated by the horrible conditions in the city. Spending a day in Lancaster learning about the Amish way of life was my one big request for our trip and we are both so happy we did this. The Amish way of life is such a huge contrast to what we experienced in the city, and something to be respected.
Our guide was exceptional! She grew up in Lancaster and lived among Amish and English her whole life. She had been giving tours of Lancaster for 11 years and her knowledge about, and respect for, Amish culture was exceptional. She provides a lot of information along the drive to and from the Amish property.
Our host family were open and friendly. Their adorable son, Marvin, greeted us outside and escorted us into a lovely building set up for hosting English visitors for a meal. Barbie prepared an amazing meal of pickled cucumbers, pickled beats, home made peanut butter and jams, along with fresh baked rolls, salad with a delicious dressing, baked chicken thighs, meatballs, noodles and the most delicious creamed corn I have ever had. For dessert we were served fresh home made vanilla ice cream and brownies. I am a foodie and I can confidently say this was by far the best meal we had on our entire trip to Pennsylvania. Aaron, Barbie and several of their children dined with us and spoke to us about their lives and answered all of our questions. Aaron and the children helped serve food and clean up. After the meal, he and the children showed us around the property, and then we had an opportunity to purchase quilts, microwave bowl holders, plastic bag holders, and much more. Many of these same items were available at the Lancaster Visitor's Center, but we wanted to support our host family and buy directly from them. Bring cash!
From beginning to end, this tour was top notch! I highly recommend an Authentic Tour & Meal with the Amish!