This tour was my favorite part of visiting Lancaster because we actually got to visit and talk with Amish people. When you go to Amish Village, Amish Farm, Amish Theatre, etc., you are learning about the people from the "English,", but it all feels rather touristy and not so authentic. On this tour, we got to visit and hear from Amish people themselves on how they run their farms, cottage industries, and so forth. My favorite part was the final stop, the home visit. I didn't want it to end, other than the fact that I needed to go to the bathroom. That is my only caution--there are no bathroom breaks for the 3+ hours. We were warned ahead of time, but our visit ran long (which I was happy about), and I was anxious to return for that reason only. Also, if stairs or standing is difficult for you, this may not be the right trip. In the second workshop, we went upstairs, and we stood at all places listening until the last stop. At the last stop, we got to sit and chat in an Amish home with an Amish family. This was the BEST part of the tour and I want to do it again for that part alone. Kent, our tour guide, was the other best part of this tour. He is good friends with many of the Amish people in this community and you could tell he loved and respected them. It was great to learn about them from his loving point of view.
I wanted to get his number so I could ask him where to find the authentic Amish shops and stands to visit, since it's hard to find those online. He drew a map for my mom to visit an authentic quilt shop the next day, but unfortunately, it was closed for Good Friday. We didn't think about that in planning our trip, so keep that holiday in mind if you travel in April. I recommend this tour and can't wait to go do it again on my next visit! One more thing...I recommend this for adults. I'm not sure children would appreciate and value it the same way.