Lancaster Pennsylvania has been know for years as a farming community and for the Amish culture. In fact, Lancaster has some of the most productive non-irrigated farmland in the country. This is probably one of the reasons that the Old Order Amish, Mennonites, Brethren and other "Plain People", find the area so appealing. Their priorities are first to God and second to their families and farms. There are many different variations within the the "Plain People", but it is their faith and literal interpretation of the Bible scriptures that keep them to be separate from many of the modern ways of the "English". The Old Order Amish will not have electricity or telephones in their homes. They will not own a car or a tractor, which is why you will see them riding buggies and using draft animals to pull their farming equipment. Lancaster is a great place to mingle with the Amish, learn about their culture, discover and become intrigued with people that can remain faithful to their beliefs, even with all the modern culture surrounding them.
Some local business owned by the Amish and Mennonites are great places to have person to person contact, they include: Riehl's Quilts and Crafts, Countryside Road Stand, Lapp Valley Farm (dairy and ice cream), Dienner's Family Restaurant, and the Mennonite Information Center. Other local businesses that have tours of farmhouses and buildings depicting the way the Amish live include: Amish Farm and House Tours, The Amish Village, and the Amish Experience.
where you can find a home away from home.
