1. Carriage House Motor Inn
City: Strasburg, PA
Category: Accommodations
Telephone: (717) 687-7651
Address: 144 E. Main St.
Description: Located within easy walking distance of the railroad museum and downtown area, this cozy accommodation has a 2-acre lawn so kids can get out and play. Free continental breakfast is included, and pets are welcome.
2. Hershey Farm Inn
City: Strasburg, PA
Category: Accommodations
Telephone: (800) 827-8635
Address: 240 Hartman Bridge Rd. (Route 896)
Description: Set on 23 acres, this property has fruit, vegetable, and flower gardens, a fishing pond, a 1-mile wooded walking trail, and friendly farm animals. Accommodations are motor lodge–like, but suites, some with whirlpool tubs, are available and all are very clean and prettily appointed. There’s an outdoor pool (with separate baby pool) and on-premises family restaurants. If you like the scenery you see at the Hershey Farm Inn, there are signs all around the gardens to help you re-create them at home—even the waterfall.
3. Limestone Inn Bed and Breakfast
City: Strasburg, PA
Category: Accommodations
Telephone: (717) 687-8392
Address: 33 E. Main St.
Insider Pick:
Description: An architectural melding of Georgian and German styles makes this circa-1786 home one of the most unusual and, according to owners Richard and Denise Waller, one of the most photographed historic buildings around. Its location at the heart of Strasburg’s Main Street means you can park your car (off-street parking is provided) and forget it as you walk to shops, restaurants, museums, and all kinds of other in-town attractions. Furnishings in the 6 guest rooms include many antiques; half have fireplaces. The Tower Room has a private bathroom down the hall. Full breakfast and off-street parking are included. Children over age 12 are welcome. Some rooms have low ceilings, so you might want to let the Wallers know if you’re tall.
4. Beaver Creek Farm Cabins
City: Strasburg, PA
Category: Accommodations
Telephone: (717) 687-7745
Address: 2 Little Beaver Rd. (1.5 miles
Description: Just 8 two-bedroom single cabins (and one double for larger families) with heat and air-conditioning, kitchen, and bathroom set amid 29 acres of quiet, beautiful farmland. Eighteen holes of mini disc golf on-site. Open year-round.
5. Iron Horse Inn Restaurant
City: Strasburg, PA
Category: Restaurants
Telephone: (717) 687-6362
Address: 135 E. Main St.
Description: After a day of railroad recreation in Strasburg, your best choice for dining is this more-than-century-old transport waiting room. Entrees range from local faves such as chicken and waffles to “Triple Steak” featuring marinated portobello mushroom, Atlantic salmon, and filet mignon.
6. The Springerle House
City: Strasburg, PA
Category: Shopping
Telephone: (717) 687-8022
Address: 15 E. Main St.
Description: Springerle, cookies imprinted with pictures in hand-carved molds, have been around for over a thousand years in Europe, and Heather Botchlet’s family has been making them in Lancaster County for more than 100. They’re as artistic as they are delicious. Botchlet also has a stand at the Lancaster Central Market.
7. The Strasburg Country Store and Creamery
City: Strasburg, PA
Category: Shopping
Telephone: (717) 687-0766
Address: 1 W. Main St.
Description: You can smell the waffle cones from blocks away. The ice cream is pure, super-creamy (14.5 percent butterfat), and made daily. Pick your pleasure at the marble soda fountain—a 600-pound souvenir of the 1890s.
8. Eldreth Pottery
City: Strasburg, PA
Category: Shopping
Telephone: (717) 687-8445
Description: Each piece of salt-glazed stoneware and redware pottery is signed and dated by the craftsman who made it. Look for bargains in the “seconds” section at Eldreth Pottery; these items may not be perfect, but you can usually find some good bargains.
9. The Village Greens Miniature Golf
City: Strasburg, PA
Category: Tours & Attractions
Telephone: (717) 687-6933
Address: 1444 Village Rd.
Insider Pick:
Description: Two courses over 13 landscaped acres make minigolfing a challenge for a range of ages and skill levels. For an easygoing round, stick to the Orange course. Only go for the Gold if you’re prepared to contend with all kinds of natural obstacles including waterways and trees.
10. Choo Choo Barn—Traintown, USA
City: Strasburg, PA
Category: Tours & Attractions
Telephone: (800) 450-2920, (717) 687-7911
Address: 226 Gap Rd.
Description: It began with a $12.50 Lionel train set in 1961 and is now 1,700 square feet of hand-built scenes and buildings featuring over 150 hand-built animated figures and vehicles depicting familiar Lancaster County sites, including an Amish barn raising and the rides at Dutch Wonderland, as well as 22 operating trains. Open 7 days; closed Jan and Feb.
11. Railroad Museum of Pennsylvania
City: Strasburg, PA
Category: Tours & Attractions
Telephone: (717) 687-8628
Address: 300 Gap Rd.
Description: This museum features an indoor and outdoor world-class collection of more than 100 historical locomotives, from steam to electric, and railroad cars. There are also exhibits of railroad art and artifacts spanning 1825 to the present. Call or visit the website for seasonal hours; open Sun.
12. Strasburg Rail Road
City: Strasburg, PA
Category: Tours & Attractions
Telephone: (717) 687-7522
Description: Although the Strasburg Rail Road was incorporated in 1832, the only indication of when it started running was a schedule from December 1851. The 4.5-mile straight track was used for passenger and freight transportation until around the turn of the 20th century. Now from late May through most of Nov, America’s oldest short-line railroad’s coal-burning steam engine once again invites passengers to come aboard for a 45-minute scenic narrated ride through the countryside. Depending on your preference—and pocketbook—you can ride in a regular coach heated with potbellied stoves in winter ($14) or upgrade to a deluxe, Victorian-ornate parlor car ($20). Pack a picnic or take a lunch, dinner, wine and cheese, or themed meal ride.
13. Amish Neighbors Tours/All About Tours
City: Strasburg, PA
Category: Tours & Attractions
Address: 324 Susan Ave.
Description: Take a guided 3-hour guided tour through Amish farmlands with lots of interesting stops and opportunities to meet the locals and visit their barn- and home-based businesses along the way.
14. Lancaster or Strasburg Ghost Tour
City: Strasburg, PA
Category: Tours & Attractions
Telephone: (717) 687-6687
Address: 11 E. Main St.
Description: Follow the light of your guide’s lantern as you visit at least 10 local haunts, including historic cemeteries in either Lancaster City or Strasburg. These 90-minute, family-friendly tours (each is less than a mile walk) include researched and documented stories, folklore, and ghost stories. Advance tickets are required for the Lancaster tour; reservations are strongly recommended for the one in Strasburg.