Road Trip to Pennsylvania Dutch Country

Pennsylvania Dutch Country blends rolling farmland, small towns and centuries-old traditions into one of the country’s most memorable road trip destinations. Horse-drawn buggies travel quiet back roads, much as they have for nearly 300 years. Family farms operate as they have for generations and roadside markets overflow with baked goods, fresh produce and local specialties, like shoofly pie.

Yet there’s more to discover in this region. Ride steam trains, tour potato chip factories, paddle calm stretches of the Susquehanna River and hike to scenic mountain overlooks. It’s a southeastern Pennsylvania road trip that feels both timeless and surprisingly varied. Let’s hit the road.

Amish Country Experiences

No visit would be complete without spending time in the Amish country, where horse-and-buggy traffic, working farms and roadside stands remain a part of everyday life. At Kreider Farms, 90-minute bus tours offer a behind-the-scenes look at one of the region’s largest dairy operations. Stops include the Moo-ternity Barn, home to newborn calves and expectant mama cows, and the milking merry-go-round, where 1,800 black-and-white Holsteins are milked three times each day.

Take a seat in a real-life horse-drawn buggy for a ride back in time to an era before cars, trains or planes, with Aaron & Jessica’s Buggy Rides. Clip-clop along quiet country roads to a working Amish farm for a glimpse into life without modern conveniences, including electricity. Nearby, The Amish Village offers guided tours of a traditional farmhouse, one-room schoolhouse, blacksmith shop and working farmyard filled with mules, goats, sheep, chickens and pigs.

For a deeper dive, The Amish Experience at Plain & Fancy Farm offers immersive tours that visit farms, workshops and family homes. Observe daily farm routines, meet Amish craftspeople and spend time with local families. Afterward, stop by Lancaster Central Market, one of the nation’s oldest public markets, for whoopie pies, local honey, seasonal produce and farm-fresh milk.

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Choo Choo

Train enthusiasts will find plenty to love here in Pennsylvania Dutch Country, starting with Strasburg Rail Road, the nation’s oldest continuously operating railroad. Steam locomotives run 45-minute excursions past Amish farms and open fields with seating options that range from open-air cars to first-class parlors.

Across the street, the Railroad Museum of Pennsylvania displays more than 100 historic locomotives and railcars. Climb aboard a caboose, sit in an engineer’s seat, or join a behind-the-scenes tour of the Restoration Shop. Nearby, the Choo Choo Barn features a 1,700-square-foot model train display of Lancaster County with 22 operating trains, while the National Toy Train Museum showcases model trains dating from the early 1800s to present day.

Round out the rail experience at Cafe 1832, located inside the historic station at Strasburg Rail Road, or at Casey Jones’ Restaurant, where meals are served inside authentic train cars. For an overnight stay, Paradise Station features 38 converted railcars parked on actual track, each painted in the livery of a different North American railroad, from Norfolk & Western to Union Pacific.

Factory Fun

Agricultural heritage meets hands-on fun across the region’s food-focused factory tours. Start in Lititz at the Julius Sturgis Pretzel Bakery, widely recognized as America’s first commercial pretzel bakery. A 25-minute guided tour includes the historic bakery’s original brick ovens dating to the 1860s and a pretzel-making lesson.

For more snack food fun, you’re in luck. The region didn’t earn the nickname Snack Food Capital of the World for nothing. In Hanover, the Snyder’s of Hanover Factory Store stocks hard-to-find flavors and limited-edition snacks, while the Herr’s Snack Factory in Nottingham offers hourlong guided tours of the production floor.

In Columbia, the Turkey Hill Experience transforms ice cream and iced tea into an interactive attraction. Hands-on exhibits let visitors “milk” mechanical cows, design virtual ice cream flavors, and even star in a commercial. In the Taste Lab, create a custom ice cream flavor to take home.

Get Outside

It’s easy to get outdoors, especially along the Susquehanna River, where calm stretches are perfect for tubing, kayaking and stand-up paddleboarding. At Susquehannock State Park, marked trails range from easy walks to moderate hikes. The Overlook Trail leads to Hawk Point for wide river views, plus Mount Johnson Island, recognized as the world’s first bald eagle sanctuary.

At Chickies Rock County Park, a short hike leads to the park’s signature feature, Chickies Rock, a massive quartzite outcrop rising more than 100 feet above the Susquehanna River. Beyond river views and scenic overlooks, the park preserves the region’s industrial past, including remains of old iron furnaces, canal walls and former trolley lines.  

In Kempton, Hawk Mountain Sanctuary offers an outdoor experience centered on raptor migration. The sanctuary hosts programs like Raptors Up Close for a chance to see hawks and owls, like an Eastern screech owl and a red-tailed hawk, before heading onto nature trails that lead to ridgetop overlooks with expansive views across the Appalachian Mountains.

Plan your Pennsylvania Dutch Country road trip with a AAA travel advisor and rent your car with Hertz. AAA members can save up to 20% on Hertz rentals.