In Lancaster, Pa., the History Lessons Include Chicken Potpie
By Roger Mummert
The New York Times

Lancaster and the farm-rich county that surrounds it have a multifaceted history and a reputation for wholesome, all-you-can eat abundance. Visitors can experience a wide swath of American heritage in an active family weekend and sweeten the history lesson with a helping of the area’s hearty cuisine[…]

[…]Outside Lancaster, the fertile countryside beckons. A map inside a free vacation guide from the Pennsylvania Dutch Convention and Visitors Bureau (501 Greenfield Road off Route 30 east, 800-723-8824; www.padutchcountry.com) shows miles and miles of country roads. If you veer off the main road (Route 30) onto Routes 897 or 741 and adjoining back roads, your eyes will be richly rewarded. The children can count cows and goats, giggle at wash lines filled with clothes, spot one-room schoolhouses and wave to Amish youngsters riding in buggies or zooming along on skates and scooters[…]

[…]The Strasburg Rail Road (Gap Road, Strasburg; www.strasburgrailroad.com; 717-687-7522) has been a working railroad since it began as a freight-hauling line in 1836. Today, it hauls tourists and train devotees. Visitors can board vintage train cars for a 45-minute “trip to Paradise.” Buy tickets ($9.75; ages 3 to 11, $4.75) at the century-old ticket office. The open-air cars are a delight in warm months, and you can disembark and picnic or eat lunch ($10) or dinner ($20 to $25) aboard the dining car. Across the street is the Railroad Museum of Pennsylvania (717-687-8628, www.rrmuseumpa.org; $7; ages 6 to 17, $5) with more than 100 historic rail cars and locomotives. An interactive education center shows how steam engines work, and visitors can operate the controls of a freight locomotive in a cab simulator as a video screen displays a local run[…]

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