By Rebecca Klein
Modern Babies & Children
September 29, 2008

It takes less than a tank of gas, round trip, to visit a family-moon destination that offers something for everyone. Whether you’re craving a quiet countryside weekend, an action packed adventure to kid-friendly attractions, a shopping spree through mom and pop shops and big name outlets, a tour of Amish Country or a combination of it all, the area surrounding our nation’s oldest inland city makes for a great getaway. We’re talking about the Lancaster, Pennsylvania area, known as Pennsylvania Dutch Country.

From the Baltimore area, you can get there in one to two hours. With three days to fill, I thought I could do it all — that is, until starting to plan our trip.

My family definitely maximized how much we could squeeze into each day and could have spent far more time at each of our destinations.

On the second day of our trip we explored Strasburg Rail Road.

You can feel yourself traveling back in time as you board the restored trains, dating back to the mid 1800’s, on what is the nation’s oldest short-line railroad.

Strasburg Rail Road purchased its first passenger car in 1861 to prepare for a visit from President Lincoln. The railroad continued to transport passengers and freight until the 1950’s and this year celebrates its 50th birthday offering tourists a ride-on history lesson.

As my little ones enjoyed the thrill factor of riding in an open air train, I loved the 45 minutes of postcard views of Amish farmland peppered with narration about the scenery and history of the railroad.

The coal-burning steam trains offer several riding options. The glassed-in coach section is the most economical ride. You can also reserve a spot on special rides featuring wine and cheese, lunch or dinner.

Back at the station, which features the Trackside Café, the adventure continues for younger visitors with a miniature steam train ride, a hand-operated pump car and more.

Three times each year — in September, December and June — Thomas the Train Engine pulls into the station and hosts special Day Out with Thomas rides. In December, you can travel with Santa.

Visit www.StrasburgRailRoad.com to see a full schedule of events.