We visited the Choo Choo Barn after passing it so many times and wondering how it would be for kids…read morefive and under. Right outside, there's a cute train photo op and a water mining activity, which looked fun. My kids were a little too small to fully enjoy the mining setup due to height and visibility, but the bags were reasonably priced around $10-$12. Inside, the ticketing process was smooth and included a souvenir ticket, which was a nice touch. The main attraction is behind a curtain--a large, detailed train display set up in a one-way loop. You can walk through it at your own pace and even go around multiple times. The display itself is impressive, with lots of moving parts and scenes like a circus, a trampoline performer, and even real fish incorporated into the setup. My kids enjoyed spotting the trains and little details, though the experience wasn't very interactive. They made it through once and took their time looping back, but the entire visit lasted about 15 minutes. This feels like a better fit for kids who are really into trains or who enjoy more visual experiences rather than hands-on play. My kids didn't stay as engaged as I expected. Parking is shared with nearby businesses, so availability may vary. We were able to find a close spot, but the lot in front is limited. Also worth noting the bathrooms are not located within the main train display area. Overall, it's a cute experience and I'm glad we checked it out. It may not be a repeat visit for us, but it's worth seeing at least once, especially for train-loving families.

Purchased a discount admission coupon thru Clipp, however the Choo Choo Barn refused the valid…read morecoupon. I've never had an issue with anyone refusing Clipp before, it's actually allowed us to visit merchants that we haven't visited before and ended visiting multiple times after that. We have visited years ago and purchased 2 yearly passes, but it's not good business to turn people away that purchased the certificates. We ended up leaving since we've been there before.

We LOVE our pass for all the grandkids. The children can't wait to come to Gramma and Pappy's and…read morego to the HOH! We have tons of pictures and memories. With 17 grandchildren, the pass is perfect! This year, four of the grands went to the Hands-On House Summer Camp for 2 weeks. Oh, wow! TOTALLY more than I expected!!! The staff produced a 5-star camp with activities, games, crafts, and fieldtrips that far exceeded all expectations. Our g-kids (5, 6, 8, & 9yo) wanted to arrive early each day and stay as late as possible. They couldn't stop talking about new friends, activities, and the endearing antics of the staff. I HOPE they can go again next year!

Disappointed at the staff member who walked from her front desk to the back of the play area bench…read moreto ask a white lady i with her 5 month old son f everything was okay while a black woman with her 18 month old child were sharing a simple conversation of how nice to raise children. My family used to visit this museum and even attended summer camp but this was ridiculous. Why? to the museum, put up your signs if you do not want to serve all families, it is so much more easier for everyone. Please do not apologize or respond to this review you sent your message already.

I visited the 1719 Museum this past Saturday and really enjoyed the experience…read more The guided tour starts with a short film about the property that provides some great context for the rest of the tour. Then you leave the visitor center and walk over to the first structure of tour, which is a full-sized reproduction of a Native American longhouse. Longhouses (large multi-generational family homes made of logs, saplings, and tree bark) were once ubiquitous in Pennsylvania, including along the Susquehanna River. At the time the Hans Herr home was built, south-central Pennsylvania was home to several Indigenous tribes, including the Shenks Ferry, Conoy, Lenape, Mohawk, Nanticoke, Seneca, Shawnee, and Susquehannock peoples. The 1719 Museum collaborated with the Circle Legacy Center and members of the local indigenous community to build the longhouse reproduction in order to share the history of and honor Pennsylvania's native communities and educate visitors to the area. With your guide, you walk into the longhouse, where you sit down while the guide explains quite extensively about the Native communities in the area, the longhouse and its architecture, and the relationships between the indigenous people and the Mennonite people who made homes in the area. After the longhouse, the guide walks you over to the Hans Herr House. It was built in 1719 and is a 2-story, rectangular sandstone Germanic-style dwelling. It is the oldest dwelling in Lancaster County and the oldest Mennonite meetinghouse in America. The guide walks you through various rooms in the house and shares information about the Herr family as well as the larger Mennonite community in early Pennsylvania history. Our guide was Cindy, and she was incredible. I learned so much about the Native, Indigenous and Mennonite communities of 18th century Pennsylvania (and - in the case of the Native peoples - a much earlier history of their lives in Pennsylvania). She really educated us on a broad range of topics, while keeping the tour fun (I love fun education)! She made my tour extra special. If you're spending some time exploring Lancaster Counter, the 1719 Museum should definitely make your itinerary! In one place, you can learn a little bit about Pennsylvania's Native and Mennonite communities, and it's just a special place!

Why is the Hans Herr House significant and who the hell was Hans Herr?…read more The house itself is significant as it is the last remaining structure that is still standing from the original group of Mennonites who came to the Lancaster County area to escape religious persecution from their native Switzerland. The house is also significant in that it is the oldest structure in Lancaster County and likely the oldest remaining Mennonite meetinghouse in the Western Hemisphere. The original group traveled from Switzerland to Germany to escape religious persecution then after a governmental regime change they were forced from Germany to England where they met with William Penn who allowed them to colonize a portion of what is current day Lancaster County or when they arrived in 1711, the extreme most western frontier of Pennsylvania. One interesting piece of information is that the house did not belong to Hans Herr as it was built by his son Christian which is why his initials are over the doorway along with the inscribing mark of 1719. On the tour you are told why the name remained(s) Hans Herr House versus Christian Herr House but honestly I forget why. Maybe something just deferential from Christian towards his father or because of his father's status with the original group that came to the area or maybe everyone just liked the flow of the name more so it's based on tradition? The tour itself is around 40-45 minutes and it starts in the building which houses the gift shop and you are given a brief overview of the Anabaptist faith, the Mennonites who are direct descendants of the faith and a map which shows the route the initial settlers took from Switzerland to Pennsylvania. After that you are taken over to the house where you see the three rooms which make up the first floor (kitchen, bedroom and all purpose dining room-meeting room-family room) and the second floor which is where the eight children slept and finally the basement which is accessed from a side entrance outside of the house. You learn that the key to the home's design is that they didn't believe in wasting any space so every inch served a purpose such as not having hallways so as soon as you walk in the front door you're right in the kitchen. One thing worth noting, if you are someone who is hardcore hung up on only visiting historical places if they have lots of original items then this place might not be for you. There is not a whole lot original to the house that you can see with the exception of a piece of the ceiling insulation on the first floor (rye straw + manure + ??), the wooden crossbeam over the kitchen fireplace and the steps which go from the second floor to the third floor attic (obviously you can't use them). Past that I think most everything else was changed out in the 19th century when the house was still used as a residence or in the early 70's when the initial renovation occurred to make things into a tourist destination. If you want more original take a look at the bibles on display in the gift shop which are original to Hans and Christian. I wouldn't call the Hans Herr House a must see, but it's interesting enough and the tour is the right length to keep everyone interested along with being located close enough to most of Lancaster County's tourist elements. If you go: The 1719 Hans Herr House is open April 1 through November 30, Monday-Saturday, 9:00 AM-4:00 PM. Forty-five minute Herr House tours are offered at 9 a.m., 11 a.m., 1 p.m. and 3 p.m. This is not the tour information for their reproduction Native American Longhouse. That tour is offered at 10 a.m., 12 noon and 2 p.m and has an entirely different focus. Prices are currently Adults: $8, Children 7-12: $4 and Children 6 and under: free with a slight discount if you choose to tour both structures. There are also several special events that happen throughout the year and that information is available on their website.

It's also called "Mascot Roller Mills".The place can be found at 2900 Stumptown Rd. Ronks,Pa…read more It's a working water-power grist mill open from May to October. They have wonderful volunteers Which they will explain about the mill and the house. They have a parking area, and portable potty close by. The mill is free! Enjoy the beautiful setting. It's closed Sunday & Monday. No wheelchair access

A landmark and gem of American and local history. The Mascot Roller Mill is a must visit of the…read morelocal community.

The wonderful lady behind the counter at the archives/library gift shop, and the librarians were so…read morekind and helped me when I stopped by to do research. There is so much good information available here, knowledgeable people, and lots of space to spread out to do some deep-focused research. Highly recommended!

Wonderful place for the history buff and the family. I have attended book signings and book sales…read more Great place for family research. The yearly events brought me new friends with similar interests. Very historically educational.

Nice options of bakery and drinks. Some of the kid decor is not my thing but it is a nice venue…read morethey put on. They have other spaces I didn't get to check out or know if I can really go here or there without being there for the respective activity. Staff is friendly here.

We had our first experience Friday July 10th. We are in our late 60s and purchased balcony (#18…read moreseats ?) . My comment besides having to go to the basement of the bldg for restrooms--is the stairway from the top balcony was Very Dark to ascend the stairs (perhaps some lighting is needed for Older folks who sit upstairs ?) Otherwise very nice renovations and love to see the community atmosphere created here. acoustics were great We do plan to return & compliment the extra chairs placed out for those Who cannot stand for a whole performance. Also love the variety of artists you schedule. We live 1 hour away over in Harrisburg area. Thanks

So much fun on this snowy day with my son and granddaughter. We used the bumpers, because why not…read more Food was ok. We had pizza, mozzarella sticks, fries, jumbo pretzel, soda. Bathroom was clean. Parking in front and close to door.

222 Dutch Lanes is a great place to kill a few hours with young kids - whether bowling, playing in…read morethe small arcade, or hitting a few golf balls around on the mini golf course. The lanes themselves are clean, and the staff is friendly and helpful in setting them up how you need. We used bumpers and got a ramp to make it easier to push the balls down the lane for kids. I haven't been to a bowling lane in YEARS, so it was cool to see a digital experience that featured headshots worked into the between frame animations. This was a big hit with the kids! The arcade is great for kids as well. There are plenty of small ticket options, enough that we could get a few small trinkets with only $20 spent on games. During the week, we found a few machines at a discount, so they only took one or two credits to play. I was very pleased with the experience overall, and would gladly stop back here if I needed to kill a few hours with some younger children.

We loved our experience at Kreider Farms. Lisa was our guide and she was very friendly and she…read moreanswered all our questions very nicely. The tour was interesting. We learned details about the history of the farm, we got a small bottle of cold milk which was perfect for the hot weather! We loved going up to the top of the silo. The view was fantastic. We took pictures there and we got a great workout going up! I totally recommend this place. If you are in Lancaster, make this tour part of your itinerary.

The guide was too busy preaching a sermon and talking about politics that we did not enjoy the tour.read more