Cancel

    Open app

    Search

    Services - Ephrata Cloister

    Venue rental

    Ephrata Cloister Photos

    You might also consider

    Recommended Reviews - Ephrata Cloister

    Your trust is our priority, so businesses can't pay to alter or remove their reviews. Learn more about reviews.
    Yelp app icon
    Browse more easily on the app
    Review Feed Illustration

    Reviews With Photos

    room for manuscript copying and illuminating
    Mama T.

    When you walk through the gates, it feels like you've been transported back in time. Everything is rustic because everything except the visitor's center is original. You will witness German ingenuity in their architecture and you will see what it's like to live according to the severe rules Conrad Beissel had worked out for his followers. It is a testament that America was truly a place where people exercised religious freedom. The Brethren was also credited for copying and illuminating manuscripts, printing books, and composition of original hymns with at least three women credited as their first documented women composers. It is a peaceful walk along its grounds but make sure you have a tour guide to help explain the little details and share anecdotes that make a place truly come alive.

    Christopher C.

    First some history: Ephrata Cloister is the brainchild of a guy named Conrad Beissel. Beissel grew up in late 17th century Germany where ongoing wars and the ability of the monarchy to change the official religion of the country based on their personal preference led him to join a group called the Pietists who obviously were not sanctioned by the church. Beissel is eventually found in conflict with the law and gets banished from the motherland. The natural place for him to go was Pennsylvania with the religious freedom offered by William Penn's policies. After spending some time in the Germantown (go figure) area of Philadelphia, Beissel makes his way to the Lancaster area where he joins up a group called the Brethren. The Brethern were an Anabaptist group which offered admission to the faith to those individuals who had reached maturity. In today's world Anabaptist is usually the religion most associated with the Amish and the period of admission to the church around the time of maturity is known as Rumspringa. Eventually Beissel walks away from his leadership role in the group to live a hermits life by himself in the area that is now called Ephrata. What Beissel didn't count on was that his charismatic personality and teachings had drawn a small but loyal following that followed him to PA's frontier in essence starting the community that became known as Ehprata Cloister. From EC's website: " What began as a hermitage for a small group of devoted individuals grew into a thriving community of nearly 80 celibate members supported by an estimated 200 family members from the region at its zenith in the mid-18th-century. During that period much of the activity surrounded the charismatic founder and leader, Conrad Beissel. His theology, a hybrid of pietism and mysticism, encouraged celibacy, Sabbath worship, Anabaptism, and the ascetic life, yet provided room for families, limited industry, and creative expression. The community became known for its self-composed a cappella music, Germanic calligraphy known as Frakturschriften, and the complete publishing center which included a paper mill, printing office, and book bindery." Members ate one small vegetarian meal per day. Members slept six hours per night on small wooden blanks. Those six hours were from 9pm-Midnight then from 2AM-5AM while the two hours in between were spent on watch for the second coming of Christ since Beissel was convinced that would happen during his lifetime. The rest of their days were spent praying and doing their assigned work tasks. From EC's website: "With the death of Beissel in 1768 the society quickly declined. Peter Miller, successor to Beissel, recognized that the monastic life was no longer attractive to new generations. He wrote to Benjamin Franklin saying, "the mind of Americans is bent another way." By 1813 the last of the celibate members died, and the following year the remaining members of the married congregation formed the German Seventh Day Baptist Church. Poorer members of the Church moved into many of the original buildings on the Cloister property and altered the spaces to suit their needs. With these new residents came bits of furniture and household items; however they also made use of the furnishings that remained in the buildings. In many cases 18th-century furniture was given a coat of paint, cut down to fit a space, or repaired with disregard to original construction methods or materials." Eventually membership in the church devolved enough in the early 20th century plus lawsuits amongst the remaining members caused the charter of the church to be revoked by the commonwealth. The remaining 28 acres were sold off to the commonwealth and a twenty year restoration project on the remaining original buildings along with a few reproductions which eventually lead to the tourist attraction that exists today. If you go: Current hours are Monday - Saturday: 9:00 am - 5:00 pm with tours starting at 10:00 am, 12:00, 2:30, and 3:30 pm. Sunday: Noon - 5 with tours starting at 12:30, 1:30, 2:30 and 3:30 pm. During January and February the Cloister is closed on Monday & Tuesday. EC is open daily with the exception of Veteran's Day, Thanksgiving, Christmas, New Years Day. Adults (ages 12-64) $10.00, Senior Citizens (ages 65 and above) and motor clubs (such as AAA) $9.00, Youth (ages 3-11) $6.00, Children under age 3 are free. There are also a few special events throughout the year that have slightly modified admission prices. The tour starts in the visitor center which has some original from the era/community and then you get the fifteen minute video which is NPS caliber and overall does a good enough job explaining the community along with Beissel. After the video you are taken over to the Sister's House and the Meetinghouse (both original buildings from the 1740's) before being cut loose to see the rest of the grounds on your own.

    Denise F.

    Great historical experience that brings you back in time. You get to walk inside 9 of the original buildings from the 1700's.

    Ephrata grounds
    Betsy B.

    This area was settled by a German religious group that owned a large piece of property and had a conservative lifestyle that included sleeping on wooden boards with a wood block for a pillow. There were originally a number of buildings but some no longer exist but remaining ones can be viewed. The last member of the group died and the state of Pennsylvania took it over and it is open to the public. They offer a tour where you can go into a couple of the buildings and learn about the history and lifestyle as well as a short film that you view first. It was quite interesting and the grounds were lovely. Fee is $10.00, seniors and AAA is $9.00, youth 3-11 is $6.00 and under 3 free. There was a nice museum gift shop that had some local and unique items.

    entering the grounds
    Matthew S.

    i cannot find the words for how beautiful this place is. it is simply one of the most fascinating and gorgeous yet haunting places i've ever visited. established in the early 18th century by a German Christian mystic it operated as an independent religious community in the Pennsylvanian countryside populated by celibate aesthetics alongside devout landowning families. many of the original buildings are still standing but the grounds itself apparently looks a lot different than it did in the 1700's (this happened in the 60's when it was turned into a tourist spot). if you have any interest in religious studies, American religious history or American history in general you'll find the Ephrata Cloisters an exhilarating experience. i'm now reading a book about the place and cannot get enough of it.

    house.

    See all

    4 months ago

    Helpful 0
    Thanks 0
    Love this 0
    Oh no 0

    25 days ago

    Helpful 0
    Thanks 0
    Love this 0
    Oh no 0
    Photo of Wendy P.
    66
    565
    3357

    1 year ago

    Helpful 0
    Thanks 0
    Love this 1
    Oh no 0
    Photo of Mama T.
    1
    104
    196

    4 years ago

    Helpful 0
    Thanks 0
    Love this 0
    Oh no 0

    9 years ago

    Helpful 9
    Thanks 0
    Love this 8
    Oh no 0

    3 years ago

    Service was nice each time we went. We just didn't care for the dishes we tried over several visits.

    Helpful 0
    Thanks 0
    Love this 0
    Oh no 0

    2 years ago

    Helpful 0
    Thanks 0
    Love this 0
    Oh no 0

    4 years ago

    Helpful 0
    Thanks 0
    Love this 0
    Oh no 0

    7 years ago

    Helpful 0
    Thanks 0
    Love this 0
    Oh no 0

    8 years ago

    Helpful 4
    Thanks 0
    Love this 1
    Oh no 0

    11 years ago

    Helpful 2
    Thanks 0
    Love this 0
    Oh no 0

    17 years ago

    Helpful 4
    Thanks 0
    Love this 1
    Oh no 0

    5 years ago

    Helpful 0
    Thanks 0
    Love this 0
    Oh no 0

    8 years ago

    Helpful 0
    Thanks 0
    Love this 0
    Oh no 0

    7 years ago

    Really interesting historical site. Definitely recommend the guided tour - the tour guide was exceptional and really personable!

    Helpful 0
    Thanks 0
    Love this 0
    Oh no 0
    Photo of Dan R.
    197
    998
    4569

    19 years ago

    Helpful 4
    Thanks 0
    Love this 2
    Oh no 0
    Photo of Gerard P.
    316
    487
    6

    17 years ago

    Helpful 1
    Thanks 0
    Love this 1
    Oh no 0

    10 years ago

    Helpful 0
    Thanks 0
    Love this 0
    Oh no 0

    Ask the Community - Ephrata Cloister

    Review Highlights - Ephrata Cloister

    The natural place for him to go was Pennsylvania with the religious freedom offered by William Penn's policies.

    Mentioned in 3 reviews

    Read more highlights

    You might also consider

    The Turkey Hill Experience - Entry area ~ 4.6.26

    The Turkey Hill Experience

    (367 reviews)

    $$

    I was gonna take my daughter to North Museum of Nature and Science...but the tickets were sold out…read moreon Easter morning. Then I found Turkey Hill Ice cream Experience only 30min away from Lancaster, and decided to visit. We bought the double scoop experience (comes with ice cream test lab) and obviously that was the highlight of the place! The test lab is about 45min experience and the whole thing with self-guided tour takes about 1hr 30min to 2 hours depending how crowded it is. The visit was fun and of course my 5-year-old daughter had a great time eating tons of ice cream!

    Visted on the 4th of July, perfect tourist attraction for locals and all ages…read more Even being solo for the experience, with families and kids was relaxing, and pleasent. Admission prices are reasonable, and who doesnt love unlimited samples of iced tea, and lemonade, icecream on a hot day. Vistors have a choice between one scoop, two scoop, or three scoop attraction. I choose one scoop; hilights of my visit- learning history of Turkey Hill, process of icecream being made, creating a virtual icecream flavor, watching the production , live from interactive camera in one of the exhibits. Be sure to take the few moments, to watch the introduction video. My favorite ice cream sample flavors were Graham Slam & Blueberry Lemon Pound Cake. An attraction must, well visiting Lancaster, PA. My recommendation would be too sell a few more flavors that you offer , with unlimited tastings. My favorite was orange icedtea.

    Julius Sturgis Pretzel Bakery - Big pretzel outside

    Julius Sturgis Pretzel Bakery

    (157 reviews)

    $

    This is a nice activity to check out if you're in the area. The tour takes about 30 minutes and…read moreincludes a history of the Julius Sturgis Pretzel Factory. They even give you a piece of pretzel dough so you can learn how pretzels were made back in the day. The presentation room can get pretty warm since the ovens are running. I was surprised to learn that you don't get to eat the pretzel you make--they only give you a pretzel-shaped bag as a keepsake. If you want fresh pretzels, you can buy them in the gift shop afterward. There's a small parking lot on the side as well as street parking. Overall, it's a good experience and a fun way to spend some time if you're nearby.

    If your a pretzel lover & find yourself in Litiz,PA , be sure to check this place out…read more The staff were very accomadating, when I had to change tour from July 3, to July 4 later tour in the day. Charlie, our tour guide made the history of pretzel & Sturgis family interactive, fun well learning history of oldest pretzel bakery. My favorite part of the tour was viewing the old style kitchen and oven. I love how the bakery stayed within the family. For me, visiting there production factory of other well known pretzels, felt like a piece of puzzle; into pretzel history. The tour itself $6, 1/2 hour long, 150 year old bakery, where the soft pretzel are still made. The decor,pretzel tree, and products were sold, with soft pretzels, made in house , and option to get cheese on the side. Side note: The location in Reading, PA , connected to bakery , has a catalog, to order pretzels, pretzel tins etc.. A must visit for Lancaster PA, on everyone list.

    Ephrata Cloister - landmarks - Updated May 2026

    Loading...
    Loading...
    Loading...