Once again it's back to my old familiar stomping ground by trolling history's D-list in the eternal…read morequest to find out more about people few have heard of and even fewer care about. Today's stop is the Conrad Weiser Homestead. Who was Conrad Weiser? Why does he matter? Does he matter? What will you see here? Is it worth your time coming here? Weiser was born in Germany in 1696 as eventually one of sixteen children. From 1707-1709 a combination of invading French forces, the coldest winter in a century and the death of Weiser's mother cause the family to leave Germany for the Netherlands and eventually England. In 1710 along with approximately 3,000 Germans they relocate to the Husdon River Valley of New York to work as indentured servants for the Crown who paid for their voyage. Two years later released from their servitude and with the consent of his father, Conrad age fifteen left his Schenectady home to live with the Iroquois Indians for a period of eight months. During his stay in the winter and spring of 1712-1713, Weiser learned much about the Mohawk language and the customs of the Iroquois, while enduring hardships of cold, hunger, and homesickness. Weiser's colonial service began in 1731. The Iroquois sent Shikellamy, an Oneida chief and friend of weiser, as an emissary to other tribes and the British. The Iroquois trusted him and considered him an adopted son of the Mohawks. Weiser impressed the Pennsylvania governor and council, which thereafter relied heavily on his services. During the winter of 1737, Weiser attempted to broker a peace between southern tribes and the Iroquois. He had to survive high snow, freezing temperatures and starvation rations just to make the six-week journey to the Iroquois capital of Onondaga. Impressed with his fortitude, the Iroquois named Weiser Tarachiawagon (Holder of the Heavens). Spill-over violence from a war between the Iroquois and southern tribes such as the Catawba would have drawn Virginia and then Pennsylvania into conflict with the Iroquois. Therefore this peace-brokering had a profound effect on Native American/colonial relations. Throughout his decades-long career, Weiser built on his knowledge of Native American languages and culture. He was a key player in treaty negotiations, land purchases, and the formulation of Pennsylvania's policies towards Native Americans. Because of his early experiences with the Iroquois, Weiser was inclined to be sympathetic to their interpretation of events, as opposed to the Lenape or the Shawnees. This may have exacerbated Pennsylvanian-Lenape/Shawnee relations, with bloody consequences in the French and Indian Wars. Nevertheless, for many years, Weiser helped to keep the powerful Iroquois allied with the British as opposed to the French. This important service contributed to the continued survival of the British colonies and the eventual victory of the British over the French in the French and Indian Wars. Between 1734 and 1741, Weiser became a follower of Conrad Beissel, a German Seventh Day Baptist preacher. For six years, he lived at the monastic settlement, Ephrata Cloister, in Lancaster County, Pennsylvania. www.yelp.com/biz/ephrata-cloister-ephrata Weiser died on his farm on July 13, 1760. Upon his death, one Iroquois Indian noted to a group of colonists, "We are at a great loss and sit in darkness...as since his death we cannot so well understand one another." Indeed, shortly after Conrad Weiser's death, relations between the colonists and the Native Americans began a rapid decline. There is more but Yelp only allows so many characters. So with that said, what will you see at the Homestead. The answer I'm afraid is not much. The Conrad Weiser Homestead is on 26 acres of land. Seven total buildings exist on the property; three are open for touring. Two large monuments, a gazebo, the Weiser Family Cemetery, and a pond are also on the site. The big draw here is actually just the park itself which is beautiful. Most of the buildings on site were built in the early 20th century when the park was being designed. The Sheetz Building (which houses the gift shop) is from the 1830's and the Weiser House may not even be where Weiser lived while he was alive so while nice, it's obviously a less than authentic experience. Is the Homestead worth a visit once? Maybe but don't go out of your way for it and if you're really in the mood for D-List history a better choice would be Ehphrata Cloister, Daniel Boone Homestead or the Cornwall Iron Furnace sites. Hours are below: April through December: Open the first Sunday of every month, noon to 4 p.m. Summer Hours: June through August, Wednesday, 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Saturday, 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. and Sunday, Noon to 4 p.m.

I had my (post wedding) bridal portraits taken here. The location is absolutely gorgeous! The park…read moreis huge! From the buildings, to benches, the lake and mini bridge, gazebo, even all of the trees - it is the perfect spot for picture taking. Clean and kept, it is in a quiet area. I love it here and plan to picnic there when it's warm.

Sharon was a superb guide for the house tour. She happily answered all questions - couldn't have…read morehad a better guide. From Paul & Linda from PA, and Lyndon & Jo from Australia.

My mom and I had the best time here! We left feeling educated and enlightened! Our bus tour guide…read moreJohn was very nice and helpful! The Amish are so admirable! Thank you for the experience!

I visited the Strasburg Rail Road recently, but not for the train ride this time and it still…read moreturned into a really easy outing with kids. When we first got there, staff greeted us and let us know when the next train was leaving. I hadn't planned ahead to ride this time, but they also told us there's a park a little ways down that's included at no additional cost, which was a really nice option to have. From the parking lot at the Railroad Museum of Pennsylvania, you can actually see the playground behind a fence across the street. Once we walked over, we just took our time looking at the trains up close, passing the shops, and letting the kids explore as we went. The playground isn't huge, but it works. It's not gated, but it's tucked in enough that I wasn't worried about my kids running off. The ground is tire shred (which I prefer over tan bark), and there's seating for adults nearby. Bathrooms are right by the playground, which makes a big difference with little kids. There's also a Thomas the Train LEGO display at the Toy Train Store (not too far from the playground) which my kids loved. Next time, I'll plan ahead to include the train ride, but this was still a really good visit.

We came here about an hour before our train and spent some time walking around the little shops…read more There was a small empty stage, and my sister stepped onto it for a quick joke picture my mom wanted to take. A man sitting nearby suddenly yelled at her that she wasn't allowed on the stage. My mom and sister apologized right away, but I jokingly said to my sister, "He probably doesn't even work here." The man immediately jumped into the conversation with an attitude and said, "I actually do work here." The whole interaction felt unnecessarily aggressive from the start. He was dressed in plain clothes with no name tag, uniform, or anything showing he worked there, so there was no clear way for visitors to know he was staff or that the stage was off limits. The situation could have been handled much more politely and professionally. Because of that experience, I honestly wouldn't come back. I also wanted to quickly add that if there was a sign, we did not see it.

The tour is amazing and they are so kind and very into detail which was very nice. Would definitely…read morerecommend.

You have the option of touring it urself or with a group and an option of watching the 15 minute…read morevideo before the tour. WATCH THE VIDEO. Good combination of informative & comedic & good acting. Tour guide was very information and kept a comfortable atmosphere for questions. I would recommend walking around in the yard to find the water (idk if it's a river) and these stairs that kinda stop in the forest

I went on a Renegade Tour a few weeks ago for a bachelorette party, it was absolutely incredible!…read moreEddie our tour guide kept us on schedule and kept things fun. His tour bus is very clean, he is extremely knowledgeable about each winery. Eddie makes everything truly simple and takes the annoyance of having to plan out every detail, he does it all! I have told many of my friends about my experience, I can't wait to book another Renegade Tour !

excellent. we had my cousins Bach party with renegade wine tours. I'm a local and loved the…read morewineries they chose. Eddie was an awesome driver as well and made the trip even more fun!

One of the best guided tours I've ever experienced. The professionalism of the staff and their…read moresincere dedication to the care and wellbeing of the wolves was apparent in every way. The stars - the wolves did not disappoint. Highly recommend.

What an amazing place, maintained by amazing people! Our…read moreguide, Dennis, was incredibly knowledgable since he volunteered there for about 20 years or more. He kept the pace interesting and gave us time to take pictures, as well as providing a ton of information about the facility and the wolves. He is like a walking google site of wolf knowledge. We were so lucky to hear a cluster of the wolves howl while we were there on a January day. I cannot imagine where these beautiful animals would be without the team from the Lititz Sanctuary.

had a wonderful experience touring the gettysburg battlefield and seeing so many legendary battle…read moresites. tour guides were friendly and knowledgeable making it easy to understand the layout and action of the battles . made a few stops along the way including the summit of little round top looking down into the devils den. this tour will give you goosebumps for sure. highly recommended.

We got this tour from Groupon and we were glad we chose it. We're from California so coming…read more to Pennsylvania and the summer is a little bit of a climate change for us. It's really humid so I am glad we chose to do the air conditioned bus. The guy was very knowledgeable and he was easy to understand and we stopped and saw some really incredible sites. It was super educational and very humbling. With that being said, there are so many different types of tours one could do and I might've limited myself by just looking at what Groupon had. Later I saw reenactment tours, more stops along the way and different options I didn't know I had. Overall I was happy with the tour. They are worth booking

Nothing beats a brew-and-history tour! Glenn was incredibly knowledgeable and made for an…read moreexceptional tour guide. Each brewer had a unique story -- and, of course, the beer was fantastic!

Had a fantastic time on the Hanover Ale Trail this weekend with Brewery Tours! Glenn showed us…read moresome stops we've never been to, dropped some interesting beer history knowledge - even for this non-beer drinker! Plus, the brewmasters at the sites gave us tours of the brewing area. Huge shout-out to Sign of the Horse Brewery - Hanover, Something Wicked Brewing Company, and Public House At The Markets. If you like craft beer, good food, and a touch of history - both beer & local - this is the tour for you! What a great way to support local, enjoy a day with friends, and, most importantly, do so safely! An awesome idea for out-of-town guests too!

We had such a lovely experience! The staff was so friendly and knowledgeable. we enjoyed a…read morebeautiful ride through the countryside, taking in the views and history. we only wish we would have booked a longer ride then just 30 minutes! we want to go back tomorrow! this'll be an annual tradition, for sure.

I stopped in with my dog on 3/25/2026 for a quick 2 mile buggy ride. The gentleman who took us out…read morewas very friendly, informative and patient considering my dog was not a huge fan of the ride. He was whining and wouldn't sit so definitely not cut out for the Amish life. The route was short and sweet and he pointed out numerous things along the way. The prices are reasonable and the property is nice. I recommend checking them out if looking for a horse and buggy ride.

What a fun thing to do! We didn't know what to expect and want to say we all really enjoyed the…read moreexperience! Admission was reasonable and enjoyed the self-guided part while waiting for the next tram departure time. There was everything you could imagine - except one thing! A TELEX MACHINE (which I used to operate). When I asked the staff if they had one none of them even knew what I was talking about (early 20's)! We took the tram tour and really enjoyed it. The tram moved at a nice pace so you could really take in everything. So much to see - everywhere. It was a really fun way to spend a few hours on a rainy day! But I urge you to visit rain or shine!

It's like an I-Spy book came to life! This collection is massive but I really appreciate how well…read moreorganized and categorized it is. It makes it easier for the eye to take in. The tram car goes at a super slow speed so you have time to take everything in. The tour is guided by a pre-recorded audio track but sometimes the driver will provide information as well. The museum also has a small walkable area to explore. There's also popcorn, candy, and drinks to purchase. Some of the items are truly impressive and there's definitely plenty for everyone to point out and find and enjoy. Highly recommend this fun attraction.