Growing up, my family made a trip almost every summer to Lancaster, Pennsylvania. It’s only about a 2 hour drive from our home in Maryland and offers good outlet shopping combined with a better tax rate (or none at all). So it is no surprise that when thinking of quick trips to make with my family, Lancaster tops the list. This was M’s second trip here, her first being right after her first Christmas. But our experience this time was so much different and, I have to say, even better.
When & Why
This was probably the second most spur of the moment trip we’ve every done. But it was definitely the most successful last minute trip. As my husband prepared for his new job he learned that his current contract was ending and he would only be able to work part time as needed for two weeks. So we decided to take two of those days and get out of town. We were still under some constraints because my teaching commitments are on Mondays and Thursdays. At first we looked at the weekend but then realized that with the amount of missed church commitments combined with the inflated costs that it wouldn’t be worth it. So we decided on going Monday evening to Wednesday. This made the trip less expensive and we only had to miss out on one commitment.
Where We Stayed
As I have mentioned in a previous post, I have been spoiled by staying in resorts and am used to having a kitchen to use when vacationing. It is also extremely helpful when traveling with children to have a full sink and the ability to cook simple meals. So for this trip we ventured out and decided to try a VRBO: Vacation Rentals By Owner. I have always been a little bit nervous about the process of staying in someone else’s space and in some ways this experience proved that my assessment was correct.
Pros
We stayed in a beautiful in home apartment rented by a Mennonite lady. The place was perfect for us. The living area was just large enough for everyone to play without being so large that we lost track of them. The first bedroom was much larger than it looks in the picture. We were able to have two pack and plays set up with plenty of room to move around. M slept in one bed while we were in the other. Pro tip: bring outlet covers if you have curious babies or toddlers. This place had an abundance of outlets and thankfully about a third of them were already covered. I happened to remember to pack some extras we had at home and it was just about enough to cover the rest of the outlets.
The kitchenette was just the right right size and included a small refrigerator, sink, coffee pot, microwave, and single electric burner, as seen in the picture. The only time I cooked was to make pancakes the second morning. All cooking supplies were provided including plates, silverware, mugs and a spatula. We were even able to bring back our leftovers from our first night’s dinner and have it for lunch the next day. Having a kitchen area is one of the best travel budgeting features.
Cons
Now the awkward part that proved that I was correct in my hesitancy or staying in “by owner” rental units started when we arrived. We had no idea how to check in and my husband had to go knock on the front door of the house. The owner had gotten her dates mixed up and thought we weren’t arriving until the next day. She had to quickly come around and open the door for us. Because of the this the second bedroom door was locked during our stay so we couldn’t use it even if we wanted to. We called about it while we were at dinner the first night but received no response.
The apartment that we were staying in was over the garage and through the hallway that led to the bathroom, connected to the main house. Meaning that we could hear talking through the door and smell every meal that they cooked. It was not the end of the world, but it was a little awkward. We could also hear, very loudly, when the garage door went up. Thankfully it only happened when everyone was already awake.
All in all we had a wonderful stay and we would definitely stay there again. Especially if we went in the summer because they have a backyard playground that we didn’t get to visit on this trip.
What We Did
Sight & Sound Theatre
We decided on Lancaster partially because we wanted to go to the Sight & Sound Theatres’ performance of Jesus. A few Christmases ago, I think it was 2017, they had a special where if you purchased $100 in gift cards you received a bonus $25 gift card. So of course we jumped on it. But then after the craziness of the last year and a half, we never had the chance to go. So we figured now was a good a time as any.
It was an amazing show and if seeing the Bible brought to life is something that interests you, I highly recommend this. We went to a 3pm show and we were the only people on our row. Which was great since we have three kids under three. My mom and sister were also with us because my mom had also purchased the gift card deal so we had extra help. I specifically chose the 3pm show because it is nap time for my kids. This worked out pretty well and the twins slept for almost the whole first act.
The theatre has an awesome family room with a nursing area, a huge sectional couch, and even a little slide for small kids. When A did wake up, I was able to go in there. Unfortunately, the TV wasn’t turned on so I almost immediately went back in the theatre and sat in the first empty seat because I didn’t want to miss anything. During intermission we took all the girls in there to let them crawl around and play before we had to sit again. with a whole theatre of people there was only one other family in the room with us.
Kitchen Kettle Village
Where we were staying was less than ten minutes from Kitchen Kettle Village. This is a lovely little place filled with a variety of shops, restaurants, and activities. We started the day by visiting yarn and quilt shops. Then we headed to the large Bake Shop and Jam & Relish Kitchen. This place has all kinds of home made baked goods, jellies, jams, and salsa. You can sample almost everything they have. Ultimately we decided on a pack of cookies and a six pack of mini jams because I couldn’t decide on just one.
For this trip, I decided that I was finally going to take a horse and buggy ride. AAA Buggy Rides operates from Kitchen Kettle Village, so that is what we chose. The ride was excellent! I am an avid reader of Amish themed books so I have some background knowledge about their culture and rituals. However, our driver has Amish relatives and grew up in the area and was able to give us so much information. Even to the point of pointing out the different homes, telling us what the family did for a living, and how different households were related. It was very informative and M enjoyed herself so much. The ride was so relaxing that the twins fell asleep in our arms. For those interested in learning more about the area, I could not recommend this company enough.
Outlet Shopping
A visit to Lancaster County would not be complete without visiting one of the many outlet shopping centers. There are two different sets of shops located on Route 30 which is the main road through the area. Depending on what you are looking for they both have good shops, all though one is slightly better than the other.
Rockvale Outlets
The Rockvale Outlets, from my memory, used to be much better. Currently, there are many unoccupied stores. However, if you are shopping for kids, this is the one to be at. There is a HUGE Carter’s outlet and the Disney store as well as a few high end stores such as Janie & Jack, where I got an amazing deal, and Pottery Barn. There is also a large playground located near the Carter’s store. For those of us a part of Steeler Nation, there’s an excellent store in the Rockvale outlet that sells items representing all Pittsburgh teams. They have everything from shirts and jerseys to Tervis cups and lamps. Anything you could want with the Pittsburgh Steelers logo is in this store.
Tanger Outlets
The better outlets, however, are the Tanger Outlets. They have being doing construction the last two times we’ve gone (April 2019 and August 2018), but you can already see some great improvements. One of which being a brand new playground. Unfortunately, the equipment is more for kids ages 5-12, but M still enjoyed it even though I had to follow her around the whole time. This outlet center had more of your common mall brand stores, but as outlets. The one downside to this place is the layout. It is built on a hill so pushing a stroller is tough and there is one strip where there is an upstairs and downstairs that you have to navigate through. The parking can also be a huge challenge in the summer and on weekends. We did not have this problem on a Wednesday in April.
If you visit Tanger Outlets where here or in other areas, be sure to join their online club. You can get discounts straight on your phone and its completely free. We were able to save 20% off a pair of shoes because the worker mentioned it to us.
Shady Maple Smorgasbord
It’s not a trip to Lancaster without gorging yourself on home style cooking. Usually we visit the Good ‘N Plenty restaurant for family style dining. This time, however, we decided to go for something with a little more variety. Seriously, check out the website for Shady Maple Smorgasbord. They have a 200 ft. long buffet. Now the benefit of this was that you had a ton of options. If you couldn’t find something there that you like, you weren’t trying hard enough.
The downside was that it’s a buffet. Meaning somethings were hit or miss. Specifically the macaroni and cheese had absolutely no flavor. It was the worst tasting mac and cheese I’ve ever had. Everything else, though was average to pretty good. We went on Seafood night and the best thing I had was the fried shrimp mac and cheese balls. They were amazing and I could have filled up on those if I wasn’t somewhat concerned about my health.
One of the best things I would say about this place though is that the drinks were included, which is not common with other buffets. Also, it was very kid friendly. They had so many high chairs. Some were the typical wooden ones you see, but they also had ones with trays. Which are awesome for toddlers who still eat with their hands like mine do. The chairs were on wheels and located near the front so we were able to put the girls in them and roll them to our seats. This place was huge so that was a huge help. They also did a great job keeping our table cleared and the food filled. AND they don’t allow you to leave a tip. So although the price is higher than other places I think that combined with the included drink made it worth it.
Final Thoughts
In all this was a great little getaway. The last time we took a short trip it was WAY more trouble than it was worth. This was not like that, it was so much better. I would highly recommend visiting this area if you are looking for a slower paced, family-friendly location.
Have questions? Feel free to leave them in the comments below.