Lancaster Amish Tour: Farm, Crafts & Home Visit Small Group

4.86

(501 reviews)

What’s the experience like?

The first thing I noticed wasn’t the barns or the fields but the low hum of conversation as we stepped off the little bus into cool grass. Our guide, Anna, waved us toward the barn—she knew everyone by name, which felt reassuring somehow. Inside, it smelled like hay and something sweetly metallic (maybe the milk?). I’d pictured hand-milking but—nope—Anna grinned and showed us the “Amish electricity” running the bulk tank. The farmer’s youngest son was barefoot on a stool, watching us watch them. It was quieter than I expected. Maybe that’s why I remember it so clearly.

After that, we drove winding backroads to a workshop—today it was a basket maker, though Anna said it changes depending on who’s around. The man weaving baskets had hands like old leather and barely looked up at first; then he started telling us how his grandfather taught him every knot. There was this moment when someone asked about colors and he laughed—“We use what we have.” I tried to picture making something that useful with my own hands. The air smelled faintly of wood shavings and something baking next door.

Our last stop was an Amish family home out past where the pavement ends. We sat around their kitchen table with mismatched mugs of tea (mine chipped), just talking about everyday things—school, gardens, how they spend Sundays. No phones out, no photos allowed (felt strange at first). The father told a story about buggy races as a kid; his wife rolled her eyes but smiled anyway. I didn’t expect to feel so welcome or to laugh as much as we did. Even now, I catch myself thinking about that quiet drive back through dark fields.