Hip & happening hangouts for the whole 'hood...

Thought I'd highlight some of our favorite family hangouts in & out of LanCo. Some we visit just once a year, some we grace (?!) with our presence frequently.  Lucky them.  A few we've outgrown, but are still worth a mention for families with wee ones. Either way, lots of fun for anyone!

 The Lake & Beach at Mt. Gretna

Which has to be followed up by heading across the street to

the world famous "Jigger Shop" for burgers & ice cream!

Below is one of their special concoctions.  Established in 1895,

their website shares wonderful historical stories about Mt. Gretna,

as well as a "web-cam" so you can find those sneaky teens.

http://www.jiggershop.com/ 

"The Hands on House"

A wonderful kids museum which keeps kids attention

until around ages 6-8 years.  New this year is a wonderful

addition "Mason's Active Adventure Garden".

"The Wilbur Chocolate Factory"

Home of the iconic & highly addictive Wilbur buds.

A sinful and sensational mouth-watering creation 

long before Hershey kisses.  (Though we love those too!)

So...all that talk of kisses reminds me

to include "Hershey Park".

Our favorite areas always seem to be their water

parks - lots & lots of ways to keep cool.
Also home to some pretty far out roller coasters...

HP also offers great concerts year-round & in the winter

the Hershey Bears hockey team rock the house!

Another LanCo hotspot for littler people:

"Dutch Wonderland".

Though there are a few rides like the Pipeline Plunge

that we haven't braved quite yet, it is a perfect place to begin

the amusement park experience for newcomers.



"Cherry Crest Adventure Farm"

checks in as our all time favorite fall experience!

A ridiculously well designed corn maze (see 2011's below),

plus the added benefit of tons of outdoor games,

arts & crafts, petting zoos & great food.  All digital-free!

Bit of a drive, but an annual must do.  Plan to spend the day!

Lititz Springs Park is home to the 4th of July celebration. Anywhere.

That celebration is a whole other blog in itself, but the following

You Tube video of the over the top fireworks choreographed and graciously donated

annually by Clair Global, will inspire you to visit Lititz for that reason alone.

Sit back & enjoy just a tiny taste:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8V8Cldhyoe0&feature=related

And some indoor honorable mentions:

B2B Baseball & Softball Academy

LaserDome

Strasburg Railroad

That Bounce Place (new in Lancaster)

&

The kids indoor gym at Universal Athletic Club

**stock photos from company websites

w/the exception of Hands on House by yours truly**

Amish Paparazzi

It's not often my husband calls me names, though more than likely I deserve a few choice ones periodically.  However, since moving to Lancaster County I have more or less been stalking the Amish.  Stalking.  Such an ugly word.  I prefer to think I am kindly snapping photos in a "journalisticly" or "artistically"  albeit secret manner in which to share with fellow bloggers the new-found knowledge I've obtained about the Amish culture.

My husband has now dubbed me the "Amish Paparazzi".  This weekend I was not alone in my stalking as my friend and her son came to visit from Las Vegas and shared my passion in the quest for the perfect shot, or the chance to churn butter...we settled for pictures. 

We headed over to a town called Bird in Hand, which is a quaint village in Lancaster County -- chalk full of Amish.  This village's economy is based primarily on tourism - which means a lot of businesses that call themselves Amish, but probably aren't.

You see, it's been uncovered in my thirst for Amish knowledge, that the Amish never use their culture (or religion) to advertise. Thus when they own a business, it may be listed with their name but never includes the word "Amish".  So...when the six of us boarded our Amish buggy at the "Plain and Fancy" tourist trap (insert hee hee here), we pretty much understood that the premise was there and the authenticity was not.

Here are a few shots from our trip, beginning outside of Lititz, PA.

When you see a bunch of buggies on a Sunday morn,

they are generally gathered for church services inside a home or barn. 

This is my favorite shot of the day, two little boys outside the barn gathering.

When doing a drive-by, one can only be so quick at focusing,

as well as being incognito.

A family waits to go on their Amish buggy ride at "Plain & Fancy"

located in Bird in Hand, PA.  Nothing fancy about it!

The Amish always have beautiful horses pulling their carts,

their main mode of transportation. 

The kids were bored and missing their technology on the short 4 mile trip.

An "authentic" moment as a man passes us in an open air buggy.

Another real buggy siting, with a gorgeous Amish farm and

sprawling countryside to feast your eyes on. 





Lastly, one of my lovely Amish neighbors. Sweet as can be.

In traditional Amish garb.  Older Amish don't like their picture taken,

younger Amish don't seem to mind.  This friend actually has her own camera.