Holiday. Experience. Excellence.
 

Penn-Dutch Total Amish Experience

*Including Chalk Talk

1st Day: Upon arrival in Lancaster, PA we will check into our home for the next two nights. Evening is free as we get ready for our Total Amish Experience tomorrow.

2nd Day: We start our day with a continental breakfast at the hotel. Then, we’ll go to the Amish Experience Theater, the only Amish experiential theater in North America! “Compelling” is the one single word that best describes the emotional story of “Jacob’s Choice,” told through the everyday life of the Fishers, an Old Order Amish family of today. In as unusual a theater setting as you have likely encountered, you meet grandfather, mother, father and children living together on the land, as their ancestors before them. You learn of teenager Jacob’s dilemma in having to choose between joining the Amish church, or leaving behind family and community to become a part of the modern world. This lifetime decision is faced by every young adult member of an Amish family, since becoming Amish is a choice made freely as an adult and is never a “given.” Next, we’ll enjoy a buggy ride. You’ll, get “insider information” from experienced drivers who will give you a vocal tour and answer all of your questions. After lunch on your own, an Amish Farmlands Tour is included. Journey deep into the heart of the oldest Amish community in the world, as well as some of the most beautiful farmland you’ll ever set your eyes upon. The guide will answer your questions while calling your attention to the fascinating activities we may observe on any given day. As you travel down out-of-the-way back roads and country lanes, you’ll experience a new sense of the work and family ethics that continues to mark the Amish way of life. You’ll see one-room schoolhouses, roadside stands, bake shops, craft and quilt shops, and more. We finish our touring at The Amish Country Homestead, which accurately and sensitively portrays the Amish as they live and work in today’s world. The Homestead is the home of the fictional Old Order Amish family of Daniel and Lizzie Fisher, whom you have met and gotten to know in the Theater’s “Jacob’s Choice.” Inside the Homestead, we learn of Amish traditions and practices, plain clothing and life without electricity. Touring the Homestead allows us to observe up close how the Fisher family lives from day to day. This evening we have a very special treat - “Chalk Talk” with Elva Hurst. Engage your senses through music, storytelling, and the amazing chalk artistry of a former Old Order Mennonite woman who offers insights into Amish culture with a story that comes to life, and lights up before your eyes! This program is uplifting, moving and a thoroughly entertaining experience. Following the program, a delicious Amish meal is included at the Plain & Fancy Restaurant. (CB, D)

3rd Day: After your continental breakfast, we will board the coach for Hershey’s Chocolate World. Enjoy Hershey’s Great American Chocolate Tour Ride. Follow the cocoa beans on a journey from the tropical rainforest to the SWEETEST PLACE ON EARTH – Hershey, Pennsylvania! See, feel, hear, and smell the delicious transformation from bean to HERSHEY’S famous chocolate. Also, enjoy a FREE sample of a Hershey’s product at the end of the tour. Next, we depart for home, arriving back approximately 8:30 PM. (CB)

Special Notice: Balance is due 30 days prior to departure. Cancellation within 30 days of departure will result in payment forfeiture.