The Perfect Lancaster County, Pennsylvania, Itinerary for a Preschooler

For my daughter’s 3^rd birthday, we decided, rather than more toys collecting dust in every room of our house, to take a weekend trip to celebrate. And, at just about 1.5 hours away from home, Lancaster, Pennsylvania, proved the perfect weekend — and road-trip — destination.

We departed late morning on Friday, and made Kitchen Kettle Village our first stop for some lunch and shopping. It was a gorgeous September day and we enjoyed easing into our trip sitting outdoors and people watching before heading to our 4 p.m. Amish buggy ride with Aaron & Jessica’s Buggy Rides. Led by Aaron’s father with a personal tour of their own family farm, the experience is truly one you can only have in a select few places in the country, and Lancaster is one of them. Speaking with the family members also offers a unique, first-person perspective on the Amish culture.

As the catalyst for our trip was a visit to Dutch Wonderland theme park, Dutch Wonderland Inn, directly next door, was the obvious choice for our home base. Our suite, in the main building, proved the perfect space to spread out, with four bunk beds (each with their own TV) in a space off the living room for kids, a large living room (from where we watched the first Philadelphia Eagles game of the season), a kitchenette and dining table, two full bathrooms and a primary bedroom. Located on Lincoln Highway East, the location offers convenient access to a large variety of restaurants and stores, and my husband picked up dinner and we ate in our suite two of our three nights in Lancaster. This helped our toddler wind down each night after days packed with activities.

© Kimberly Inlander

Breakfast, served buffet-style, was included in our stay each day at on-site Penley’s Kitchen, which also serves dinner. The hotel boasts an indoor and outdoor pool (with a slide), a splash pad, an arcade, and a schedule of activities including character meet-and-greets. My daughter enjoyed meeting Duke, the purple dragon mascot of Dutch Wonderland, in the lobby one morning before breakfast.

Saturday started at Strasburg Rail Road, a historic railroad and a real steam train. Our weekend visit coincided with a Day Out With Thomas event, with one of the historic steam trains decked out as Thomas the Tank Engine and several other themed activations around the train station area. Either way, a ride on the steam train is a fun treat for kids and adults.

Just down the street — in fact, the train’s tracks pass right by it — awaits Cherry Crest Adventure Farm, which really defies description. No matter the age, from baby to senior citizen, there’s something for everyone here, with more than 50 attractions across the farm. We pet animals, shot apples, spent a lot of time in the expansive toddler village, slid down slides in potato sacks, bounced on the inflatables and so much more. We were practically dragging our preschooler out as the farm was closing for the day, and it’s now on our to-do list to return in every season to see the various different seasonal offerings.

© Discover Lancaster

We wrapped up the long, but wonderful day with dinner at Miller’s Smorgasbord, a longtime Lancaster County icon known for traditional Pennsylvania Dutch cooking and buffet-style dining. We all tried a selection of the items and left satisfied — and tired.

Sunday was dedicated to Dutch Wonderland, a place I remember visiting as a child. I was drawn to the amusement park as it’s designed with young kids in mind and I wanted my daughter to visit a theme park where she was able to do nearly all the rides. The colorful, playful atmosphere of Dutch Wonderland feels just right for preschoolers and there were only a handful of rides she wasn’t tall enough for yet. As an amusement park/rides enthusiast, I loved riding my daughter’s first rollercoaster with her and witnessing the pure joy on her face. I’ve created a child in my likeness when it comes to theme parks.

© Kimberly Inlander

We finished our Lancaster getaway with a sweet and interactive visit to Turkey Hill Experience. Did I mention we’re also ice cream enthusiasts? This attraction celebrates the world of Turkey Hill ice cream and iced tea through colorful exhibits and hands-on activities. We enjoyed exploring all of them, from practicing milking a cow and riding in an ice cream truck to sliding down slides and creating a commercial. It goes without saying we enjoyed visiting the on-site sampling room!

We added the Taste Lab to our ticket, which offered us the opportunity to concoct our own ice cream flavors while learning more about the entire process and what each element does to the flavor, texture and consistency of the ice cream.

The experience was the cherry on top of an epic birthday celebration and a perfect family weekend.