Drive Time: 1 hour
The Lancaster County town of Intercourse offers a rare combination of bucolic beauty, Pennsylvania Dutch culture and activities ranging from railroad rides to retail splurges. At the inn, you can book a room or suite in the restored 1909 brick house—or opt for the freestanding Homestead Suite. All accommodations have gas fireplaces, and some include kitchenettes. Suites in the house offer whirlpool tubs for two (it’s a heart-shaped one in the Summer House Suite). The house, with its original chestnut woodwork, is furnished and decorated to reflect its Victorian origins.
Enjoy a complementary homemade breakfast prepared by a pair of chefs, including culinary school grad Carl Kosko, who owns the inn. You get a choice of three different entrées, and gluten-free options are available. At the spa, you can indulge in a hot stone massage or a Japanese-inspired facial massage with Manuka honey.
Cultural Immersion: Pennsylvania Dutch Country may be home to the oldest Amish community in the world, but it’s not always so easy to get a first-hand look at the unique traditions and practices of these extremely private people. The Amish Experience offers back-roads farmhouse tours, including a three-hour in-person visit excursion that features stopovers at a dairy farm, a craftsman’s workshop and an Amish home. Cap off your day with a hearty homemade dinner hosted by an Amish family.
If this whets your appetite for more cultural exploration, head for the Amish House and One-Room School, Lancaster County’s only officially designated heritage site, where you can learn more about their daily life, work and education system. Jacob’s Choice, a five-screen production depicting the life-defining decisions facing Amish youth, can also be viewed at the site.
Take in the area’s sights on a ramble through Strasburg or Bird-in-Hand with Strasburg Scooter Tours. And for the ultimate mom-and-pop retail experience, Kitchen Kettle Village is home to 30 boutique shops. At its heart is an extensive jam, jelly and relish canning facility where you can watch local women work with large open kettles. You’ll also find handmade quilts, pottery, art and fine leathers. Some of the stores are dedicated to national brands like Ugg and Vera Bradley.
Lancaster County is known for its intricately patterned quilts, many lovingly stitched by locals. The Old Country Store in Intercourse offers a plethora of these colorful coverings, along with a wide variety of one-of-a-kind handmade crafts from pottery to toys to décor items. In nearby Strasburg, you can take a holiday-themed ride in a restored turn-of-the-20th-century railroad car pulled by a steam locomotive. Carolers serenade you as you visit with the jolly old elf himself on Santa’s Paradise Express. On another excursion, Clemente Clark Moore’s immortal poem, “The Night Before Christmas,” is reenacted. The Christmas Tree Train stops at a farm, where you can pick out your own perfect precut Tannenbaum to be delivered to the station.
December Rates: $139-$339.
Inn & Spa at Intercourse Village
3542 Old Philadelphia Pike, Intercourse, Pennsylvania, (717) 768-2626, inn-spa.com.
