Flashback Friday - Strasburg, Pennylvania
Today's Flashback Friday is not that far back, but I thought it would be fun to do. This past August (2015) we took a last-minute weekend trip to Strasburg, PA. We had a great time.
The trip came up because we've been getting the basement ready to put up an HO train set, a really big one! My parents set up an HO set every year for Christmas when I was a kid. Dad would put platforms together and they would work for weeks building scenes and laying track, then take it down every year because there was no room to keep it up. But when we moved to this house, we were lucky enough to have a huge basement. So now my husband and I are going to start setting it up again. We have trains from long ago and some new sets. We have city scenes, country, farm, everything from a circus with moving rides to a marching band, ski lift, and more. I forgot how much fun it was until we started sorting through all of the buildings and people and rides. We always wanted to go to Strasburg to check out the railroad and museums. This seemed like a good time. I'll have to do a section of the website devoted to model railroading and finding the best displays.
I'm including some links about things to do in Strasburg, a borough of Lancaster, PA. Those with an * are the ones we chose to see. You really can't go wrong with activities. It's a beautiful part of Pennsylvania!
Just a note - none of my recommendations are paid endorsements, just personal experience.
We stayed at the Wingate by Wyndham. I highly recommend it. Very nice hotel and if you're interested in Dutch Wonderland, it's just a few minutes away.
2110 Lincoln HWY E, US Route 30
Lancaster, PA 17602
http://www.wingatehotels.com/hotels/pennsylvania/lancaster/wingate-by-wyndham-lancaster-pa-dutch-country/hotel-overview
Strasburg Pennsylvania - http://strasburgpa.com/
Things to do in Strasburg - http://www.tripadvisor.com/Attractions-g53772-Activities-Strasburg_Lancaster_County_Pennsylvania.html
The Amish Village
http://theamishvillage.net/
Cherry Crest Adventure Farm
http://www.cherrycrestfarm.com/
*****Choo Choo Barn
Route 741 East, 226 Gap Road
Box 130
Strasburg, PA 17579
https://www.choochoobarn.com/
1700 square foot layout
over 150 hand-built animated figures and vehicles and 22 operating trains
We highly recommend visiting as a not-to-miss activity if you're at all interested in train sets. Their HO layout is the best in the area and quite impressive. It features farm scenes, city scenes, circus, and even a building that's on fire with a fire truck that goes from the firehouse to the burning building with firefighters rescuing people. It's everything a train-lover could hope to see.
Ed's Buggy Rides
http://www.edsbuggyrides.com/
***National Toy Train Museum
300 Paradise Lane
Ronks, PA 17572
http://www.nttmuseum.org/
Lot of trains on display, a few scenes.
***Railroad Museum of Pennsylvania
300 Gap Road
Ronks, PA 17572
http://www.rrmuseumpa.org/
Very nice, with life-size locomotives and trains
The Railroad Museum
Sight and Sound Theaters - https://www.sight-sound.com/WebSite/home.do
*****Strasburg Railroad
http://www.strasburgrailroad.com/
45-minute round-trip ride through the Amish countryside
Mid-way stop at Groff's Grove or Leaman Place Grove - great for a picnic and plenty of activities for the younger set.
In 2016, here are the dates for a Day Out with Thomas the Tank Engine:
June 18-26,
Aug 27-Sept 4
Nov 18-20
For the regular train, you can purchase tickets for different cars, dining car, lounge car, and, there's even a game car with arcade games. We were in the lounge car. You can buy sodas and treats, we had chocolate chips cookies. Yum! And there are plenty of souvenir shops near the train station for browsing.
The Li'l Country Store and Miniature Horse Farm - http://lancasterpa.com/lil-country-store/
*****Village Greens Miniature Golf
1444 Village Road
Strasburg, PA 17579
http://www.villagegreens.com/
We were so busy that we didn't get here until after dark, but it was great fun!
*****For great quilts, I recommend The Quilt Shop at Miller's
2811 Lincoln Highway Eat (US Route 30)
Ronks (Paradise), PA 17572
717-687-8439
http://lancasterpa.com/quilts/quilt-shop-at-millers/
This store is so awesome I couldn't decide what to buy! If you love quilts, don't miss it!
Two recommendations for dining:
Strasburg Country Store and Creamery
1 West Main Street
Centre Square
Strasburg, PA 17579
http://www.discoverlancaster.com/members/strasburg_country_store___creamery.asp
Great for lunch, and they have great desserts including ice cream. And the fudge is not to be missed!!
The Fireside Tavern
1500 Historic Drive
Strasburg, PA 17579
http://www.dsfireside.com/
Oustanding dinner there!
Dutch Wonderland is nearby
https://www.dutchwonderland.com/
48-acre theme park east of Lancaster, for families with small children
Hershey Park is not far, about 45 minutes away
http://www.hersheypark.com/
15 miles east of Harrisburg, 95 miles west of Philadelphia
If you have been to Strasburg, let us know what activities and dining that you enjoyed in the comments section below!
