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Excursions For a Half Day Valley Forge: Valley Forge National Historical Park (tel: (610) 783 1077; website: www.valleyforge.org) is one of the most revered shrines of the American Revolution. Here, George Washington’s Revolutionary army camped during the bitter winter of 1777-78 and, despite a death toll of 2000, the troops rallied to victory. The site contains original 18th-century buildings – including Washington’s headquarters – and a memorial chapel where carillon concerts take place in summer and after Sunday services. The park is 28km (18 miles) northwest of Philadelphia, on Route 23 and North Gulph Road. It is open daily 0900-1700 and admission costs US$2. Nearby is the Wharton Esherick Museum, on Horseshoe Trail Road (tel: (610) 644 5822; website: www.levins.com/esherick.html). Known as the ‘Dean of American Craftsmen’, this eccentric artist is best known for his sculpted furniture, displayed in his studio-home, along with his paintings, ceramics and woodcuts. The museum is open by appointment only. One-hour tours take place from March-December (Saturday 1000-1700, Sunday 1300-1700). Group tours can also be arranged for weekdays (advance booking only). Admission is US$9. The enormous King of Prussia Mall is also located at Valley Forge. For a Whole Day Pennsylvania Dutch Country: Lancaster County is known as Pennsylvania Dutch Country, a land of green rolling hills and quaint villages that are home to Amish and Mennonite communities, who live an old-fashioned lifestyle without electricity, automobiles or modern conveniences. Among the attractions are traditional crafts, such as quilts and Shaker-style furniture, as well as wonderful food specialities from shoofly pie to funnel cakes, dumplings and homemade root beer. Visitors are welcome but should remember not to photograph the Amish and to drive carefully on the back roads, where there are slow-moving horse-drawn buggies. The town of Lancaster is 103km (64 miles) west of Philadelphia, approximately 90 minutes’ drive along US-30. Several tour companies also operate from Philadelphia. The Pennsylvania Dutch Convention and Visitors Bureau, 501 Greenfield Road (tel: (717) 299 8901; website: www.padutchcountry.com), is open Monday-Saturday 0830-1700, Sunday 0900-1700 (November-May), Monday-Saturday 0800-1800, Sunday 0900-1700 (late May-October) and provides information. They sell an in-car audio guide for self-guided tours of the area. The Mennonite Information Center, 2209 Mill Stream Road (tel: (717) 299 0954; website: www.mennoniteinfoctr.com/infoctr.html), is open Monday-Saturday 0800-1700 (April-October), 0830-1630 (November-March) and offers a tour guide service, where a guide will join visitors in their cars for tours of the countryside. Highlights in Lancaster include the Central Market, Penn Square (open Tuesday, Friday and Saturday), offering a range of produce, local specialities and Amish crafts, the Heritage Center of Lancaster County, 13 West King Street (tel: (717) 299 6440), a decorative arts museum featuring furniture, silverware and quilts (open May-November, Tuesday-Saturday 1000-1600), and the Amish Homestead, 2034 Route 30 East (tel: (717) 768 3600), a working farm dating from the mid-18th century (open daily 1100-1600). Surrounding towns are also worth a visit, including Bird-in-Hand, Intercourse and Strasburg, where an historic steam locomotive makes a round-trip to Lancaster. |
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