Living Large in Lancaster - Part 2

DAY 1:

We started the day with a horse and buggy ride through the Amish Country.  I had a good time explaining to Ian who the Amish are and what their lifestyle is like.  He is probably still in shock from when I told him that Amish kids more than likely have never heard of a wii.  After explaining the Amishes' beliefs to Ian, the only question he had was, "Could they have a television if it used solar panels to power it?"  Got to love it.  Ian is trying to figure out a way to bring TV to the Amish without going against what they stand for.

The horse and buggy ride was really neat and at the end of the day, it was Ian's most favorite thing we did.  The ride lasted approx. 45 minutes and we rode through an Amish farm, some Amish businesses and got all of our questions answered.  Yes, the Amish still come together for a barn raising if a barn or house is needed to be built.  Approx. 150 people will turn out for this.  Also, they will go to a hospital and be treated if need be.

This was our horse and buggy.  The horse's name is Bill.

Our next stop was Cherry Crest Farm, near Strasburg Railroad.  Originally we were going to Strasburg Railroad first and taking the train to Cherry Crest Farm, playing there for a few hours, and taking the train back to Strasburg Railroad.  However, when I found out that Strasburg Railroad, on this particular day was only opened from 12:00pm to 4:00pm and Cherry Crest Farm was open from 10:00am to 10:00pm, we reversed the order. 

Cherry Crest Farm is full of outdoor fun; petting zoo, big slides, rides for the kids, pillow bounce, go karts, etc.  Ian and Sam had a good time and before we knew it, it was time to board the train for Strasburg.  I know we picked a day that wasn't associated with Thomas the Train day out, but I have to say, I was still disappointed with Strasburg Railroad. I thought it was going to be bigger, different somehow.  The train ride was nice, but when all is said and done, we probably could've skipped it and not diminished our visit to Lancaster any.

After the train ride back to Cherry Crest Farm, we did a few more slides and then headed home to the hotel.  I picked this hotel because of the indoor water playground and pool.  I figured we would have some downtime and the kids would need something to do.  How right I was!!  On Thursday, we had about 1.5 hours before needing to take showers and head to dinner.  It was the perfect activity and the kids loved it.  This hotel really rocked!


Stay tuned for the next installment of the Toppall's on vacation.

Tips that made this day such a success:

1. I had an idea of everything I wanted us to do and see.  However, we had no set time we had to be at any of the places on our list.  I knew when everything opened and closed in advance and would be happy if we made all the stops I wanted, but it wasn't going to be a deal breaker if we couldn't fit it all in.   I think because the kids got a good night of sleep the night before, we were able to accomplish as much as we did.  The day went smoothly and believe it or not, there were no meltdowns or whining.  Woo-hoo!!

2. The hotel was amazing!!  Sam's favorite saying the whole trip was "back to hotel....back to hotel".  I think she loved staying there more than anyone.  While the DoubleTree Willow Valley Resort was not in the heart of all the action (it was a 15 to 20 minute ride to Dutch Wonderland and Strasburg Railroad), it was absolutely perfect for us.  It should be noted there are plenty of hotels within walking distance of Dutch Wonderland. 

3. Our hotel room had a mini fridge that we put plenty of chocolate milk and juice boxes in.  We knew that as soon as the kids woke-up they would want something to drink.  We were prepared with cheerios to munch on and chocolate milk/juice boxes to drink until we were all dressed and ready to go to a restaurant for breakfast.