4 Best Sights in Pennsylvania Dutch Country, Pennsylvania

A former and singular monastic community, Ephrata Cloister was founded in 1732 by German immigrant Conrad Beissel. Originally set on 250 acres of Native American wilderness, Beissel and his believers built 30 structures, including a monastery and a printing press and named their community "Ephrata." The monastic society of brothers and sisters were celibate and lived an austere life of work, study, and prayer. In the 1940s, the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania took over the property and has been running it as a museum, with 45-minute tours of three restored buildings, after which you can browse through several others, including the stable, printshop, and crafts shop. Self-guided cell-phone tours are also available.

This open-air museum showcases Pennsylvania German rural life and folk culture between 1750 and 1940. Founded by brothers Henry and George Landis on their homestead in the 1920s, the farm and village are now operated by the Pennsylvania Historical and Museum Commission. You can visit more than 15 historical buildings, with costumed guides providing interesting bits of history. There are demonstrations of skills such as spinning and weaving, pottery making, and tinsmithing. Many of the crafts are for sale in the museum shop.

This 12-acre historic homestead offers guided tours of an authentically furnished house and one-room schoolhouse. The property includes a barn, blacksmith shop, smokehouse market, and outdoor picnic grounds when the weather permits. Mini-shuttle-bus tours of the area are also available.

This family-owned property offers 40-minute tours through a 10-room circa-1805 house furnished in the Old Order Amish style. A map guides you to a waterwheel, lime kiln, as well as a traditional covered bridge. One of the older attractions in the area, it dates to 1955.

The Neuber family also offers bus tours that include a farm visit.