Historical Tours
4 hours
Recommended by 95% of travelers
95% of reviewers gave this product a bubble rating of 4 or higher.
from
$47
per adult
The Amish Experience
The Amish Experience
4.5
9:30 AM - 5:00 PM
Monday
9:30 AM - 5:00 PM
Tuesday
9:30 AM - 5:00 PM
Wednesday
9:30 AM - 5:00 PM
Thursday
9:30 AM - 5:00 PM
Friday
9:30 AM - 5:00 PM
Saturday
9:30 AM - 5:00 PM
Sunday
9:30 AM - 5:00 PM
Full view
About
Amish Country Tours is the oldest operating tour company in Amish Country, and the only operator with certified guides. Far from the commercial clutter of Route 30, the Amish Experience at Plain & Fancy Farm sits on Route 340 between Bird-in-Hand and Intercourse, a non-commercial AAA designated Scenic Cultural Byway, surrounded by Amish farms.
Our exclusive Amish Visit-in-Person Tour is the only opportunity of its kind to allow for close interaction with the Amish at work, at milking time, and in the home, and the only tour designated by the County of Lancaster as an official Heritage Tour. It is limited to 14 guests on our mini-shuttles.
Bird in Hand, Pennsylvania
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Improve this listingTours and Tickets by The Amish Experience
Historical Tours
2–3 hours
Free cancellation
Not sure? You can cancel this reservation up to 24 hours in advance for a full refund.
from
$65
per adult
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Most Recent: Reviews ordered by most recent publish date in descending order.
Detailed Reviews: Reviews ordered by recency and descriptiveness of user-identified themes such as wait time, length of visit, general tips, and location information.
Popular mentions
4.5
1,705 reviews
Excellent
1,350
Very good
264
Average
57
Poor
15
Terrible
19
Melinda
8 contributions
Oct 2020 • Couples
What a wonderful experience. Our tour guide and driver Jack knew so much about the area and the people we were visiting and was very willing to share. Our first stop was at a private Amish dairy. We were taken into the barne and got to watch them milk the cows and show how they processed it. A young man Alvin gave us a tour and answered every question you could imagine. The next stop was a woodworking shop we got to see excellent craftsmanship.My husband was even able to buy some real wagon wheels that he needed. Last stop was the best by far we went into a young Amish families home a young couple about 30 years old that had four daughters. We were able to just sit and chitchat and get to know each other it was wonderful.
Written October 13, 2020
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Carol K
New York8 contributions
Jun 2021
We did the Farmlands tour (a 90-min bus ride). The driver was very experienced in maneuvering along the roads as well as explaining what we were looking at. She has a deep respect for the Amish people and was able to give us a very interesting overview and answer our questions without editorializing and imposing her own viewpoint. She also knows many of the Amish folks that we encountered, having lived in the community for many years. We stopped at a store and had the most delicious pretzels, too. A great family experience!
Written June 21, 2021
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Everyone loves those pretzels! Even those of us who've lived here all our lives haven't gotten tired of them.
Written June 23, 2021
This response is the subjective opinion of the management representative and not of Tripadvisor LLC.
Tiadi B
2 contributions
Oct 2021
I thoroughly enjoyed the tour provided by The Amish Experience. I was able to do the Farmlands tour of the community, the Homestead and theatre experience. All the events began on time and the group that I was in was small so we were all able to ask questions without delaying our tour guide. I leaned so much about the Amish community and have a new appreciation for their way of life. Our tour operator Jim was delightful to listen with a tremendous amount of knowledge about the Amish people. I would certainly recommend this tour to anyone curious about the way of life of the Amish and I certainly will be back for
Written October 29, 2021
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
M1V
9 contributions
May 2024 • Friends
Absolutely delightful!
Dana, our tour guide was terrific! He informed us of Amish customs, let us know about things that might be offensive to the Amish (such as taking pictures), and gave us the history and little insights about the area that you can’t get from books or brochures. He answered all of our questions and kept us perfectly on schedule.
Our Amish hostess was welcoming and also answered our many questions. She asked us some, too. The meal was wonderful. I have eaten Amish food in restaurants but this was much better. She urged us to have seconds on the main meal and a second piece of pie. Her children were friendly and well behaved.
The quilt shop we visited was full of beautiful handmade quilts, pillows, and gifts. They also had beautiful floral arrangements and hand lettered wall hangings done by their staff. Very impressive!
Their children had baked goods and kittens to sell at an outside stand, but we managed to resist leaving with a new pet. The owners and their children were charming.
All-in-all, this is a must do tour if you have the time. One caution, the bus leaves strictly on time so if you are late you will miss out on a great time.
Dana, our tour guide was terrific! He informed us of Amish customs, let us know about things that might be offensive to the Amish (such as taking pictures), and gave us the history and little insights about the area that you can’t get from books or brochures. He answered all of our questions and kept us perfectly on schedule.
Our Amish hostess was welcoming and also answered our many questions. She asked us some, too. The meal was wonderful. I have eaten Amish food in restaurants but this was much better. She urged us to have seconds on the main meal and a second piece of pie. Her children were friendly and well behaved.
The quilt shop we visited was full of beautiful handmade quilts, pillows, and gifts. They also had beautiful floral arrangements and hand lettered wall hangings done by their staff. Very impressive!
Their children had baked goods and kittens to sell at an outside stand, but we managed to resist leaving with a new pet. The owners and their children were charming.
All-in-all, this is a must do tour if you have the time. One caution, the bus leaves strictly on time so if you are late you will miss out on a great time.
Written May 27, 2024
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Kathryn H
30 contributions
Jun 2024 • Couples
We experienced up close interaction with 3 different families. The first 2 families explained and demonstrated their trades, dairy farmer and leather craftsman. They were very friendly and informative. The last stop was with a couple. We sat in their house and talked. I was a little hesitant to do this but it was truly the best part of the tour!!! Bring cash if you want to purchase handmade items.
Written June 20, 2024
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
moodblu
West Valley City, UT1,436 contributions
Apr 2024 • Couples
At the Amish Experience Theater, we were shown a movie, "Jacob's Choice", in a unique theater about a young man faced with a choice to remain Amish or leave the community and way of life. It was an interesting and insightful presentation, enhanced by lighting, mist, and sound & special effects. Our guide, Rachel came with us on a bus tour around to see the beautiful farms and homesteads, tour a school room & typical home, and shop at some of the stores. The stores featured many items that are hand-crafted by the people of the community. She included a wealth of information about the religious background, and answered questions from the group. This experience gave me more insight to the culture of the Amish that reinforced my respect for the people and their religion. I can't comment on any cost, as it was included in our US History Tour.
Written April 29, 2024
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
SylN Urr
3 contributions
Nov 2021 • Solo
We did the Amish House and School Tour. The people that sold me the tickets were very nice. The place was very nice and the guide (Deanne?) gave us lots of information and I learned quite a bit. However, i felt like the tour was super rushed. It was only my family and another couple. We barely had a moment to look around. When the guide stopped talking, she was already rushing to the next section. The worst part was how rude the guide was. She was quite condescending…especially to the other couple. I was actually afraid to ask questions because she was so rude to the other lady when she asked things. She also didnt even tell us the tour was over. She just opened the door to the back and said to look at the shoe garden to the right (then yelled at the other couple for looking the wrong way). Then she closed the door and was gone. We waited for a little bit out there and when she never came back out, we figured out the tour was over. Lol other than that, very informative.
Written November 8, 2021
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Laurel D
Saratoga Springs, NY2 contributions
Oct 2022 • Couples
We enjoyed our visit with a couple of exceptions. This experience was not hosted by any Amish. The van driver had the heat blasting in the back of the van. After repeated attempts to ask him to turn it down, a passenger reached over and turned it off. He had heard us but didn’t know how to turn it off. One lady behind the desk was a little snippy, mocking me for having a salad at lunch. However, the stop at the store was nice and we learned a lot about the Amish lifestyle. The farmland is beautiful.
Written October 19, 2022
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Josie M
Asheville, NC66 contributions
Jun 2021 • Family
We did the premium package and it was okay. The guide was informative and we were able to stop at an Amish store and road side stand and buy some goodies. After the tour we were able to go inside an old Amish house which was really cool. But they have other set ups that were very very basic. It was a tourist trap.
Written June 6, 2021
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
pretblueye
Egg Harbor Township, NJ2,343 contributions
Aug 2021
One of my favorite places to go is Lancaster. It has so much to offer. I have seen the advertisement for The Amish Experience many times and said that one day I would go. Well the time came. This is a 3 part tour and takes about 3.5 hours. We started with the farm house/one room school house tour. The farm house is 9 rooms and gives you a general idea of how the Amish live. After the farm house tour we boarded a shuttle bus and took a 1hr and 45min tour of the Amish country side and learned a few things that we didn't know. You do stop at a country road side side where you can purchase lemonade and pretzels and ice cream as well as handmade items along with bake goods. Once this tour is over you return to the main building and watch a 30 minute movie called Jacobs Choice. This movie is awesome. It is well put together. In rating this experience- I wasn't impress with the farm house tour- the country side part of it was very good and informative, but the best part of the movie. I'm glad that we did it but it isn't something I would put on my bucket list to do again.
Written August 11, 2021
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Thanks for joining us the Super Saver Package. I'm glad to hear you enjoyed the parts you did. Of course we also acknowledge where it could have been better. Thanks for your feedback.
Written August 13, 2021
This response is the subjective opinion of the management representative and not of Tripadvisor LLC.
I happen to own the car that was in the movie and still has the damage from the bird pole. 1971 VW Squareback Type 3 Just saw you review from 2013 in 2019 online. Cool!
Written June 13, 2019
Does the visit in person tour require a lot of walking?
Written April 30, 2019
There are a variety of activities at this and many other Amish experience attractions. My experience at this particular venue was limited to a very small area of the theater and surrounding buildings, so I can't comment on other aspects of what they offer to visitors. I would strongly suggest that you contact the venue to pose your question. I have observed a number of tours where the majority of movement is via horse-drawn transport, with limited walking at each stop. Enjoy!
Written May 2, 2019
I would like to know, with which agency did you visit ? Tks in advance
Written August 19, 2018
PlainTalkAmish
Bird in Hand, Pennsylvania
Not sure what you mean by your question.
Written August 21, 2018
Hola, quisiera saber sí hacen el tpur en español tambien???
Written August 4, 2018
PlainTalkAmish
Bird in Hand, Pennsylvania
Hola!,
Unfortunately we do not do the tour in Spanish, however we do have information sheets in Spanish that we can provide you.
Written August 9, 2018
Is there a bus or other public transportation from Lancaster train station?
Written October 18, 2017
PlainTalkAmish
Bird in Hand, Pennsylvania
Thanks for your question! There is a bus that runs from downtown Lancaster to us, but to my knowledge it doesn't stop at the train station. The other option would be to take a taxi, which is usually how people get here from the train station. If you are staying in Philadelphia, I would advise contacting Philadelphia Trolley Works, as they set up the transportation and touring for you. Their number is (215) 389-8687 and you can also visit them online. Of course, feel free to give us a call at 800.555.2303 ext. 210 if you have any other questions. Hope to see you soon!
Written October 19, 2017
Hello I was wondering if there was anywhere we could spend the weekend for the the full Amish experience, stay, eat and sleep? Thanks
Written September 10, 2017
PlainTalkAmish
Bird in Hand, Pennsylvania
Thanks for your question! Amish View Inn & Suites (rates #1 hotel in Lancaster County on TripAdvisor) is right next door to us, along with Smokehouse BBQ & Brews. So you'd have lodging, tours and food all on the same property, and right in the middle of the countryside. If you are looking to stay on an Amish property, then I agree with Missy's suggestion.
Written September 11, 2017
Hi, Is October a very busy month there? We'd like to enjoy the foliage during our trip. Also, are there any special activities that only happen in fall that we could view or even take part in? Something like syrup making, maybe?
Written June 29, 2017
PlainTalkAmish
Bird in Hand, Pennsylvania
Thank you for your question! Fall can be busy for us at Amish Experience, but probably not as much as during the summer, particularly if you are coming during a weekday.
Written July 3, 2017
in the journey from Washington DC to New York, we will visit Amish Country.
We a group in total 50 person. Which one do you recommend for us to see best experience?
`
1st choice : House Tour + Farmlands
2nd choice : House Tour + Buggy Ride
Written March 18, 2017
PlainTalkAmish
Bird in Hand, Pennsylvania
Hi Louisa - Thank you for the question! If you are coming with a group of this size you are going to want to contact our group sales department. There are some differences in how the tours work with a large group as opposed to coming as a family or individual. The number is 800.555.2303 ext. 221. I will also send you a message to discuss how the logistics work.
Farmlands tours and buggy tours are different experiences. The farmland tour is going to be more focused on interpreting the Amish culture. The buggy ride is going to be more about the experience of riding in a buggy or wagon. It's sort of like taking a bus tour about New York City history vs. taking a carriage ride in Central Park...two different experiences.
Also, I wanted to mention that the description above about the tour at 5PM with Amish stops is our special Visit-In-Person Tour. There is also a group version of this as well.
Written March 31, 2017
Do you offer tours from Philadelphia in November?
Written August 16, 2016
PlainTalkAmish
Bird in Hand, Pennsylvania
Dear Debbie,
Thank you for your inquiry. We work with Philadelphia Trolley Works to bring guests from Philadelphia, so I would recommend calling them if you are interested in booking a tour in November. Their number is (215) 389-8687. We are open during the week in November, as well as weekends. (Closed Thanksgiving).
Written August 19, 2016
I can't seem to find an answer about restroom stops/breaks during the 3-hour VIP tour...can someone help?
Written July 19, 2016
We took the one hour and had a stop at a store that provided samples of items for sale. Like jams, peanut butter, etc. I believe there was a bathroom there.
Written July 19, 2016
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