Landis Valley Museum
Landis Valley Museum
Landis Valley Museum
4.5
About
Due to the precautions taken regarding COVID-19, the museum will be closed until further notice. Relax and roam through the authentic crossroads village and farms of Landis Valley as you learn the rich history of the Pennsylvania Germans of Lancaster County. Comprised of over 40 buildings on 100 acres, the museum is the guardian of 65+ varieties of heirloom seeds and the largest collection of Pennsylvania German artifacts in the U.S. Through costumed demonstrators, special events, group tours, award-winning exhibits, and educational programs for adults and children you'll come away all the more enriched by your experience here.
Suggested duration
2-3 hours
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Detailed Reviews: Reviews order informed by descriptiveness of user-identified themes such as cleanliness, atmosphere, general tips and location information.
Popular mentions
4.5
348 reviews
Excellent
196
Very good
112
Average
32
Poor
4
Terrible
4
KindPathFinder
13 contributions
Dec 2022 • Family
We went during winter break just after Christmas and it was very quiet. The day we went the actors were on break but the woman who gave the tour was so information and delightful. We really enjoyed it. She was also very kind and accommodating to us since we have a toddler. Nice little museum and gift shop. We will be back!
Written March 26, 2023
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews.
Span_pro
Enfield, CT102 contributions
May 2021
We took the tour on a rainy, cool weekend. Not all of the buildings were open, and not all of the experiences were available, because they were still in the process of opening fully, due to COVID. Still, it was definitely a worthwhile experience. The bar, hotel, general store and farm machinery building were highlights, and the homestead and clothing production areas were instructive. Our guide was knowledgeable and pleasant. I very much recommend the place as a look back into PA Dutch history and life, and as they become fully operational, it will just get better.
Written June 4, 2021
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews.
62barb53
Greenville, NC279 contributions
Aug 2022 • Couples
This is an excellent site to learn about the history of the Pennsylvania German families and their development of the area. The docents were excellent, very knowledgeable and interesting. We stayed for 4 hours and did not see it all. It is also clean and well maintained.
Written August 21, 2022
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews.
RYC88
Centreville, VA1,167 contributions
Nov 2021
It's really fun to be able to walk through this village that has been recreated using buildings from other areas. There is plenty of great information about the buildings and the original locations and the historical significance of each of them. The farm machine equipment building was fascinating and they have a really great museum display building with very cool artifacts. It's a great place to see the history of the area and get a wonderful sense of life in the "olden" days. If you can go when they have activities like hay rides and demonstrations, I'm sure it's even better.
Written November 25, 2021
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews.
Brittany S
Magnolia, KY28 contributions
Nov 2021 • Friends
This was a neat place to see but I feel like it was lacking some things. The best part was the indoor exhibit of farm machines. Don’t go around noon because any of the buildings with people to talk to go on an hour lunch break. I wish there was a little more info on some of the buildings. For a fall day trip to just see some old buildings it was ok.
Written November 5, 2021
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews.
David S
West Chester, PA1,235 contributions
May 2022
May 2022
What a wonderful piece of Pennsylvania German history to soak up for a couple hours. Very well-maintained grounds and 19th century buildings to tour, and the staff is well-informed and gave excellent talks. Highly recommended for lovers of nature, gardens and farming, the outdoors, architecture, and colonial history.
What a wonderful piece of Pennsylvania German history to soak up for a couple hours. Very well-maintained grounds and 19th century buildings to tour, and the staff is well-informed and gave excellent talks. Highly recommended for lovers of nature, gardens and farming, the outdoors, architecture, and colonial history.
Written September 5, 2022
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews.
DayTrip6288
1 contribution
My kids and I really enjoyed our visit to the Landis Valley Museum. It's off the beaten track, and we missed the entrance, but it's a wonderful place to go. The site has at least 20 buildings on it including a general store, school house, tavern, black smith shop, barn and museum. Most of the buildings are open for touring at your leisure. Touring the grounds you really get a feel for life as a Pennsylvania German hundreds of years ago.
The day we were there we felt like we had the place to ourselves. I'm not sure that it's always so empty...I would hope not, but it was relaxing to let the kids run around and explore. We took 4 girls, two 9-year olds and two 11-year olds. We all enjoyed the film which really helped us understand what we were about to see. The older girls liked taking control of the map and guiding us from place to place. They loved watching the pottery painter and trying their hand at calligraphy. We watched the lace maker in awe! I've never seen that done before. So tedious! The younger two walked around making up stories and pretending they actually lived in this era. We all learned a lot from the helpful volunteers who demonstrated weaving, making lace, drying foods, harvesting seeds, pottery, farming, and black smithing. The volunteers really made our experience because they were excited to tell us what they knew.
The only drawback was that we couldn't find anywhere to eat on the property. We took a short ride to the farm restaurant up the street and returned to finish our tour. There were lots of places to picnic, and next time we will bring our lunch.
We were there in October, just before a big pumpkin festival they have. I would have liked to return for their Christmas Village. The website has lots of information for interesting events being offered throught the year.
The day we were there we felt like we had the place to ourselves. I'm not sure that it's always so empty...I would hope not, but it was relaxing to let the kids run around and explore. We took 4 girls, two 9-year olds and two 11-year olds. We all enjoyed the film which really helped us understand what we were about to see. The older girls liked taking control of the map and guiding us from place to place. They loved watching the pottery painter and trying their hand at calligraphy. We watched the lace maker in awe! I've never seen that done before. So tedious! The younger two walked around making up stories and pretending they actually lived in this era. We all learned a lot from the helpful volunteers who demonstrated weaving, making lace, drying foods, harvesting seeds, pottery, farming, and black smithing. The volunteers really made our experience because they were excited to tell us what they knew.
The only drawback was that we couldn't find anywhere to eat on the property. We took a short ride to the farm restaurant up the street and returned to finish our tour. There were lots of places to picnic, and next time we will bring our lunch.
We were there in October, just before a big pumpkin festival they have. I would have liked to return for their Christmas Village. The website has lots of information for interesting events being offered throught the year.
Written January 13, 2006
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews.
Joe Z
Sanatoga, PA125 contributions
Mar 2015 • Couples
The least expensive day to visit the interesting and historic Landis Valley Museum is on Pennsylvania Charter Day, when admission is traditionally free. Observed each year, usually on the first or second Sunday in March, Charter Day commemorates the 1681 signing by England’s King Charles II of a charter which granted land that is now Pennsylvania to founder William Penn. Charter Day is considered the Commonwealth's "birthday;" it celebrated its 334th year in 2015. The no-charge admission program is sponsored by the Pennsylvania Historical and Museum Commission, the official state history agency that oversees many of its museums and historic facilities, including Landis Valley.
Written March 29, 2015
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews.
ekb1979
New Jersey39 contributions
We should have known when we called that it was going to be bad. We asked "what was going on today" meaning- was anyone going to be demonstrating etc. and the woman who answered responded "what do you mean?" then she said it was a self guided tour. We told her we would arrive in about 15 minutes and I wish she would have told us that the people in the buildings go to lunch from 12-1. We arrived at 11:20 and barely had time to go into these buildings. We got to go into 3 of the buildings with people before they went to lunch- even though at the first building the man was eating his lunch while he spoke to us! The last one we got in right under the wire and the woman didn't seem too pleased. When my mom admired the lace the woman was working on she did not respond nicely to my mother and made us feel unwelcomed. We left so she could take her break. We walked to a few of the buildings they had told us that we could walk in or peek in the windows. The hotel that said you could open the door and look in you couldn't even open. There was no place to even get any food for lunch - if there was we could have sat for a while & relaxed then could have continued the tour. We decided to go back to where we bought the tickets and we were going to watch the orientation video- when we arrived- they had all the lights off in the room. We were going to ask when they were going to play it again but by then we pretty much were tired of walking and lost interest. I would have asked for a refund but I think maybe some of these people are volunteers. So we felt that we made a donation! We did stop in the gift shop and looked around- didn't really see anything we wanted and they advertised ice cream but we didn't see any- and the girl at the counter was telling some parents they their teenage children were not allowed upstairs. So we
didn't get a good vibe....
didn't get a good vibe....
Written August 15, 2012
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews.
explorer1421
Ridgecrest, California121 contributions
Arrived around 10:30 in the morning. We wondered if the place was opened (cars in the parking lot, but no people). Watched a film about the location. Then began to tour the village. About 10 of the buildings had people staffed to tell about the building or what it contained. Everyone was very nice and explained what was going on to everyone in my family-wife and 5 and 8 year old. The blacksmith shop was the highlight of the tour. Lunch time seems to be about 11:30 for most of the staffers. I wished we would have been there when they opened-9:00 A.M. It took about two hours to see the area.
Written July 16, 2006
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews.
How much do you charge per person?
anna c
Santa Susanna, Spain135 contributions
12$ per adult not sure about the rest
Can I bring my dog? Small, well behaved.
Denise R
Williamstown, NJ278 contributions
I don't think dogs are allowed, I'm sorry.
betteewac
Wesleyville, PA498 contributions
do you offer military discounts
IrishScorp
Levittown, PA382 contributions
I am not sure if there is a military discount, but they do have a website that would probably have that information.
betteewac
Wesleyville, PA498 contributions
How long to tour the facility
Vicki W
Princeton, NJ82 contributions
You can do a walk-through in about an hour, but if the artisans are there and you take advantage of the opportunity to talk to the reenactors who are full of information, you can stretch it out as long as your interest lasts! We took a picnic, too. There are tables.
Landis Valley Museum (Lancaster) - All You Need to Know BEFORE You Go
Frequently Asked Questions about Landis Valley Museum
- Landis Valley Museum is open:
- Sun - Sun 9:00 AM - 9:15 AM
- Hotels near Landis Valley Museum:
- (1.46 mi) EJ Bowman House Bed and Breakfast
- (3.65 mi) The Lancaster Bed and Breakfast
- (3.74 mi) A New Beginning Bed and Breakfast
- (1.91 mi) Eden Resort and Suites, BW Premier Collection
- (6.45 mi) Silverstone Inn & Suites
- Restaurants near Landis Valley Museum:
- (0.22 mi) Ramarn Thai
- (0.23 mi) Freshly Greek
- (0.23 mi) China's Best
- (0.24 mi) The Coffee Station at Landis Valley
- (0.24 mi) Highland Pizzeria