Hubby, son 15, daughter 9 and myself loved this place! It had lots of buildings to look at or in. They seemed to be short staffed the day we attended so we didn't get to go into many buildings. The tavern, log home, family home, and the general store had very informative, era dressed volunteers that brought that time period to life for us. It was a little hard to find but not at all crowded so we could explore easily. We enjoyed this place ever so much!

This is a great interactive/living history display. A mixture of period correct buildings with people in costume makes this a fun visit for adult and children. Expect about 2 hours of walking from building to building, so wear comfortable shoes that you don't mind getting a little dirty.

We visited during the "Civil War Day" which added to the experience. Union solders on horses and participating in drills, including a Musket Drill in which children were invited to participate. Landis Valley has various days like this during the year which I suspect are the best days to visit.

We visited with our two children (9 and 3 yo) and we all had a good time.

Background: Landis Valley Museum is a nationally significant living history village dedicated to collecting, preserving and interpreting the history & culture of the Pennsylvania German
community from 1740-1940. Landis Valley Museum is one of 26 historic sites and museums on the Pennsylvania Trail of History, administered by the Pennsylvania Historical and Museum Commission.
Our family has visited Landis Valley many times over the last several years. Two of their annual events; Harvest Days in October and Civil War Days in July are not to be missed. Each event has hundreds of reenactors giving the visitor a first-hand close-up look of life in this small farming community during a typical harvest and life during the civil war. The village comes alive with the sights and sounds of those special days and those special times. Not to be missed during harvest day is the butchering of the giant hog. Now that is a visual.
Abe and Mary Lincoln parade through the town, while in a carriage, followed by scores of union troops. Men, women and children in both events are dressed to the authentic nines; working, chatting and showing how one lived in a small American village during these more difficult times. The buildings in the village, from the school house, blacksmith, village store, farm buildings and the houses are vivid reminders of days gone by. All reek and drip of historical relevance and history.
We don't know which event is more enjoyable and worth while. Both capture a time and place of our past while creating and capturing the imagination and visuals for those who are lucky to visit today. Landis Valley is rated a "must see" by AAA and they are right.
The Pennsylvania Historical and Museum Commission is to be commended for their dedication and hard work in preserving our history and our Pennsylvania heritage.

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.