Boston to Amish Country, PA

Hi! Looking for some tips, suggestions, travel routes, fun places to stop, etc! Boston to Lancaster PA with my best friend as a 50th birthday celebratory trip! We've known each other since kindergarten! Also bringing my 2 daughters, 18 & 20. We'd like to make the trip in one day with only stops that are worthwhile or for fuel ( food & gasoline:) Unfortunately, one daughter suffers motion sickness so she may dictate the amount of stops. Lol. I've read in this forum to stay off I95, is this true? If so, what's a better route? I would truly appreciate any insight or suggestions from anyone!!! Thanks in advance!!!

Oops... Forgot to mention we'll be staying in Lancaster for 4 days. Planning on a trip to Hershey and Amish farmlands. Any other "must sees"??

Welcome to RTA!

Take the Mass Pike to I-84, take that all the way to Scranton PA. Then take I-81 to Exit 90, then PA-72 south to Lancaster.

Welcome aboard the RoadTrip America Forums!

Well, you only need to avoid I-95 if you don't like traffic, tolls, traffic, urban congestion, traffic, deteriorating infrastructure, or traffic. Otherwise it's a perfectly fine road through the BosWash corridor. A far better way to go would be the Mass Pike to Sturbridge, I-84 to Milford PA, US-209 down through the Delaware Water Gap to PA-33 south to the Easton area, and US-78 west to US-222 which will get you to Lancaster. That's still under 400 miles so it leaves a little time to just pull over and take a hike should your daughter, or anyone else, require it.

As for Amish country, I used to live in that area and there are a few things to be aware of. First and foremost, the Amish do not consider themselves to be a tourist attraction. If you really want to meet them you will have to get on some serious back roads, travel at a slow pace (remember that their vehicles often have exactly one horse power 'engines'), and honor their way of life. You will, particularly along US-30 east of Lancaster, see billboards proclaiming that this or that attraction is an "authentic Amish experience". I can tell you now that it will be none of those things.

That is not to say that there's nothing really to see in the Lancaster area. Nearby, besides Hershey, there's Gettysburg, Longwood Gardens, Valley Forge, outlet shopping in the Reading area, and even the very upper reaches of Chesapeake Bay.

AZBuck

To add to what AZBuck said about the Amish not being a tourist attraction: no photographs that have Amish people in them, particularly their faces. It is against their Ordnance (beliefs) to be photographed. You *might* be able to discreetly photograph a buggy going down the road, or their beautifully manicured farms and gardens -- but no people.


Donna

Thank you so much for all the info! I do believe it's in our best interest to travel the routes you've suggested. Nope, not a big fan of sitting in traffic.
Also appreciate the suggestions for Lancaster from someone who knows! Thank you!