To put it simply, we were born away by our visit to Roots. We had never been to a farmers market…read moreanywhere near the size and diversity of this one. Dozens -- no, hundreds -- of vendors, Amish and others, selling an astonishing variety of foods and gifts of all descriptions. Sorry to be so wordy and vague, but there is so much to Roots. First off, it's open only on Tuesdays, so plan ahead. And get there early; the parking spots -- there are a lot of them -- really fill up. When we arrived at 10:30am, we circled and circled before finding a spot. Secondly, it can get very crowded, and in summer very hot. Dress accordingly. And please note that many of the vendors accept cash only. There are ATM machines scattered around the area, however. The market has indoor and outdoor vendor stands. We loved the delightfully huge food offerings (indoors). Everything fresh. All kinds of meats (loved those sausages). Every kind of fruit and vegetable you could want. lots of Amish vendors, but plenty of others. too. And wow, the selection of foods, clothing items (we bought beautiful, hand-cut belts), antiques, and ...well, we can go on and on. We spent hours here and came away exhausted and VERY happy. And we found ourselves wondering why can't we have a farmers market just half this size with a fraction of the goods for sale somewhere nearer us in New England? Honestly, we could go on for pages about this. We had a wonderful time and recommend a stop here. (And we were told there are several other really outstanding markets in the area). All the other positive Yelps you read about this place are right on. We're fortunate to have visited and are eager to return -- just wish it was closer.

Root's Country Market & Auction, a Lancaster County shopping staple since 1926…read more A beautiful spring Tuesday to shop for just about anything at Root's. I came specifically to shop in the Main building, area 3, for Tropical Forest Shea Butter Soaps as a birthday gift. I learned about Tropical Forest at the 2025 PA Christmas + Gift Show at the Harrisburg Farm Show Complex. Tropical Forest also has a stand at Green Dragon Farmer's Market. I am thankful this farmer's market has a website with a directory of most of the vendors and an office with people to answer questions. And free maps of the entire farmer's market. There is plenty of parking, a plethora of food places to take off or eat while there, a large number of restrooms, and great signage inside and outside of all the buildings. Worth noting, not all stands/vendors take cards; some only accept cash.

In one of my several Lancaster PA food blogs, I asked other foodies where they went for their Amish…read morebarbecue (normally held on Fridays and Saturdays, starting in May and going till Sept.). For those who don't live in Lancaster, PA; it's a "thing" and a good "thing" at that. There was an overwhelming response for Kissel Hill and so, that's where I vowed to be, on a Saturday, arriving at around 11:15. The barbecue masses, showed up at 10am. I figured this must have been the case, because when I arrived, there were no more leg/thigh combos, grilled sliced potatoes - sold out, except for one, which we snagged (the last potato) and grilled carrots - gone. If you plan on going to an Amish barbecue stand, get there EARLY. The consensus (among myself & hubby), potato - under cooked, chicken lacked essential flavors derived from smoke and brining, meat wasn't as tender as was expected, completely out of napkins and forks?? Oh crap! Come on Kissel, I know this isn't your first rodeo. Some Amish bbq stands include whoopie pies, this was not one of them. Sadly, even the roll was not up to par; it was stale. Oh man. No worries, Lancaster County has lots of contenders out there and I aim to try all of them. There is small adjoining market with a ton of apples, onions, potatoes, pie filling, pickles, noodles, baked goods, flowers, dairy items and more.

Don't let its size fool you! The market has a good variety of fairly-priced locally grown and…read moretheir own fruits and vegetables, cheese, eggs and milk, homemade soda, Amish baked goods, pumpkins, mums, and more. The apple cider slushies are so refreshing. The staff of local Amish ladies is courteous and helpful. The market is open Monday-Saturday from April to November and then Friday and Saturday in the off-season. You can buy them in the market or pick-your-own cherries in the spring. Try John's secret recipe chicken barbecue on Saturdays April - November.

Stopped here one Saturday while in the area at lunch. Was hoping they had made to order subs (they…read moredon't). But they had something better, premade wraps/meals, all very affordably priced. I got us each a meatloaf wrap, which hubby devoured cold. I preferred to eat my warm when I got home. With the addition of some siracha mayo I had it was delicious. Hubby also got a side of homemade mac and cheese, which he felt had no flavor and smoothered in salt. I thought it was fine in my ham ball meal which also came with peas for less than $8. The wraps were also reasonably priced at around $5.50 I wanted to get some baked goods but they were pretty much picked thru on this day. I eyed the chocolate chip cookies but 6 will set you back $3.50, which is too much for my cheap a$$ self! The produce and seasonal items (pumpkins, decorating corns, etc) all looked fresh and appeared to be priced fairly. Pumpkins were bogo. They had a sign stating that they were accepting orders for Thanksgiving dinners and sides. A nice service to offer for those empty nesters like us that don't want to go to the trouble of all that cooking for two people. The space was clean, parking ample, and it was easy to find. While I won't make this a regular stop simply because of the distance from my house, I will stop by whenever I drive by and stock up on those premade meals for $7.99!

This place is beautiful easy to navigate through…read more easy to shop and they carry lots of local items that are hard to find other places at good prices I only wish they would offer smaller chunks of cheeses Their flowering plant selection is beautiful to behold however the prices are a little high for me I wish they'd have them in the two dollar range

This place has it all! I grew up not too far and was a regular at another market similar to this…read moreone. This spot is only open on Fridays but I was able to make it up from Washington, DC, after having a long weekend with a holiday. My family was totally into this spot. We easily could have spent all day here. Parking can get very busy. We ended up pulling into the grassy lot and walked about 10 minutes to the main market. You'll find everything from toys to crafts to antiques to junk and everything in between. The food is also fantastic. Come hungry. A hit for us was the pulled pork sandwich topped with cooper's sharp at the stand in the middle of the market by the actual auction. My kids never saw an auction and were transfixed. The atmosphere is lively and you'll see just about every type of person imaginable from locals to visitors from cities and other states!

This place has been on my bucketlist for years... I finally convinced a couple of friends to join…read moreus, because I'm so into sharing experiences with others. It's a passion. I knew the Green Dragon is supposedly one of the largest flea markets on the east coast, but I was still blown away by the size of the place. There's a whole field of merchants in tents, along with... sheesh, I lost count... at least 5 other buildings. One of which is animal livestock auctions!! I want a goat so bad!! There are a bunch of food vendors, too. Our group decided on burgers. They were a hit. I left with a pound of "pan pudding" (also known as pork pudding, liver pudding) for a friend who loves it but cant find it in Baltimore. It's like scrapple, but has a different starch binding component. I've looked it up several times, trying to understand the difference and still don't really know. I love scrapple, pan pudding is okay. I also bought a dozen duck eggs. Tell me you don't love a good egg yolk... these are bigger. Jeremy says they have a slight gamey flavor but I didn't pick that up. I don't know that I'd buy them again, but they are really tasty. Lastly, I bought two pool noodle swords... for my wedding. We had jousting and swordfighting, on blow up horses and dragons... it was so much fun. Finding those swords was... well I didn't know such things existed, yet there they were, right in my path, waiting for me. Our friends left with a beautiful vintage croquet set. They paid $40 for it, only to get it home and find out its worth well over $400!! SCORE. We had a really great time. I'd definitely go back.

Tulip Days at Flinchbaugh's Orchard had been popping up all over my social media feed, and with…read more200,000 tulips in bloom, I knew I had to make it happen. My spring adventure schedule was packed, so I didn't make it out until the very last day--but I was determined to catch those blooms before they were gone! I purchased my ticket ahead of time through their website, which was quick, easy, and made me feel totally prepared for my first visit. My adventure buddy and I selected the 12:30pm time slot, and when we arrived right on time, there were a lot of cars--but everything was so well organized that parking was a breeze. It was clearly marked, easy to navigate, and because guests were arriving in staggered time slots, it never felt overwhelming. Before heading out to the fields, we popped into the farm market--and WOW! Super cute, surprisingly large, and packed with everything from baked goods to houseplants and gifts. Prices were reasonable, and it was definitely worth taking a few minutes to browse. Check-in for the tulip field was just as smooth. We walked up to the check-in hut, had our QR codes scanned, grabbed our wristbands, and were on our way within maybe two minutes. For 12:30pm on the final day of the event, I was honestly expecting a line--major kudos to Flinchbaugh's for keeping things moving so efficiently. And then... the tulip field. ABSOLUTELY BEAUTIFUL! Now, it was the last day, and you could tell in the front sections where tulip cutting had been allowed--some blooms were missing, some areas looked a little trampled, and things were definitely a bit worn. But here's where Flinchbaugh's really impressed me: they had clearly marked sections further back as "PHOTOS ONLY - NO CUTTING," and those areas were stunning. Full, vibrant, untouched rows of tulips that made for incredible photos and a much more immersive experience. We spent about an hour wandering through the fields, taking photos, and enjoying all the thoughtfully placed photo prop stations. Another huge win--those props were spaced out perfectly. No long lines, no crowding, no awkward waiting around. You could just move from one spot to the next and actually enjoy the experience without feeling rushed or packed in. I've visited a few flower fields over the past year, and this was by far the most organized and least chaotic. Everything--from parking to check-in to field flow--felt intentional and well thought out. I'm personally more of a "leave the flowers where they grow" kind of person, so I loved being able to simply walk, admire, and take it all in. For me, this was the perfect way to kick off my 2026 flower field adventures--and it set the bar high! At $10 for admission, this was an incredibly reasonable way to spend a few hours soaking up sunshine, enjoying beautiful blooms, and making a little springtime magic on a Saturday afternoon. I'll absolutely be back next year--just maybe a little earlier in the season to catch even more of those blooms at their peak!

I was advertised by the marketing team that tulip picking was occurring till 5 PM. I drove an hour…read moreand a half and when I arrived there I was told that tulip picking ended two hours prior, AND after we drove we decided to look around the market for some food because it was a long drive and we found one single cookie for a dollar fifty and we thought WOW! that it cheap, maybe this place isn't that bad after all. When we arrived to the register, they said it was priced wrong!, it was FIVE DOLLARS! CAN YOU BELIEVE THAT!! THE COOKIE WAS MAD RAW! my girlfriend HAD A BITE of the cookie and she is feeling AWFUL this morning BECAUSE of the COOKIE! HORRIBLE EXPERIENCE!

Last summer, while exploring Lititz, I walked past the Julius Sturgis Pretzel Bakery and…read moreimmediately wanted to go inside. There was only one small problem...they were closed. Fine, Universe. NOTED. I'll come back. Fast forward to an early August Thursday when my Lancaster Adventure Day brought me back within striking distance of Lititz. I remembered my unfinished pretzel business from the year before and worked a visit into my afternoon. This time, I did my homework first! The Julius Sturgis Pretzel Bakery is more than just a place to buy pretzels. Founded in 1861, it's America's first commercial pretzel bakery, and the Sturgis family is the oldest pretzel-baking family in America. The historic building itself dates all the way back to 1784, so you're walking into a legitimate piece of Pennsylvania history. Even better? They offer interactive tours! I was able to reserve my tour online ahead of time, selected the 3pm time slot and received a confirmation letting me know I'd pay when I arrived. For only $6 for an adult tour, this felt like a ridiculously inexpensive addition to my adventure day. Supposedly, I was also going to learn how to twist a pretzel. An interactive food experience AND some Pennsylvania history for $6?! Heck yes! Let the countdown begin! Traffic getting into Lititz was a bit challenging that afternoon, but I pulled in right on time for my 3pm tour. I found metered street parking within a short walk of the bakery and paid about $3 for an hour and a half, which gave me plenty of time for the tour and some shopping afterward. I checked in at the desk just inside the door, paid my $6 and headed directly into the tour. Our guide was energetic, engaging and really good at keeping both the adults and the little kids interested. The tour lasted about 25 to 30 minutes and covered the history of Julius Sturgis, America's pretzel-baking history, the original ovens and how pretzel making has changed since the bakery opened in 1861. Then came my favorite part...WE GOT TO TWIST PRETZELS! Everyone received a piece of practice dough and our guide walked us through how to roll and properly twist it into that iconic pretzel shape. Learning the history and meaning behind the different steps of twisting the pretzel was probably my favorite part of the entire tour. One important thing to know ahead of time: you aren't actually making an edible pretzel during the tour. The dough is strictly for practicing the twisting technique and gets discarded afterward due to food safety regulations. I was a tiny bit disappointed because I had visions of proudly eating my handcrafted masterpiece, but once I understood why, it made sense. But what DID I get to keep?! My OFFICIAL PRETZEL TWISTER CERTIFICATE! Listen, I'm a kid at heart. You give me a certificate announcing that I have successfully learned how to twist a pretzel and I am going to treasure that thing like I just completed an advanced degree in carbohydrates. I'm absolutely framing it. And I'm absolutely hanging it somewhere among my legitimate professional certificates. After the tour, everyone received a small bag of Julius Sturgis hard pretzels and was encouraged to explore the bakery store. They had all kinds of pretzel goodies and souvenirs, including pretzels, shirts, aprons, magnets and other fun little mementos. I found the prices surprisingly reasonable for a tourist attraction. Since I couldn't eat the pretzel I twisted, there was really only one responsible course of action...buy a soft pretzel. And it was fantastic! Their soft pretzels are baked fresh on-site using Julius Sturgis' original recipe, and mine was fluffy, warm and generously covered in salt. It was my first Julius Sturgis soft pretzel and a pretty fantastic way to finish the experience. For $6, I thought the Julius Sturgis Pretzel Bakery tour was an awesome little experience. It's interactive, educational, inexpensive and extremely family-friendly. There were some very young kiddos in my group, and our guide did a great job keeping them involved and entertained. Would I take the tour again? Probably not, simply because I feel like I got the full experience the first time. But should you do it once? Absolutely! It's Pennsylvania history you can touch, twist and then celebrate afterward by eating a completely different pretzel someone else professionally made for you. And you'll have the certificate to prove it!

Looking for fun things to do on a trip to Amish Country with my girlfriend, I stumbled across the…read moreJulius Sturgis Pretzel Bakery. We decided to take advantage of the 25-minute pretzel bakery tour. At $6, it was a great deal. I love history, I love pretzels, and the bakery tour was a great way to merge my love of both. Our knowledgeable tour guide told us of the history of the building, what drove Julius Sturgis to become a pretzel baker, and the history of pretzel baking in the Sturgis family and how the family has adapted to changing times (they're still making pretzels although not in the original Lititz location). We even got to practice twisting a pretzel of our own (I was far from a natural). Everybody got a little bag of pretzels for our pretzel twisting efforts. The gift shop has plenty of great pretzel treats, pretzel magnets, pretzel ornaments, and such along with very tasty soft pretzels for purchase. The Julius Sturgis Pretzel Bakery is a great place for a fun little visit.

great prices, friendly service, food tastes great, fresh is always best. Their corn always tastes…read moregood no worms a major plus.

This is the only place I know of in Lancaster where the crowds are so friendly that you can learn…read moreabout new recipes by just asking the people around you. The corn fresh since it was just picked in the field.

Absolutely the best ice cream I have ever had in my life! I had the blueberry cheesecake. Loved the…read moresmall town ambience and the service was very friendly. Love the carriage type rocking swing. Enjoyed feeding the goats and the chickens. but the ice cream and baked breads are to die for! I wanna know how they make their ice cream so I can replicate it at home. It was so so good!

I read about this place having amazing pretzels on Facebook, and since I was headed to Harrisburg…read moreanyway, I thought I would give it a shot. Alas, while the website says the pretzel truck is open Wednesday through Saturday and I was there on Wednesday afternoon, there were no pretzels to be seen. I went into the shop. It was kind of kitchy in that Pennsylvania Dutch style that you see in farmers markets at all of the pick-your-own orchards everywhere. I ended up buying a "double chocolate bread" to serve as the snack that I missed because no pretzels. It was cake, and it was uninspired. Nothing really objectionable about BIH Bakshop, but nothing really impressive either.