I visited the 1719 Museum this past Saturday and really enjoyed the experience…read more The guided tour starts with a short film about the property that provides some great context for the rest of the tour. Then you leave the visitor center and walk over to the first structure of tour, which is a full-sized reproduction of a Native American longhouse. Longhouses (large multi-generational family homes made of logs, saplings, and tree bark) were once ubiquitous in Pennsylvania, including along the Susquehanna River. At the time the Hans Herr home was built, south-central Pennsylvania was home to several Indigenous tribes, including the Shenks Ferry, Conoy, Lenape, Mohawk, Nanticoke, Seneca, Shawnee, and Susquehannock peoples. The 1719 Museum collaborated with the Circle Legacy Center and members of the local indigenous community to build the longhouse reproduction in order to share the history of and honor Pennsylvania's native communities and educate visitors to the area. With your guide, you walk into the longhouse, where you sit down while the guide explains quite extensively about the Native communities in the area, the longhouse and its architecture, and the relationships between the indigenous people and the Mennonite people who made homes in the area. After the longhouse, the guide walks you over to the Hans Herr House. It was built in 1719 and is a 2-story, rectangular sandstone Germanic-style dwelling. It is the oldest dwelling in Lancaster County and the oldest Mennonite meetinghouse in America. The guide walks you through various rooms in the house and shares information about the Herr family as well as the larger Mennonite community in early Pennsylvania history. Our guide was Cindy, and she was incredible. I learned so much about the Native, Indigenous and Mennonite communities of 18th century Pennsylvania (and - in the case of the Native peoples - a much earlier history of their lives in Pennsylvania). She really educated us on a broad range of topics, while keeping the tour fun (I love fun education)! She made my tour extra special. If you're spending some time exploring Lancaster Counter, the 1719 Museum should definitely make your itinerary! In one place, you can learn a little bit about Pennsylvania's Native and Mennonite communities, and it's just a special place!

Why is the Hans Herr House significant and who the hell was Hans Herr?…read more The house itself is significant as it is the last remaining structure that is still standing from the original group of Mennonites who came to the Lancaster County area to escape religious persecution from their native Switzerland. The house is also significant in that it is the oldest structure in Lancaster County and likely the oldest remaining Mennonite meetinghouse in the Western Hemisphere. The original group traveled from Switzerland to Germany to escape religious persecution then after a governmental regime change they were forced from Germany to England where they met with William Penn who allowed them to colonize a portion of what is current day Lancaster County or when they arrived in 1711, the extreme most western frontier of Pennsylvania. One interesting piece of information is that the house did not belong to Hans Herr as it was built by his son Christian which is why his initials are over the doorway along with the inscribing mark of 1719. On the tour you are told why the name remained(s) Hans Herr House versus Christian Herr House but honestly I forget why. Maybe something just deferential from Christian towards his father or because of his father's status with the original group that came to the area or maybe everyone just liked the flow of the name more so it's based on tradition? The tour itself is around 40-45 minutes and it starts in the building which houses the gift shop and you are given a brief overview of the Anabaptist faith, the Mennonites who are direct descendants of the faith and a map which shows the route the initial settlers took from Switzerland to Pennsylvania. After that you are taken over to the house where you see the three rooms which make up the first floor (kitchen, bedroom and all purpose dining room-meeting room-family room) and the second floor which is where the eight children slept and finally the basement which is accessed from a side entrance outside of the house. You learn that the key to the home's design is that they didn't believe in wasting any space so every inch served a purpose such as not having hallways so as soon as you walk in the front door you're right in the kitchen. One thing worth noting, if you are someone who is hardcore hung up on only visiting historical places if they have lots of original items then this place might not be for you. There is not a whole lot original to the house that you can see with the exception of a piece of the ceiling insulation on the first floor (rye straw + manure + ??), the wooden crossbeam over the kitchen fireplace and the steps which go from the second floor to the third floor attic (obviously you can't use them). Past that I think most everything else was changed out in the 19th century when the house was still used as a residence or in the early 70's when the initial renovation occurred to make things into a tourist destination. If you want more original take a look at the bibles on display in the gift shop which are original to Hans and Christian. I wouldn't call the Hans Herr House a must see, but it's interesting enough and the tour is the right length to keep everyone interested along with being located close enough to most of Lancaster County's tourist elements. If you go: The 1719 Hans Herr House is open April 1 through November 30, Monday-Saturday, 9:00 AM-4:00 PM. Forty-five minute Herr House tours are offered at 9 a.m., 11 a.m., 1 p.m. and 3 p.m. This is not the tour information for their reproduction Native American Longhouse. That tour is offered at 10 a.m., 12 noon and 2 p.m and has an entirely different focus. Prices are currently Adults: $8, Children 7-12: $4 and Children 6 and under: free with a slight discount if you choose to tour both structures. There are also several special events that happen throughout the year and that information is available on their website.

We found this place by accident when I was Googling things to do with kids in the winter. It is…read moresuch a neat hidden gem in downtown Reading. The employees were very friendly and there a ton of hands on exhibits that actually work. Parking is confusing the first time you go (at least in my opinion). You park in the DoubleTree Garage...make sure you take a picture of your license plate so that museum staff can validate your parking. I would definitely recommend visiting. For reference we have an almost 4 year old and he loved it.

I took my grandchildren to Reading Science Center-grandson is 6 and granddaughter is 10. RSC has…read moredone a wonder job of creating lots of interesting, engaging, hands-on activities in a small space. I was concerned that it might be too young for the 10-year-old, but she was just as engaged as her younger brother. She also enjoyed doing one of the three scavenger hunts they offer (ask about it when you purchase your tickets). Parking is great as you can park for free for up to 3 hours at the Doubletree right next door (take your license plate number with you when you visit). What a gem this is for the city of Reading.

I absolutely love this studio. The environment is so welcoming and friendly. You can tell all the…read moreteachers are extremely dedicated, and they challenge yourself without pushing it which is so crucial when pursuing dance. The owners are very sweet, and they accommodate to your needs. I feel like I improved so much, and I never hate a moment dancing there. It is truly a wonderful studio.

I had a great experience in an adult tap class here, and then was charged almost three times what I…read morehad expected to spend. I had done pretty thorough research online, and even called ahead that evening to make sure it would be OK if I came to the class--my scheduling made me unable to come before, but my evening cleared up and it was something I'd wanted to do for a while. The person I spoke with on the phone seemed excited to have a new student, and encouraged me to come. Online, it says $15 per class, and as someone pursuing a career in musical theater, I follow a tight budget, and that fit in with what I typically spend for dance classes elsewhere. When I got there, I filled out new student forms, and she tells me there's a $25 "tuition fee"...I tell her that this is news to me and it doesn't quite make sense in my case since this is the only class I can attend in the semester, and I had misunderstood and thought it was ok to "drop in", like at most adult dance classes. She insisted that it's a tuition based program, so I considered leaving, without doing the class. At that point, she said to do the class and we can figure it out after. Turns out her idea of "figuring it out" after was to just make me pay it. I left in tears (I know, it's a bit of an overreaction, but I just felt very blindsided and taken advantage of, especially considering I had checked online AND called ahead to avoid surprises like this)... overall, great class but a pretty terrible taste was left in my mouth by the administration.

A needed community center in West Chester with a gym, pool and meeting area…read more Needs more money to clean it up. They even host weddings and events here.

Just saw an amazing production of Damn Yankees. It was so good and the actors were all young ,…read moretalented people. Bravo!

We have been here twice and both performances were outstanding! The acting, singing and dancing are…read moretop notch. And everyone is friendly and welcoming. Can't wait to see another play!

I visited Historic Rock Ford on Sunday and learned so much. The house was built around 1794 for…read moreGeneral Edward Hand, an adjutant general to George Washington during the American Revolutionary War. Rock Ford is a Georgian-style mansion, where General Hand lived with his wife and children until his death in 1802. His wife passed away in 1805 and only briefly remained in the Hand family before becoming a home for tenant farmers for the next 150-ish years. The house was saved from destruction by the Junior League in 1958 and then renovated and restored to what it looks like now. I learned all this and more from our guide Priscilla, who was wonderful. She told us about the man, the family, and the house, as well as the enslaved people and indentured servants who are a part of the home's history, too. The tour lasted a little over an hour, so I didn't have time to find the John J. Snyder, Jr. Gallery of Early Lancaster County Decorative Arts, which is also on the property. The house was beautiful, and the information I learned from Priscilla about General Hand and his house was very interesting. If you're interested in history and historic homes, the Historic Rock Ford is worth a visit!

One of many historic buildings in the area is Rock Ford, a brick mansion with a large garden. They…read morehost tours throughout the week, which is the only way to see the inside. There are a parking lot and a visitor center with a kind staff person behind the desk. They also have restrooms inside the center.

I go here it's awesome oh yeahhhh it's my fav studio they are so nice there i recomendread more

I love this little theater with a big heart. Just saw "You're a Good Man Charlie Brown" last…read moreweekend - and it was completely delightful. The perfect way to kick off Spring. Entirely volunteer operated, with open auditions, Barley Sheaf attracts some really talented locals, and makes for an economical fun night out!

We thoroughly enjoyed ourselves at the 50th season (wow!) opener "Don't Drink The Water" by Woody…read moreAllen. The performance was well done and really funny - the audience laughed throughout the entire evening. We liked it so much that we're going back to see it again! We've been happily entertained by other shows at Barley Sheaf. It's a charming little theatre with wonderful people and lots of talent!