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.

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!

Super cool landmark…read more As per the plaque: Constructed in 1860, the Gatehouse was designed by the Baltimore firm of Thomas and James M. Dixon. Built in Tudor Revival Style, it provided for two living units, one on each side of the archway. The Gatehouse resembled a Swiss chalet and became a trademark of the Sheppard. The neighborhood children viewed it as the home of Hansel and Gretel. A tenant alwavs lived in the Gatehouse until 2005. The beautiful Rhododendron Drive was historically entered by driving through the Gatehouse. In 2002 the entire Charles Street entrance was reconstructed and cars no longer entered through the Archway.

This was the final date night of the season and so I purchased tickets for this event. The ticket…read morewas just to utilize the garden so that you can bring your own picnic, lawn chairs and or blanket. They do offer a charcuterie board for $25. They state on their site tables are available as first come. I was able to get a table that seated 6! I was somewhat disappointed that for a date night event there were no bistro tables. The table I found was so filthy and the pavers were full of debris. Had I known it was gonna be so dirty I would have brought cleaning supply and swept the area! The ambiance wasn't romantic for this date night as a lady's birthday party celebration was going on a few feet from us. Though the site stated a live musical artist would be present, he was so far off we couldn't hear him. Due to the birthday party celebration it was difficult to hear when he came closer but thank goodness for my playlist on pandora! When I purchased the ticket for the date night it showed a fee of $10 which is what I paid. But when my date arrived, after myself, he was told I had only paid for one ticket. Am I so stupid to have not known that a date night ticket wasn't for a couple?? This was so confusing but thankfully we had a $10 to pay his date night ticket. Sincerely, I wouldn't purchase any tickets to come to another event here. My garden is small but nicer and definitely cleaner tables and walkways. We tried making the best of it and enjoyed the Greek smorgasbord I packed for us.

This venue has exquisite landscaping and gorgeous gardens. The House has a timeless elegance that…read moreis so unique. Our music group: Vivace Live String Quartet performed for their Music on the Lawn series and we enjoyed every minute of the atmosphere! Plus- their staff is a great team to work with: thoughtful, eager to help, and friendly. Can't wait to go back!

This is my favorite area in Patapsco state park, I've brought many friends and family here over the…read moreyears. It's beautiful, you can find the ruins of an old mining camp and religious boarding school here. There's even a decent spot to jump off the train tracks into the water below, although take care because the water can be shallow in spots.

Probably one of the more interesting hikes that I have done in awhile. The hike will be quite…read moreshort, but you got hills and steps to get your work out on. I think the feel of the place is supposed to be spooky, unfortunately, I picked a spring break day to do it and there were enough teenagers running around here like savages (just kidding, they were all really sweet) it doesn't really have a scary feel to it at all. To explain the ruins, it was Roman Catholic school in Ilchester, Maryland. The ruins are near Ilchester and Bonnie Branch roads (so the Yelp location is pretty straight on). It was called hell house in the 70s after it was abandoned and vandalized and rumors have it a strange cult started living there. It also had an over zealous caretaker who had a gun and some dogs and would assault vandals. He was displaced after the school was set ablaze by arsonists. Hell House altar structure that most people take pictures of is at the top of a very steep hill, about a mile in. It used to have a large metal cross, and it is a very unique place for a photoshoot. For easy access, park in the lot for patapsco state park (right past the train tracks) where the trailhead is and start coming up to the left of the train tracks.

If you enjoy history, stop by this former house of President James Buchanan, the only bachelor U.S…read more president. If you want to go inside, you have to book a guided tour. They are only a few times certain days of the week. The grounds are usually open for you to wander and sit. Personally, I found the house beautiful from the outside.

The man had TASTE. If you're into furnishings and stuff this is a must see! Tiger striped maple on…read morebalustrades on the stairs. The China, the art!

We had a wonderful visit to the Rock Ford Plantation. It was a quiet day and had our own private…read moretour. The guide was very knowledgeable and answered all our questions. This truly is a little hidden gem. The property is gorgeous and it's worth a visit.

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!

My grandparents rented 1/2 of the mansion from the Buchers…read moreand it is a historical treasure of s central Pa. The wood work the tall ceilings and surrounding area are gorgeous.there used to be an iron gate in the basement I presume for slaves but I'm not sure.

How sad . . . this place sits, apparently unused/little used and in great disrepair…read more I was here once, when the owner and his "partner" (I don't know if it was business or personal but she was very nice) opened the mansion for a Boiling Springs Civic Association function. It is just lovely. Much of the house's original features have been keep - woodwork, floors, floorplan, etc. The kitchen had been completely remodeled. I did not have a chance to see the upstairs. I hope that the current owner does something with it or sells it to someone who will . . . it is such an icon of the Children's Lake area - it would be a shame to see it become so decayed that there is no choice but to tear it down. I can see it as a fantastic little french restaurant or an art gallery with a funky little cafe. The view of the lake is beautiful.

Awesome park Great pokemons…read more Cool place for adults and kids! Has public restrooms with water fountain. The playground equipment is new and has all kinds of neat ways to play!

I have never been to a nicer wedding venue! The staff was great. A golf cart escorted me to…read moreparking. Every time you turned around someone was directing you to the proper place. The inside of the building was great for buffet line and bar. The outdoor tent was good sized. It started to rain and they ran right out with towels and umbrellas to close the tent! The outdoor patio area was beautiful and well lit. The sounds of insects and wild life was wonderful. Grounds are very well kept. Ladybugs and butterflies flew around the guests while we watched the outdoor wedding! I cannot speak to the price, since I was only a guest.

I can't say enough good things about this venue. Our daughter just held her wedding here and all…read moreI'm hearing today, two days later, are texts from the guests saying how lovely it was. You really have control over the space and yet they are there managing all the little things. The historic home was impressive and the grounds amazing. The newer part of the old home was built in 1726 but don't worry, it does have indoor plumbing!