8 Best Sights in Pennsylvania Dutch Country, Pennsylvania

A must-see in Lancaster City is the Romanesque Central Market, constructed in 1889. The market began as open-air stalls in 1742. Here, local people shop for fresh fruits and vegetables, meats, fresh flowers, and baked goods such as sticky buns and shoofly pie. In recent years, Central Market (which has the distinction of being the oldest continuously-operating farmers' market in the country) has added some decidedly modern vendors. In addition to Lebanon bologna and chowchow, you can also count on picking up great third-wave coffee and fresh pressed green juice made from local crops.

A former and singular monastic community, Ephrata Cloister was founded in 1732 by German immigrant Conrad Beissel. Originally set on 250 acres of Native American wilderness, Beissel and his believers built 30 structures, including a monastery and a printing press and named their community "Ephrata." The monastic society of brothers and sisters were celibate and lived an austere life of work, study, and prayer. In the 1940s, the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania took over the property and has been running it as a museum, with 45-minute tours of three restored buildings, after which you can browse through several others, including the stable, printshop, and crafts shop. Self-guided cell-phone tours are also available.

There are few landmarks as touching as the Gettysburg National Military Park, where General Robert E. Lee and his Confederate troops encountered the Union forces of General George Meade. There are more than 1,300 markers and monuments honoring the casualties of the battle in the 6,000-acre park. More than 30 miles of marked roads lead through the park, highlighting key battle sites. In the first week of July, Civil War reenactors dress in period uniforms and costumes to commemorate the three-day battle.

Self-guided tours as well as tour guides for hire are both available, as are tours on horseback.

In 2008 the Gettysburg National Military Park Museum and Visitor Center moved to a $103 million facility, which makes for an excellent starting point to understand the events leading up to the battle, its significance to the Civil War, and its impact on the town. The center includes a dozen interactive galleries, which feature a compelling mix of artifacts such as a wooden desk believed to have been used by General Robert E. Lee, paired with the latest in interactive video and audio displays. Each section takes its name from a phrase used in Lincoln's Gettysburg Address. It is also home to the 377-foot "Battle of Gettysburg" cyclorama painting from 1884, which has been completely restored including a 3-D foreground. The painting, a must-see in its colorful, life-like depiction of Pickett's Charge, along with a documentary film, "A New Birth of Freedom," are packaged together as a 45-minute ticketed experience. There is a restaurant and a bookstore on site. The Park Service also provides a free map with a 25-mile driving tour through the battlefield, walking-tour guides, and schedules of free ranger-conducted programs which range from walks and talks about the battle to the aftermath and the Civil War experience. Private, licensed guides may also be hired at the center. Value package information and online purchase specials are available on the Web site.

Friday is bustling at the Green Dragon Farmers Market and Auction, one of the state's largest farmers' markets, occupying 30 acres. The 400 indoor and outdoor stands run by Amish and Mennonite farmers sell meats, cheeses, fruits, vegetables, baked goods, flowers, and crafts. It's a traditional agricultural market with a country-carnival atmosphere. There's also a flea market, a household goods auction, and an evening auction of small animals.

A registered historic landmark, the Hans Herr House is the oldest surviving homestead in Lancaster County and the oldest original (and remaining) Mennonite meeting house in the Western Hemisphere.

The subject of several paintings by Andrew Wyeth, it was the Colonial home of the Herr family, to whom the Wyeths were related. Today the house is owned by the Lancaster Mennonite Historical Society, which educates the public about the Mennonite religion. The 45-minute tour covers the grounds and the 1719 Mennonite meeting place. A separate 45-minute tour covers a reconstructed Native American longhouse.

Billed as the "Sweetest Place on Earth," Hersheypark offers more than 65 rides and attractions, a boardwalk with a lazy river and wave pool, a wildlife park called ZooAmerica with hundreds of animals, as well as tons of live-entertainment options. Founded in 1907 as a town park for chocolate factory workers, Hersheypark, set on more than 100 acres, is prized as one of America's cleanest and greenest theme parks. Among its historical rides are the Comet, a 1946-vintage wooden roller coaster, and a carousel built in 1919 that has 66 hand-carved wooden horses. "Chocolatetown" is the latest park expansion that includes Candymonium, its tallest and longest roller coaster to date, a virtual-reality experience, a Hershey merch flagship store, and a full-service restaurant.

This open-air museum showcases Pennsylvania German rural life and folk culture between 1750 and 1940. Founded by brothers Henry and George Landis on their homestead in the 1920s, the farm and village are now operated by the Pennsylvania Historical and Museum Commission. You can visit more than 15 historical buildings, with costumed guides providing interesting bits of history. There are demonstrations of skills such as spinning and weaving, pottery making, and tinsmithing. Many of the crafts are for sale in the museum shop.