The Europeans who first settled in much of this region in the late 1600s came to a virgin land blessed with abundant natural resources and a temperate climate that lent itself to rich harvests.

Today, we carry on these agricultural traditions that began with cleared-forest farming and grew to establish the region's reputation as America's original breadbasket.

Visit these hidden treasures to see and taste why we remain proud of our farming traditions.

Lancaster's Landis Valley Museum & Village is an authentic living history village presenting over 200 years of Pennsylvania Dutch lifestyle, foodways, crafts and farming. Visit the rural village farm's historic kitchens, hearth and bake ovens and take The Taste of Penn Dutch Tour, a food lover's delight! Don't miss a horse-drawn wagon ride and be sure to sample sticky buns, snitz and cider.

At Lancaster County's Kitchen Kettle Village you can watch local farm women put up jams and relishes the same way they've been made for generations. And be sure to sample pepper jam and take home a jar of fresh-made chow chow.

While in Lititz, visit the
Wilbur Chocolate Co. where you can see chocolates made by hand. For more than 100 years, Wilbur Buds - bite-sized milk- or dark-chocolate morsels - have been popular favorites created in the tradition of European chocolatiers. Visit the museum store and purchase a box ... or two.

Lancaster County     York County
Meals available*      Shopping
*Call in advance to set up eating arrangements for your group.

At the Brown Cow Country Market and Hope Acres near Brogue, take a tour of its fully robotic dairy and the calving barn, then enjoy on-site dining and shopping. Made-from-scratch is not a thing of yesteryear at the Bird-in-Hand Bakery. Featuring fresh seasonal recipes and traditional PA Dutch treats including a wet-bottom shoofly pie, large apple dumplings and fresh pumpkin pie. Located along Route 340 in Bird-in-Hand.

The Agriculture & Industrial Museum seamlessly blends York's farming and industrial history with farm implements and machinery, and an authentic 1830s working grist mill.

Take home a bag of potato chips at York County's Utz Quality Foods, Hanover, where they've been made since 1921. Tour the plant where up to 14,000 pounds of chips can be produced hourly from locally grown potatoes.