'''Pennsylvania Dutch Country''' is a region in Pennsylvania also referred to as '''South Central Pennsylvania'''. The region is home to many major tourist attractions such as Lancaster county's Amish country, Harrisburg's state capitol and museums and Hershey's chocolate world and theme park.
Regions
Harrisburg metropolitan area
Lancaster county
Cities
Harrisburg
Lancaster
Reading
York
Lebanon
Carlisle
Other destinations
Hershey
Gettysburg
Understand
While Pennsylvania Dutch Country consists of a lot of rural areas and is noted for its high Amish population, it is home to over 1.5 million people and maintains one of the highest rates of population growth in the Northeast United States due to lower cost of living but close proximity to major metropolitan areas. It is truly a diverse region with rolling hills, orchards and farms but also growing, vibrant yet historic cities.
Talk
Much of the population is bi-lingual, speaking both English and a dialect of German called "Pennsylvania Dutch." Smaller children speak only this dialect until starting school. The name "Pennsylvania Dutch" is actually a mispronunciation of "Deutsch" or German. Church services are held in "high German," as opposed to the dialect.
Get in
By plane
There are several regional airports in south central Pennsylvania but the largest and most used is Harrisburg International Airport [http://wwww.flyhia.com] (MDT) located in Middletown, just minutes from Harrisburg and PA Route 283. Harrisburg International Airport has over a dozen non-stop flights to cities in the U.S. and Toronto in Canada.
Get around
By car
The easiest way to get around the region is by car. There is an extensive network of roads and the area is criss-crossed by several major interstates (81, 76, 83) and U.S. routes (11, 15, 22, 30).
By train
Amtrak's high-speed Keystone line [http://www.catchthekeystone.com/] travels through Lancaster and Dauphin county with stops in Lancaster, Mount Joy, Elizabethtown, Middletown and Harrisburg is useful if traveling between Lancaster and Harrisburg but does not link up the rest of the region.
See
'''Plain and Fancy Farm''', [http://www.plainandfancyfarm.com/]. Good all-around tour of the Amish community including a restaurant, bus tours and a movie. Particularly good if you're a foreign visitor without a car.
Itineraries
Do
Ski
Ski Roundtop [http://www.skiroundtop.com/]
Ski Liberty [http://www.skiliberty.com/]
Whitetail Resort [http://www.skiwhitetail.com/]
Eat
Miller's Smorgasbord. 811 Lincoln Highway East Ronks, PA 17572. n the left side of Rt 30. About a mile past rt 896 when travelling East.. -800-669-3568. ttp://www.millerssmorgasbord.com/. Very authentic Dutch food for a fair price. Restaurant is often crowded, so reservations are highly recommended. There are many shops on the premises which are well worth checking out.
Buy
Park City Center. 42 Park City Center, Lancaster. ttp://www.parkcitycenter.com/. The region's largest shopping mall featuring over 180 stores.
White Horse Luncheonette.
Drink
Stay safe
Links
Hershey Harrisburg Official Visitors Center [http://www.hersheyharrisburg.org/]
Lancaster County Pennsylvania Dutch Country Official Visitors Center [http://www.padutchcountry.com/]