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Pennsylvania... a bust!

5/27/2017

4 Comments

 
We've been in Pennsylvania now for a little over two weeks and I have to say that so far, I've been underwhelmed.  I'll speak about the campground in my campground reviews in a couple of weeks.  But, so far, it's not been what I expected.

First off, Lancaster County and the Amish Country were a huge disappointment to me.  I had expected charming farms and little roadside stands filled with produce and dairy products.  Color me disappointed when all we we found were restaurants, stores and fake Amish Villages that you paid to go in, as well as buggy rides for rent.  We did drive around the countryside and saw a little of what must have been the traditional lifestyle back before commercialism took stead.

We've enjoyed our little jaunts around the countryside and through the Nature Preserves.  Maybe it's the rain, maybe it's the lack of satellite and our dryer breaking, maybe it's Memphis.  

Pennsylvania also has the strangest liquor laws I've ever seen.  Most stores and convenience stores don't sell beer.  You can't sell beer with wine and liquor.  They're sold in a liquor store.  And if you want beer, you have to find a brewhouse.  And they're not on every street corner, either.  I'm guessing that there's either a lot of temperance that goes on here or we're just in a strange part of the state.  Maybe I'm wrong.  It's just been very different.

Next week, after the holidays and finally being able to test out the new satellite, we'll be spending a couple of days in Philadelphia, and I hope that my early opinion changes.  We'll see.
4 Comments
Lexa Cain link
5/27/2017 08:48:47 pm

If you're disappointed that the Amish country has become commercial, imagine how the Amish feel? I'm sure they don't want to see people pretending to be them, wandering around in fake clothes, in fake villages, and offering buggy rides for money. I hope you like Philly better, though from what I know of Philly, that won't happen...

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Tonja Drecker link
5/28/2017 03:34:09 pm

Sorry to hear that Pennsylvania wasn't all you'd hoped. Honestly, my mind comes up pretty blank when I think of the state--never been there + haven't heard much. As to the Amish, we live in Amish country and it isn't as I'd picture either. They have their farms off by themselves and the stores they run aren't what one might expect.

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Kimberly Robello link
6/3/2017 02:58:13 am

Interesting post! I was curious about how it would be to see Amish people. I thought it would be nice to buy some wooden things they made, but I never imagined the area would be as you described.

I'm not a drinker, but the liquor laws in Pennsylvania sound peculiar. Sounds like another world.

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Merryl Michalek
9/2/2017 12:00:13 am

I live on NE PA and reading your experience in the Amish country surprises me. Yes you do need to go on the country roads to see the farms and the one room school houses. I hope you were able to experience the horse and buggys as they are everywhere. We like the area around Bird In Hand the best. Much of the Amish make furniture due to the heartaches so many farmers experience.
Regarding liquor and beer sales yes PA is different from many other states because the liquor stores are state owned. It helps with our taxes. We do have privately owned wine and beer distributors.
I truly hope you have another opportunity to visit our state as we have so much here. People from NY and NJ flock upstate to the Poconos in the summer and fall to enjoy our beautiful countryside.

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