Weekend in Lancaster County


To celebrate our 31st anniversary, Robert and I decided to spend the weekend in one of our favorite places: Lancaster County, Pennsylvania. We have been wanting to stay in the Red Caboose Motel in Strasburg, ever since we learned it existed, so we booked a 2 night stay. 


This place is so cute! It's made up of 38 cabooses, a mail car, a baggage car, and 2 dining cars.



They're celebrating their 50th season this year!



We stayed in a couple's half caboose. There are also family cabooses that sleep up to 6 people, and they even have a honeymoon caboose!



We stayed in Caboose Number 2.


Inside, it was comfy and cozy.



We could hear the clip-clop of horses' hooves, and see the Amish buggies go by from our window. I think more buggies went by than cars!


After exploring the area around the hotel (they even have a cute little petting zoo), we went for a drive.  We love to drive around this area, and see all of the Amish farms, schoolhouses, clotheslines, and buggies, and imagine what a simpler, quieter lifestyle would be like.  We made a stop at Kitchen Kettle Village, which is a little bit touristy, but they have lots of delicious jams, jellies, and other canned goods which can be sampled before you decide what to take home with you.  We ended up taking home some strawberry rhubarb jam, zesty salsa, and pickled beets. 

Next we stopped by the Mennonite Information Center.  In my opinion this place is a must-see when in Lancaster County.


There is a Biblical Tabernacle Reproduction here, and they give lecture tours of it, which I very highly recommend to anyone at all interested in Bible things.  We've done the tour a couple of times, but we still go to the Center for the wonderful gift shop.  Not only do they carry Tabernacle related items and books, but also Mennonite and Amish themed things, and Ten Thousand Villages merchandise. Everything from Ten Thousand Villages is handmade, fair trade, and beautiful. Buying from them is a great way to support artisans and makers in developing communities around the world.

For dinner Friday night, we drove to quaint downtown Lancaster to a vegan restaraunt called Root.  It had a rustic, casual, friendly, slightly hipster kind of atmosphere, and the food was delicious.


I ordered the Roasted Asparagus Pizza, and it turned out to be the BEST pizza I have ever eaten! It had the creamiest garlic sauce, and the vegetables were roasted just right.


Robert ordered the Chef's Special, which was Irish Pot Pie, which was also so yummy.


We've been eating plant-based for over a year and a half, and it's so nice to be able to go to a restaurant and be able to order anything on the menu!


After dinner we went back to our caboose to welcome in Shabbat (the Sabbath). I think this day deserves a post all it's own, so my next one will be all about how we celebrate Shabbat when we're away from home.

Saturday night we went to see Sight and Sound Theatre's production of "Jesus". 


Sight and Sound productions are live, musical "stage adventures", complete with elaborate sets, special effects, and even live animals.  This is the second one we've been to; we saw "Jonah" a couple of years ago.  This one was great, and we enjoyed it very much, but I think I liked Jonah even more.


If you ever go, definitely get the almonds they roast in the lobby. Yum!

After the show, we went back to our cozy caboose for the night. The next morning we had tickets for the 11:00 train at the Strasburg Rail Road just down the road. 


It is the oldest operating railroad in America, and it now operates as a tourist railroad.


The steam locomotive takes the passenger cars on a 45 minute round trip, 4.5 miles each way, to Paradise, PA, and back.




The train is not a replica. Each car and locomotive is a beautifully restored antique.


The passenger cars have two wood stoves to keep things toasty warm.


It was a lovely day for a train ride! We even rode by the Red Caboose Motel.


When we purchased our tickets, we bought the combo ticket add-on for the Railroad Museum of Pennsylvania, which is right across the street.


This museum is in a huge building that houses over 100 historic locomotives and train cars.


We spent a couple of hours looking at all the trains and railroad artifacts. It's such an interesting and important part of history!


Robert especially enjoyed the museum, because his grandfather was an engineer with the Northern Pacific Railroad.


We couldn't leave the area without eating at Casey Jones' Restaurant at the Red Caboose Motel, so we had a late lunch there before we headed home.


There were a few things to choose from on the menu that fit our plant based diet, and the food was very good. There were a couple of veggie wraps on the menu, and a veggie or black bean burger could be substituted for any of their burgers. 


It was fun to sit and have a leisurely lunch in a train dining car while watching the Amish buggies go by; a perfect ending to a memorable weekend celebrating our 31st anniversary.

Coming soon: Shabbat on the Road: How to Keep the Sabbath When You're Away From Home











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