The other weekend I went with some friends to Lancaster, Pennsylvania. I had been there several times before and enjoyed learning about the Amish Culture but my friends had never been there so I was excited to share the experience with them. My friends and I agreed that we all wanted to go on a buggy ride to check out the backroads of the Amish and so we headed to Abe’s Buggy Rides which has been touring Lancaster with buggy rides since 1967.

But before I share the images of that experience I want to talk some about the Amish and their culture.

The roots of the Amish originated from the Anabaptist movement which started in Zurich, Switzerland in 1525. The Amish got their name from Jacob Amman who split from the Mennonites in 1693. The Amish began arriving in Pennsylvania in the late 1600’s after fleeing European persecution. The Amish then settled in Pennsylvania as part of William Penn’s “Holy experiment” of religious tolerance. They follow the Ordung which is an unwritten set of rules that they follow to stay humble in their lifestyle.

Route 340, the road hat passes beside Abe’s Buggy Rides was built in 1733 by King George II and was called the King’s Highway in colonial days. The town of Bird-in-Hand (where Abe’s Buggy Rides is located) was established in 1734 got it’s name from a local inn’s sign.

The Amish are hard working people who do not drive cars, but rather drive a horse and buggy and do not have electricity in their home. Their children attend a one-room school house where they are taught grades 1-8. They mostly speak a dialect of German called Pennsylvania Dutch and worship in high German but do learn English when they go to school.

Here are some photos of our Abe’s Buggy Ride experience..

We spent most of the time driving through the backroads. We were so lucky! Our driver taught me how to manage the horse and let me drive half-way to a local general store and let my girlfriend drive back.

Here are some photos of the local general store where all things Amish such as Whoopie Pie, Shoo-Fly Pie, and a large selection of Amish breads were on sale.

Let’s take a look…

And let’s not forget the most amazing, fresh, hand-rolled pretzels were made and sold on the store’s property. “Oh my,” is all I will say.

So if you want to get out of the city or just have a day or two adventure, then I highly recommend a road trip to Lancaster and a buggy ride at Abe’s.

It was lovely, as a trip to the Amish country always is!