Lancaster County is home to the oldest Amish settlement in the United States. About 44,000 Amish live in the Lancaster settlement, which spills into neighboring counties. They’re part of a wider group of Amish, Mennonite, and Brethren churches often called the Plain People, for their plain dress and simple way of life.
What the Amish believe
The Amish are Christians in the Anabaptist tradition. They practice adult baptism and nonviolence, and they try to live apart from worldly influences that could pull families and communities away from God. Each church district sets its own rules, called the Ordnung, so practices vary from group to group. Read more about Amish faith and Amish history.
Daily life
Old Order Amish families don’t connect to the public power grid or own cars. Instead, they travel by horse and buggy and farm with horses and mules. Children attend one-room schools through eighth grade. Worship is held every other Sunday in members’ homes. Farming is still central, but many Amish now run shops, build furniture, and work in construction as farmland grows scarce.
Visiting Amish Country respectfully
The Amish are private people. Many object to photos where they can be recognized, so ask before taking pictures of people, and give buggies plenty of room on the road. The best way to learn is from the Amish themselves: a farm tour, a buggy ride, or a meal in an Amish home.
Heritage comes alive the moment you step into it
Much can be learned from studying the Amish way of life. Their devotion to family and community, and their strong work ethic are good examples for our society at large.
AMISH CULTURE & EXPERIENCES
About 44,000 live in the Lancaster settlement, the largest Amish settlement in Pennsylvania.
Yes. The Amish are devout Christians who believe in Jesus Christ as their Lord and Savior. Their faith is rooted in the Anabaptist tradition of the Protestant Reformation, emphasizing adult baptism, nonviolence, separation from the modern world, and living out faith through daily life and community. The Bible is central to Amish belief, and church services are held in members’ homes rather than church buildings.
Photos of landscapes and buggies from a distance are generally fine. Many Amish object to posed or close-up photos where they can be recognized, so ask first.
The countryside around Bird-in-Hand, Intercourse, Strasburg, and Ronks. A guided tour or buggy ride is the easiest way in.
It is possible to convert and join an Amish community, but it is rare and requires a deep, long-term commitment. Converts must learn Pennsylvania Dutch German, embrace plain clothing and lifestyle, give up modern technology, and be accepted by a local Amish congregation. Most Amish communities are welcoming to serious inquiries, but the transition is genuinely demanding. The vast majority of Amish members were born into the faith.
Rachel Smucker invites you to see the beautiful display of quilts in her quilt shop on her Amish farm. See over 100 quality, colorful quilts hand crafted by local Amish and Mennonite women. Quilts, wall hangings, pillows, dolls and more are available at competitive prices. Buses welcome. Closed Sundays.
Smucker’s Quilts – Handmade Amish Quilts and Crafts
117 N. Groffdale Road
Come experience life on an Amish farm. Milk a cow, feed a calf and the pygmy goats, miniature bull, and miniature chickens. Watch the pot-bellied pigs perform. All ages will enjoy this! Then tour their big garden and sample the fresh produce. Groups are welcome. Learn about Amish life from the Amish.
Old Windmill Farm – Amish Farm Tours
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