"Dutch" (actually, German) country will only seem "nearby" if you have come here from a great distance. From Delaware Water Gap PA at the south end of the Delaware Water Gap National Recreation Area, it is about a 2 1/2 hour (120-mile) drive to the edge of "Dutch" country. The journey can be worth it, though, for those interested in history, in material culture, and in the development of religion in this nation.

There are various routes from the recreation area to Dutch country. A fairly direct route would be to take Interstate 80 west from Delaware Water Gap PA 6 miles to Exit 304, signed as "Route 209 to Route 33 South." Stay on Route 33 (not Route 209) 23 miles south to Interstate 78 at Hellertown PA. Take 78 west 42 miles to Route 61 south, and Route 61 south 12 miles to Route 222 west. In 15 miles Route 222 reaches Route 322 to Ephrata Cloister (See below), at the northeast edge of Dutch country.

Information Sources

Pennsylvania Dutch Convention & Visitors Bureau, Lancaster PA
(800) PADUTCH (800) 723-8824

Mennonite Information Center, Lancaster PA
Interpreting the faith and practices of the Amish and Mennonites; also providing a bookstore, a film about the Amish, and 10,000-villages fair-trade store.

Bird-in-Hand PA
One of many PA Dutch villages of Lancaster County PA, and central to the region, with attractions such as buggy rides.

PA State Parks and Historic Sites in the Area

Landis Valley Museum, Lancaster PA
Not a "museum" at all but an entire historic village of German-American culture, portraying lifeways from 1740 to 1940.

Ephrata Cloister, Ephrata PA
Germanic religious community from 1732 and its unique buildings.

Cornwall Iron Furnace, Cornwall PA
An iron manufacturing complex from Revolutionary times.

Related Sites in this Region

Lancaster Cultural History Museum, Lancaster PA
Historic and decorative artifacts of the area

Lancaster Quilt & Textile Museum, Lancaster PA
Textiles especially quilts from the 18th to 20th centuries