Below is our destination overview.  Use this page to learn more about each location and prepare for your program!

ITINERARY INCLUSIONS

Most ACTS Programs to Pennsylvania include:

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• Liberty Bell Pavilion

• Independence Hall Tour

• Congress Hall

• The Constitution Center - "Freedom Rising"

• The Betsy Ross House

• The "Rocky Steps" at the Philadelphia Museum of Art

• Evening Historical Program

• Valley Forge National Historical Park

• Washington Memorial Chapel

• Amish Countryside Tour

• Amish Farm Stop

• "The Amish Experience" Theater

• Amish family-style meals

• Amish House Tour

• Sight and Sound Theater*  
  *based on ticket price/availability

CLIMATE

Fall and spring are mild and the most pleasant seasons in Pennsylvania.
 
Summers tend to be hot and often muggy, the humidity tending to be highest during July and August. The rainfall pattern is generally spread throughout the year, with between six and nine wet days in every month.
 
Winters are cold, but seldom does the mercury drop below freezing. Snow is unpredictable, some winters experiencing little and others characterized by continual snowstorms.

GEOGRAPHY

Amish Country is located in Lancaster County, Pennsylvania, which is found in the south central portion of the state of Pennsylvania, in the beautiful Susquehanna Valley.  The land is mostly flat, with mild rolling hills, lending itself to farming. The farmland of Lancaster County is considered to be among the most fertile non-irrigated farmland in the world. Popular crops include tobacco, soybeans, and corn. There are a large number of dairy and chicken farms as well.

The city of Philadelphia is situated in Philadelphia County in southeastern Pennsylvania, at the junction of the Delaware and Schuylkill rivers, and covers almost 130 square miles. It lies approximately 100 miles inland from the Atlantic Ocean and about halfway between New York City and Washington, D.C.  Philadelphia is located on a narrow strip of the Atlantic Coastal Plain, separated from the Piedmont Plateau by the fall line.

WATCH

• Friendly Persuasion,  Allied Artists (1956) - released on DVD 2000, Warner Studios. This movie is a story based on the Quakers during the Civil War.  Although the Quakers and Amish are different in beliefs - there are similarities in their style of plain living and pacifistic beliefs.  The idea here is that our country allows for different religious groups to practice their religion without persecution.

• 1776  Directed by: Peter H. Hunt (1972)   Studio: Sony Pictures Home Entertainment.  This is a historical musical comedy about the events of 1776.
   

READ

• Killer Angels, Michael Shaara; 1987, Ballantine Books

• Memorize the Gettysburg Address.

• The Riddle of Amish Culture, Donald Kraybill, 1989, ISBN 0-8018-3682-4

• It answers many of those difficult questions about why the Amish do what they do.

• The Amish in their Own Words, compiled by Brad Igou, 1999, Herald Press

• Short readings and stories show the Amish as people; one of the few books actually written by the Amish themselves.

• The Declaration of Independence and The United States Constitution.

 
LISTEN​​

• Civil War music.

• Listen to a sample of an Amish hymn being sung from the Ausbund, the Amish hymnal.

• Listen to a sample of an Amish Bishop preaching

• "Gonna Fly Now" - Bill Conti/Carol Connors.  The song, from the Rocky movie, became part of American Popular Culture after main character Rocky Balboa completed his daily training regimen while the song plays. The song finishes as Rocky completes his famous run up the steps of the Philadelphia Museum of Art and raises his arms in a victory pose. The song is also often played at sporting events.

PREPARE

EAT

• The Amish are wonderful cooks and bakers.  If you stop at an Amish bakeshop on your tour, we would recommend the whoopie pies - little cakes with icing between them.

• Pretzels are another Amish Country favorite.  They come in many flavors with many types of dipping sauces.

• If your tour is eating at one of the Amish family-style restaurants - be adventurous!  Try the dried corn or the shoo-fly pie.

• A Philly Cheesesteak sandwich, a hoagie or a soft pretzel.

DRINK

• Lots of water! Travel days are very active - make sure to hydrate along the way.

• If you can find a water ice or Italian ice.

• The Amish enjoy birch beer (like root beer) and lemonade.

• Hires Root Beer - created in Philadelphia in 1876
   

WALK​​

• In addition to enjoying luxury motorcoach transportation, every tour day includes lots of walking - everywhere!  Prepare for your program by putting in lots of steps at home, and make sure to 'break in' your favorite new shoes for your adventure.