Buggy Rides in Lancaster County - The Real Thing

The other day a guest asked me how to stop the buggies that go by the inn so that she could get a ride. I had to explain that these Amish and Mennonite buggies are the real deal – they are not for hire.

That got me to thinking about all the things we take for granted--like hearing the clip-clop of buggies from both The Artist's Inn and Harvest Moon Bed and Breakfast.

While Lancaster County has several business providing buggy rides in the more touristy spots, the buggies you see passing through Terre Hill and New Holland hold passengers who are going shopping, to work, to church or visiting. Our old-order neighbors and friends live a life not too different from our own. They still have schedules to keep and places to go. It’s just that their form of transportation reflects an earlier time and a slower pace.

Buggies provide part of the fabric that forms a unique mix in these two small towns. When I lived in a bordering state, I was stuck in suburbia with its many big box stores, chain restaurants, and commuters hurring off to jobs in the city. Streets there pretty much looked like streets up and down the East coast.

New Holland and Terre Hill are two towns our guests have come to appreciate. There’s a real community here. People come together to help each other, raise money for those in need, and to have fun.

Just as John Mellencamp sings, our guests have themselves a ball in a small town (or two!). Outhouse races, Christmas festivals, town-wide yard sales, breakfast, lunch, concerts and ice cream socials in our parks, one of the biggest harvest parades in the state – there’s no end to the fun you can have. They offer small shops, restaurants, and post offices where people know your name, hold the door, and sit on the park bench to discuss the latest events.

Our towns here offer a glimpse into life as it once was – and a chance to slow down and rejoice because we are blessed to live in a very special place. And it is our honor to share it with our guests.

So the next time you visit Terre Hill or New Holland, take a closer look at our main streets, lined with century homes and buildings, and imagine a time, not so long ago, when we all traveled by buggy. Not for rides, but for real.

Thanks to Larry Williams, a repeat guest and friend, who captured this picture of a buggy from the front porch of The Artist's Inn on a Saturday night.