'One Room to Rumspringa'
An oftentimes misunderstood, highly unique, and culturally traditional community is just waiting for your student group to explore it, a community by the name of The Amish Experience. This group tour opportunity is one of the most rewarding and educational field trip experiences you can take your student group on, and we've got the inside scoop!
The Amish Experience, Two Worlds One Choice, is a Pennslyvania community and interactive learning experience set within the heart of the oldest Amish community in the world, as well as some of the most beautiful farmland in the country!
This company has over 50 years of experience (1955) at being the highest regarded interactive Amish Farmland opportunity, a true cornerstone of the American Experience. So what can your group get out of a field trip to the heart of Amish Country?
- Cultural Education Steeped in Tradition
- Religious Enlightenment and Education
- Interactive Farm-Life Experience
- Cultural Understanding Beyond Textbooks
Below is a sample 4-hour itinerary from The Amish Experience, a remarkably memorable and educational journey that we can book for your class field trip today!
'One Room to Rumspringa'
(Suggested tour time runs from 9 am to 12 pm)
Farmlands Tour with Step-on Guide - Your tour will begin with a trip down the backcountry roads of the farm, a chance to discover sights among the Amish community rarely seen by visitors. Your certified step-on guide will lead you through the 'panoramas of patchwork fields' that have been fertile for over 250 years, the views giving you a true sense of the overall importance of sense or work and family ethics in this community. The tour takes place within the comfort of the 14-seat air-conditioned minibus, so don't worry about walking the entire way. See horses and mules working, roadside stands, bakeries, and various craft and quilt shops along the way, each making a great 'optional stop of your choice' later in your trip. This will last about 40 - 45 minutes total.
Amishman's Presentation - This next leg of your journey will be spent at an exclusive presentation within a friend of the community's own home, a truly 'unique opportunity to interact with a member of the local community'. During this 30-45 minute presentation, you will get a better understanding of what it was like growing up in an Amish home, what it was like attending a one-room school, and the significance of the 'running around the time' known as Rumspringa.
Optional Amish Stop of Your Choice - As mentioned before briefly, this is your opportunity to spend about 30-45 minutes exploring any of the onsite features of the farm. Look closer into the home you toured, look around the land itself, or stop at the roadside stands, bakeries, and craft and quilt shops.
Learning at Home and School - Amish Country Homestead -
This is your group's chance to see what education was like growing up in an Amish community, attending a one-classroom school with 8 different grades in one room. See what it was like for the fictional Fisher family of the past as you explore their makeshift 9-room homestead and classroom. The authentic desks, chalkboard, propane lamps, and even the freshly canned veggies in the home pantry will all do their part in helping you understand the traditions, practices, and lifestyles of the Old Order Amish, especially the children. It's easy to see why the homestead and classroom have been considered cultural landmarks for over 50 years now.
Amish Experience F/X Theater - 'Jacob's Choice' - One of the most entertaining aspects of your visit will be the showing of 'Jacob's Choice'. This film is a 'compelling and emotional' retelling of the concepts toured previously in the Fisher Homestead. Follow Jacob as he makes the important choice between the church or the modern world (Rumspringa) and learns what it was like for Amish going through religious persecution in general on their journey to America. Disney-like effects will make this a highly interactive experience, with smoke, fire, wind, rain, and mist accompanying your voyage into the 'faith, tradition, and love' of a fast-changing world.
Free Gift and Goodbyes - Before you leave be sure to get your free gift, an authentic Amish report card and say your goodbyes and thank yous! There are seasonal additional event options to end your field trip with as well, such as the Underground Railroad experience and Magic Lantern show.
*Optional Lunch and Dinner Options are available with your tour package, just let us know what you want! The meals are served at the onsite Plain and Fancy Restaurant, a Lancaster County original family-style dining room open to the public. Taste what hundreds of thousands of other guests have left raving about here with the Pennsylvania dutch farm to table foods, served with just as much traditional love as when Grandma Lapp did it!
For more information on our Amish Field Trip offerings, check out our Ohio Amish Community page.