Lancaster, Gettysburg and Hershey

Southeastern Pennsylvania is a region of rolling hills, cultivated fields and small brick towns between Philadelphia and the state capital, Harrisburg. It is also one of the areas most connected to the nation’s history, from the colonial era to the Civil War, and to the rural life of religious communities that arrived from Europe in the 18th and 19th centuries.

Lancaster County is home to Amish and Mennonite communities that maintain a simple way of life, with horse-drawn buggies, traditional clothing and farms without grid electricity. The city of Lancaster has a 19th-century covered market, and nearby villages such as Strasburg, Bird-in-Hand and Intercourse welcome visitors with farmers’ markets, steam trains and museums.

To the west, Gettysburg was the scene of the largest battle of the Civil War in July 1863, and months later Abraham Lincoln delivered the speech that became one of the most oft-quoted texts in the nation’s history. The battlefield, with monuments spread over hills and fields, is a national park.

To the north, near Harrisburg, Hershey grew around Milton Hershey’s chocolate factory, with candy-shaped streetlamps, the Hersheypark amusement park and the factory visitors’ center, Hershey’s Chocolate World.

This destination brings together 3 cities: Lancaster, Gettysburg, Hershey.