Amish Homestay Bed & Breakfast

My partner and I had dinner with Ben and Emma late in April. We had a fine meal with them, and a long chat afterwards. I was fascinated to listen to them and had lots of questions; I just hope he didn't think that I was asking too much!

Many of his comments about Amish life were very thoughtful and insightful. We learned a lot.

They were remarkably open, friendly and helpful. It was great to view Amish life from the inside, as it were.

Highly recommended!

Our stay with Ben and Emma was not bad, but we left feeling a bit disappointed and like this was just about them making as much money off of guests as possible. The short version is that we were sold a tour that basically just takes you to a few very touristic spots and nothing more, and paid for a horse and buggy ride that was little more than a 15 minute trip around a parking lot. More details follow.

The two night minimum is off-putting. We almost didn't reserve, but the allure of staying in an actual Amish home (as opposed to a guest house) was strong, so we decided to do reserve for two nights. Staying in the house is not actually that different from a guest house, though. There is electricity courtesy of generators and batteries, so you are in a home with a refrigerator, lights, etc. Lack of wifi is about the only difference you're likely to experience.

It's worth noting that although they have a two night minimum, you only receive breakfast after one of the nights. I've never in my life been at a bed and breakfast that does not serve you breakfast after each night.

Ben is very gracious with his time, willing to talk and answer questions - we really appreciated that part. However, soon after we arrived, we received a sales pitch to sell us additional aspects of the visit, and this is where we were really disappointed.

The extra services offered for a fee were a home-cooked dinner, a horse and buggy ride, and what we were told would be a 2-3 hour tour of Amish country. Especially for the latter, it was advertised to us as going to places we wouldn't normally encounter, to get more of an inside, local look at Amish life.

The tour actually was about 1.5 hours, and 20 minutes of that was waiting for Ben while he ran errands (that we drove him to, without him asking if it was okay). So really, it was more like an hour and 15 minutes. We saw very little that you wouldn't see on any drive through Amish country, and our three stops were a touristic farm that is just like any other farm you've seen, minus more modern machinery, and two VERY touristy stores. When I say the were tourist stores, there were tour buses outside them. We were so disappointed to pay someone to direct us to exactly the types of places we try to avoid.

The horse and buggy ride was just 15 minutes, and 10 of it was around a parking lot. Yes, a "modern" parking lot, through rows of cars. Not exactly the ambiance one imagines for a horse and buggy ride.

The meal was fine, we had no complaints about that.

Thank you for your review. A few comments in defense of Ben & Emma, the host couple: Your review title, "Feels like a money grab more than authentic immersion", seems a bit harsh & unkind to me. Considering the comparitively low rates at this B&B along with the amount of personal attention, time & energy you receive from the host couple, to accuse them of being interested in grabbing your money is simply untrue. For a lodging to have a 2 night minimum is very common, and the fact that a full breakfast is only offered the first morning of your stay is stated plainly on our website & booking page. I understand that the tour may not have lived up to your expectations, but I doubt you could find a less expensive tour, or one where you had as much opportunity for interaction & questions with your tour guide anywhere else in Lancaster County. You also mention that, "Staying in the house is not actually that different from a guest house. There is electricity courtesy of generators and batteries, so you are in a home with a refrigerator, lights, etc.". I appreciate you pointing that out, as many people seem to have a romanticized notion of the Amish living by candle light or gas lanterns, which is no longer true of the vast majority of old order Amish in Lancaster County. Sometimes we non-Amish have unrealistic expectations which we expect the Amish to live up to. I'm sorry your stay was a disappointment - I guess that just goes to show that this lodging is not for everyone. Happily, most guests leave rave reviews after staying with Ben & Emma (for more Amish Homestay reviews please visit the reviews page of our Amishfarmstay.com website).

We booked two nights with Ben and Emma and brought our two young children as a cultural learning experience, which I think is so important. We chose this bed and breakfast since we wanted as much interaction with our hosts as possible. We were definitely not disappointed! Ben and Emma treated us as friends and answered our questions without making us feel foolish. Ben brought us on a buggy ride and taught the kids to play shuffleboard. We all played board games together and spent the evenings talking and sitting around the fire. Emma made the most delicious meals and her meatloaf with homemade ketchup was to die for! Definitely take advantage of booking a dinner at the house. The second night we went out to eat and were regretting it the whole time.

Thank you for your informative review. We're glad you enjoyed your Amish Bed & Breakfast experience!

This was an incredibly unique and valuable experience. Ben and Emma were so incredibly nice and accommodating. They treat you like friends not strangers. A beautiful farm and lovely surrounding countryside and farmland.

My sister and I stayed two nights with Ben and Emma and we really enjoyed our time there. I promise you really won’t miss electricity unless you are glued to your electronics. If you really want to know more about the Amish and their way of life, this is the place to be. We plan on going back to visit.