Happy Thanksgiving, From Our Family To Yours!

One thing we've learned after almost 8 years in Lancaster County is that "family" is the core to most everything that happens here.  It's easy to spot this in family-run businesses, like B&Bs or the myriad of cottage industries operated by the Amish.  But it's also true of larger businesses throughout Pennsylvania Dutch Country.  Our son, Dylan, works summers at Cherry Crest Adventure Farm, a wonderful agricultural amusement park that caters to children from 1 to 99.  It's owned by a local family who treats every employee like part of their extended family.  Coming from the corporate world ourselves, and living in numerous cities during our long engineering careers. we have really come to appreciate what we have here in Lancaster County. 

So that brings us to today's simple message... To wish each and every one of our friends, neighbors, family, B&B guests, and fellow innkeepers a Very Healthy and Happy Thanksgiving!

Pumpkin Pies and Apple Pies, baked today by Jamie and Dylan... Yum!

Ready for the Holidays!

As those of you who have visited Lancaster County in November and December already know, this is a great place to be for the holidays!  Shopping at the outlet malls, Tanger and Rockvale Square, is always fun, but "Black Friday" weekend is totally over the top.  Tanger's festivities start at midnight on Thanksgiving night and continue all weekend ~ with extra sales, deals, coupons, and more.  Rockvale has similar events, and together they make for a really cool overnight of holiday shopping.

Just a couple of miles from the Apple Bin Inn is a great candy and chocolate maker, Evans Candy, who is only open from October until Easter.  Since holidays are their prime time, they really do it up right.  Their chocolates are some of the best we've had, and they make hundreds of specialty candy items in every conceivable shape and size.  Our favorites include "mojeskas", which are homemade marshmallow and caramel dipped in chocolate... heavenly!

Of course the holidays aren't just about shopping.  So if you'd like to get in the Christmas mood in the most memory-evoking way, you definitely should visit the National Christmas Center.  This amazing museum's curator and historian, Jim Morrison, looks strikingly like that jolly old soul with the big white beard and the red suit.  And his museum is such an uplifting collection of Christmas history, nostalgia, storybook lands, international displays, toy railroad mountains, and just plain fun, that you'll leave with a renewed spirit, and a better understanding of how Christmas has touched the lives of families across the generations.  We won't spoil all the surprises by telling you everything... you'll just have to see this place for yourself.  And the best part is, they're open all year 'round! 

Well that's it for today.  We'll be adding much more about Lancaster County in the coming weeks and months, so please become a "follower" of our blog, and we'll talk again soon :-)  

Welcome to the Apple Bin Inn's new blog!

To what we hope will be a growing number of followers, we wish you a fond welcome to our newest endeavor at Internet communication!  We've often thought about writing a blog about Lancaster County, the home of our Apple Bin Inn B&B, but never seemed to find the time.  But as we read many of the wonderful blogs being written about our little corner of Pennsylvania, we realized that we had a lot to add to the conversation...

 

We plan to post entries at least twice a month about things to do, places to eat, and sights to see, so feel free to add your comments about topics you'd like to know more about in Pennsylvania Dutch Country.  We sincerely hope you'll become followers of our blog, "InnSights into Lancaster County"!

We also hope you'll visit our website, and come stay with us when your travels bring you to Amish Country in Lancaster County.  Have a Happy Holiday Season!