Great Ethnic Restaurants Abound in Lancaster County!

Sure, Lancaster County is famous for wonderful "comfort food" restaurants like Good 'n Plenty, Plain & Fancy, and Shady Maple.  But many visitors aren't aware of the assortment of great ethnic restaurants in our beautiful corner of Pennsylvania. 

One of our favorites, and less than a mile from the Apple Bin Inn, is Wasabi Japanese Restaurant.  It's not a tepanyaki style (where they cook at your table and throw shrimp into their hats).  Rather it's a truly authentic Japanese eatery, with some of the best food this side of Tokyo (where I traveled about 30 times during my previous corporate life).  Their sushi bar is not large, but the selection and quality are excellent, and it's fun to watch the sushi chefs create their masterpieces.  Plus they've recently added some scrumptious Thai dishes to their menu.  So come give Wasabi a try.  You'll be very glad you did! 

And speaking of Thai food, another great place is Lemon Grass Thai Restaurant, right across the street from Rockvale Square outlets on Rt. 30.  Their delicious Thai cuisine, including many delightful vegetarian dishes, will keep you smiling all through dinner.

If Mexican food is your passion, then you should definitely plan a dinner at El Serrano.  Not only will you feel like you're in the heart of Mexico, but they also offer an array of Peruvian dishes that are quite unique.  There's also a fantastic tapas restaurant, called Culturas, on the property.  If you've never tried tapas (meaning "small plate"), then your taste buds are in for a real treat, as you and your friends sample a variety of mouth-watering Latin American foods!

If you have a taste for Indian cuisine, there's no better place than Taj Mahal.  Their authentic Indian fare, with unmistakable aromas and flavors, will awaken your senses and take you to the other side of the world.  And don't worry... even if you don't like your food too spicy, they will season each order to your individual taste.  We have frequent guests at the Apple Bin Inn who consider Taj Mahal a required stop during every visit to Lancaster County.

We'll introduce you to more of Lancaster's amazing variety of fine restaurants in upcoming blog posts, but for now... Let's eat!

Cherry Crest Adventure Farm ~ What a Treat!

We made our annual visit to Cherry Crest Adventure Farm today with some guests from Virginia who were traveling with their 5 year old granddaughter.  Our son, Dylan, has been working at Cherry Crest for 3 summers, and we have been going to their world famous Corn Maze every year since 2003.  This year's maze theme is "Once Upon A Time... A Corny Tale".  As expected, the 5-acre maze kept us challenged and smiling, as we searched for map pieces and fun activities hidden throughout the maze.  We made our way out in about 45 minutes... a little faster than we historically are able to do it.  We then spent time enjoying many of the 50 other fun activities in the park, from the petting zoo area, to the hillside slide, to the bouncing pillows, to the farm tractor tour... with periodic stops for some mouth-watering snacks, like their amazing roasted corn on the cob, and a stop at their newly renovated fudge and candy shop - YUM!  This is the height of low-tech fun... a true agricultural amusement park for kids of all ages.  Why not plan a visit, along with your stay at the Apple Bin Inn.  We'll tell them to keep the tractor warmed up for you!

Update ~ Independence Day Concert at Long's Park...

A follow-up to our previous post...  We attended the July 3rd concert at Long's Park, and all I can say is "Wow!" Not only was the U.S. Army Band as wonderful as ever, but the cannons seemed louder than last year (if that's possible), and the fireworks show lasted 40 minutes, with a 5 minute finale that was the brightest I've ever seen! The last time I was this awed by a fireworks display (and I'm really dating myself now) was in New York Harbor when the tall ships came in for the 1976 Bicentennial.

The estimated attendance at this concert was 35,000 people... reportedly the largest non-athletic event in Pennsylvania each year!  So if you missed this Long's Park concert, you should definitely put it on your calendar for next year!  And don't forget, these free concerts happen every Sunday at 7:30 PM, June through August, with a wide variety of musical performances.  The Apple Bin Inn is just 15 minutes from the concert amphitheater, so come spend the weekend with us, and enjoy all that Lancaster County has to offer :-)