“When Pennsylvania Germans were at their height, 80 to 90 percent of all Americans worked on farms,” Moyer said. “It was a very cohesive, very stable community. You didn’t move ...

→ 36 Hours in Gettysburg, Pa. - NYTimes.com.

When they lived in the Old World, they were part of a primitive Guild system that denied many of them the ability to develop skills and talents. Lucky were a ...

Hotel Hershey pastry chef wins international Pastry Queen title | PennLive.com.

→ Amish Communities Cash Out and Get Kicked Out By Fracking - Care2Causes

→ Looking at the Battle of Gettysburg Through Robert E. Lee’s Eyes - Smithsonian

→ Coyote hunting surges in popularity in Pennsylvania and beyond - York Dispatch

→ Get some moonshine: Out with Sara | PennLive.com.

→ Chardonnay, Merlot continue applying signatures to mid-Atlantic's bottom line | PennLive.com.

As the title suggests, this is a comprehensive study of Pennsylvania German history, geography, culture, society, the arts and anything else that relates to the unique people — plain and ...

Fort Hunter Mansion and Park is a historic riverfront center along the Susquehanna River in Harrisburg. But its name is misleading.You won’t find a fort. It existed in colonial times, ...

→ Road Trip! Destination: Historic Bethlehem, Pa. | TribLIVE

Living with the Amish - Channel 4.

These "cliffs" were created by the J.E. Baker quarry that once operated just inland  from the river and whose flooded depths are now a popular scuba diving destination named The Bainbridge ...

I did most of my certification dives at Bainbridge Sportsmen's Club during the 80's and have many fond memories of the location. I'm excited at the new opportunities for recreational ...

→ Regional wineries respond to rapid growth of Moscato popularity | PennLive.com

All photos © visitpadutchcountry.com

→ Snitz Creek Brewery is a big catch for downtown Lebanon | PennLive.com.

→ Fitzkee's Candies a haven for lovers of chocolate - The York Daily Record You can't get anymore locally owned than a company like Fitzkee's Candies.

→ Gravity Vault, indoor rock-climbing franchise, targeting new facility in Lehigh Valley | lehighvalleylive.com.

→ The Ten Best Offbeat Sites in Pennsylvania Dutch Country | Malerie Yolen-Cohen.

→ Sprecken Like the Locals  - The Daily Item

→ Codorus State Park pool now open - Evening Sun.

→ The Historic Farmstead - The Mercury  

→ Wrightsville's riverfront plan is part of a larger effort to attract tourists, business - The York Daily Record.  

→ Hershey Co.'s Lancaster soft caramels arrive in stores: The review -  PennLive.com

→ Why the Amish Don't Get Sick: Things You Can Learn From Them. If you've ever been around the Amish you've probably noticed how robust they appear, and it seems obvious why ...

→ Historical Treasures: Pennsylvania German blanket chest | lehighvalleylive.com.

Hershey means chocolate, and you can take the sweet tour - chicagotribune.com.

Kurr House B & B: A once scary Rehrersburg log house is reborn

MAHS presenter to discuss powwowing in the PA German tradition - Announcements.Dr. Yvonne J. Milspaw, senior professor of English and Humanities at Harrisburg Area Community College, will discuss "Charms and ...

Christian Schega and his crew have some top-notch gear and a nose for local lore. They're in Kutztown to shoot a feature-length documentary about Pennsylvania Dutch culture, which they said is ...

→ Hersheypark adding gravity coaster aimed at families for 2014 season | PennLive.com

→ Hersheypark - NEW for 2014 There are five new additions to Hersheypark this year!

Discover Lehigh Valley Releases 2014 Lehigh Valley Official Visitors Guide.

→ No More Fakelore: Revealing The Real Pennsylvania Dutch Cuisine - NPR As American as Shoofly Pie: The Foodlore and Fakelore of Pennsylvania Dutch Cuisine by William Woys Weaver on Amazon.com This ...

Thoroughbred horse breeders find a home in Berks County Thanks to larger awards due to increased slot revenues, cheap farmland and proximity to racetracks, northern Berks County is becoming a haven ...

→ Haunted Hugh Moore Park coming later this month | lehighvalleylive.com This will be a family oriented Halloween attraction with much to do for children including a ride on the Josiah ...

Santa Claus, the pleasant bearded elf dressed in red (in case you thought I was referring to some other Santa Claus), was not predestined to be a worldwide Christmas icon ...

→ Enhancement project begins at Zimmerman Center for Heritage - inyork.com

Bonnet Strings is the second of Furlong’s memoirs. Her first, Why I Left the Amish, was published in 2011 and describes her return to her Ohio home for her father’s ...

Today, Martin’s potato rolls are exported to Kuwait, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates, Russia, England, Italy, the Bahamas, Canada, Japan, and Australia. Its family-owned and operated production facility ...

A Defense Department balloon — unmanned, untethered and carrying a missile detection system — drifted harmlessly across the skies of Lancaster County early Wednesday afternoon. Source: Defense Department blimp drifts unmanned ...

On July 3, the ferry that runs between Millersburg and Liverpool will celebrate 200 years of continuous operation, making it one of the oldest modes of transportation in Pennsylvania. Source: Millersburg ...

The exhibit opens Saturday and will run until Oct. 29. It will offer visitors the experience of viewing a treasure-trove of documents, books, pamphlets and objects, provided by a variety ...

→ Homegrown hemp on the horizon? - LancasterOnline I bought some delicious peanut butter filled Hempzel brand hemp pretzels at Sonnewald Natural Foods in York County once and I was very satisfied ...

→ Kid-friendly centers headed to mall at Sands Casino Resort Bethlehem | lehighvalleylive.com.

All photos © visitpadutchcountry.com

→ Guten Appetit: German food in the Valley | The News Leader 

"In the paragraph where you quote an unsourced obituary for Millard Gladfelter, it refers to '...a distelfink, a mythical bird symbolic of good luck,...' Pictures of the bird may symbolize ...

→ Amish quilts focus of April Durnbaugh Lectures West Chester University history professor Janneken Smucker will be giving a free lecture called "Abstract Art or Country Craft? The Quilts of the Amish" at the Elizabethtown ...