With Kids 
Growing up in Lancaster County, I spent a lot of time in the Amish house across the street, playing with one of my best friends. Luckily, wheelchair accessible Lancaster county offers so much more than the lure of Amish culture!
Lancaster County is known for its picturesque landscapes, unique culture, and rich history. It’s also a family friendly and wheelchair accessible destination that’s overflowing with fun. From exploring Amish farms and historic sites to jumping into the thriving city scene filled with the arts and foodie delights, there really is something for everyone. It’s the perfect place for families, with a variety of wheelchair friendly children’s museums, themed restaurants, and indoor and outdoor play areas. Don’t forget about Dutch Wonderland – the kingdom for kids!
Getting There and Around
Lancaster County is in the perfect location, less than an hour and a half from both Philly and Baltimore.
Because the wonders of Lancaster stretch far beyond the city limits, you’re going to want to have a vehicle for scenic drives and for convenient transportation.
Parking
Most attractions have their own parking lots with free, unlimited, parking.
Metered parking is available downtown and follows the PA law of 60 minutes in excess of legal parking limit. There are also parking garages with handicap parking throughout the city.
Attractions
First of all, I need to be clear that Lancaster is so diverse that it cannot be properly discovered in a weekend. I’m rounding up some of my favorites and highlighting the eastern side of Lancaster in the Bird-in-Hand area. It can take as long as an hour to travel from the far east to the west of Lancaster County!
Check out Discover Lancaster’s Accessibility Guide for a list of accessible attractions across the county.
Magic and Wonder
I’ve been to Broadway and I’ve seen shows of varying styles across the country, but I have never been more amazed than when I am at the Magic and Wonder Dinner Theater. It’s non stop mind blowing, jaw dropping, entertainment. It’s one of those things that you have to see to believe, and then you’re going to want to show everyone you know (which is why we just went again, to bring Dad).
Magic and Wonder puts on different shows throughout the year, but they all feature a master illusionists, music, and circus style acts that may make regular life seem dull. They make people float, disappear, and disappear while floating! Leaving this off of your itinerary would be a mistake.
Easy accessibility throughout.
Dutch Wonderland
It’s a kingdom for kids! Dutch Wonderland is a theme park aimed at families with younger children. Enjoy over 35 rides, attractions, shows, and a water park with accessible splash pads and you’ll see why wheelchair accessible Dutch Wonderland was voted one of the Top 5 Best Kid’s Park in the World by Amusement Today magazine.
The park has a thorough accessibility program in place. Most rides require a wheelchair transfer but the park, shops, dining, and facilities are all easy to navigate with wheels.
Snapology
Snapology, the trending city hub for STEAM programs (Science, Technology, Engineering, Art & Math), has come to Lancaster! This is one of those really cool places where you trick your kids into learning. We had a blast building with LEGO, racing robots through coding, engineering ball mazes, playing games, and creating. We only recently discovered Entrepreneur Magazine’s #1 Children’s Enrichment Program, but we’ll be visiting often.
Easy wheelchair accessibility throughout.
Indoor Play
If you’re traveling with younger kids who aren’t quite ready for Snapology, Tiny Town and the Hands on House are wheelchair accessible options for little ones to explore and learn. We also love the Lancaster Science Factory, which spans the gap with options for ages 3-12. The Lancaster Science Factory and the Hands on House are a part of Museums4All – which means $2 admission if you have a disability ACCESS card! You can find more favorites, here.
Strasburg Railroad
Did you know the Strasburg Rail Road offers one of the only wheelchair accessible historic train rides in the world? As America’s oldest continuously operating railroad, that’s saying something! The train ride is a unique experience through Lancaster’s beautiful countryside and the station offers loads of activities, shopping, food, and a train-themed playground (not an all abilities playground).
Strasburg is a true train lover’s paradise. In addition to the historic train ride, you can visit the Railroad Museum of Pennsylvania and several other train-centered attractions. There are trains to eat in, play in, and even sleep in! Strasburg can easily be its own trip. Check out the accessible guide, here.
Amish Village
If Amish heritage is foreign to you, it’s a unique part of our culture that you should explore. The Amish Village is the most comprehensive and wheelchair accessible way to do this. You can tour a small village, farm, and Amish home. The grounds, except for the upstairs of the house, are easy to navigate with a wheelchair and they provide an educational experience to give you the scoop on the Amish community. Of course there are also goats to pet!
If you’re looking for more touristy things to do in the area, check out this accessible guide for first time visitors.
Outdoor Destinations
Adventure travelers, Lancaster is for you, too! Lancaster County boasts stunning natural scenery and a range of outdoor activities. There are accessible trails across the county, but our favorites are on the western side.
Turkey Hill Nature Preserve takes you right along the river along a packed gravel trail and you can check out a refurbished caboose along the way. They also have an accessible portapotty and picnic area at the start of the trail (at the far end of the parking lot).
The Northwest Lancaster County River Trail begins in Columbia and offers 14 miles of smooth trails with multiple access points. If you start in Columbia and head north for just over a mile, you can even cross through a haunted rock tunnel. Totally wheelchair accessible.
Lancaster is home to several other parks, including the popular Chickies Rock Park (enter by Breezyview Dr for wheelchair friendly access to the best sunset in the county) and the peaceful Lancaster County Central Park. You can find more outdoor inspiration, here.
Dining
Foodies will appreciate the diverse culinary scene in Lancaster County, with its unique blend of traditional Amish and Pennsylvania Dutch cuisine, as well as farm-to-table restaurants, craft breweries, and wineries. Visitors can indulge in local favorites such as shoofly pie, whoopie pies, and chow-chow, but the foodie scene goes way beyond these Pennsylvania Dutch staples!
Cartoon Kitchen
Cartoon Kitchen is inside of the Cartoon Network Hotel, but you don’t have to be an overnight guest to dine here and take advantage of the lobby activities! This is a fun experience where you watch cartoons “make” your meal in a fully cartoon themed environment. After your meal, you can play a game of virtual tag, bring your colored food creations to life, dance on the floor tile game, make a craft, or play in the arcade. This is a great place to make an outing out of a meal!
The hotel is new and hip, with wide spaces, automatic doors, and easy accessibility.
Shady Maple
As the nation’s largest buffet, Shady Maple is a favorite of both locals and visitors. Breakfast is my favorite with made to order omelets and 13 pancake varieties, but many people prefer dinner for the steak and seafood. You can find plenty of Pennsylvania Dutch favorites but the diverse options make it a happy place for everyone.
DJ’s Taste of the 50’s
Have your kids ever seen a telephone booth? DJ’s Taste of the 50’s is your grand opportunity for a history lesson with a side of fries! Voted the best burger in PA by USA Today, you can enjoy your burgers and shakes along with plenty of themed 50’s photo opps.
Both indoor and outdoor seating options are easily accessible. Accessible restrooms available.
Casey Jones’
At Casey Jones’ you can eat on a train car, while watching the steam engine pass by, as miniature trains run overhead. Order from an engineer, check out the free petting zoo, and stock up on all the train paraphernalia you can imagine.
The dining cars, gift shop, restrooms, and petting zoo are accessible.
Plain & Fancy Farm Restaurant
Plain & Fancy is for everyone looking for that Amish experience! Your meal is served family style, which means you’ll get big platters of made-from-scratch fried chicken, chicken pot pie with homemade noodles, roast eye round of beef, sausage, real mashed potatoes, chow chow, fresh rolls, and all the desserts to pass around. Yum overload.
The restaurant, gift shop, and restrooms are easily wheelchair accessible.
This is a brief round up of our favorites based on wheelchair accessible family friendliness, but Lancaster’s culinary scene cannot be overrated. Check out options from fine dining to hip cafes, here.
Ice Cream and Whoopie Pies
We always have to include an ice cream round-up, since that’s the highlight of our trips! I needed to add whoopie pies this time for obvious reasons.
Fox Meadows Creamery
Fox Meadows is recognized as Pennsylvania’s best ice cream – and I fully stand by that ranking! They have a full café with delicious options and handcrafted espresso drinks. Beautiful farm views from the porch.
Strasburg Country Store and Creamery
Strasburg Country Store and Creamery is a step back in time fitting with the historic rail road. Enter through the back for an accessible entrance and enjoy a hot fudge sundae with your choice of over 300 ice cream flavors.
Lapp Valley
Lapp Valley ice cream is made right on the farm with fresh milk. You can even visit the cows. I ordered a whoopie pie sundae here that changed my life. That’s all I can say.
Whoopie Pies
This is a bit of a hot topic, since no one can agree on the best stop. So, let me tell you that wherever you get your whoopie pie – from a farm stand, or a bakery, or even a locally run grocery store – you’re not going to be disappointed!
My dad’s favorites are Hershey Farm’s (unfortunately, temporarily closed due to a fire) and Bird-in-Hand Bake Shop, and he’s made it a personal mission to try every whoopie pie in the county. That said, I’m partial to Bird-in-Hand Bakery! Shady Maple is another family favorite.
All Abilities Playgrounds
Lancaster has five playgrounds with all-abilities equipment! All of them are a bit of a commute from the areas I’ve included, but worth the 20 minute drive to let the kids run off some energy! Listed in order of preference based off of how much equipment they have!
The Treehouse Playground of Lititz
The Tree House was intentionally designed to incorporate features which allow full access to children and even adults who experience limited mobility. From the soft ground surface to the Liberty Wheelchair Swing, the Tree House has a safe place for everyone to comfortably play. It’s a large, fully accessible playground.
Daniel’s Den
Daniel’s Den is another large, fully accessible playground designed with everyone in mind. Plenty of space to stay and play for a while.
Amos Herr Dream Park
Amos Herr Dream Park is set up like a tiny town of play. It’s a fun, ramped play space with a variety of options for different ability levels.
Wolgemuth Park
Wolgemuth Park recently added an additional playground with a poured rubber surface and ramped equipment. Park at the Mt. Joy Township building to avoid the grass hill between playgrounds.
Dean L. Saylor’s Harmony Park
Dean L. Saylor’s Harmony Park has a sway fun glider and a musical park. The rubber chip surface can be difficult for wheelchairs.
Where to Stay
Wait, we live here – why we would we recommend a hotel? Because it makes for an epic staycation experience! Whether you’re driving fifteen minutes or six hours, there’s no better way to kick off a vacation than heading to the hotel pool before going out for dinner.
Bird-in-Hand Family Inn
Bird-in-Hand Family Inn was a perfect accessible getaway for us.
They have two indoor pools, kept at two different temperatures, an outdoor pool, and a hot tub. The chair lift is portable so that you can use it for any of the four.
There’s an arcade, basketball courts, tennis courts, fire pit, and walking trail – enough to make a full day of play without ever leaving the hotel.
They also have a playground (not all abilities) and mini golf within walking distance.
Our room had one of the few actually accessible bathrooms we’ve experienced in a hotel (imagine a shower head and controls within reach), and we were able to get adjoining rooms to fit the whole crew comfortably.
Cartoon Network Hotel
We haven’t had an opportunity to stay here, yet, but the Cartoon Network Hotel also has some great accessible room options and we love that it includes so many activities – like a splash pad, fire pits, indoor and outdoor pools, outdoor movies, and game and craft rooms.
Red Caboose Motel
The Red Caboose Motel offers the rare opportunity to sleep on a train car. They have a fully accessible train car with two queen beds, an accessible bathroom with tub, and an accessible deck. It’s on the same site as Casey Jones’ to complete the train experience.
Overall, Lancaster County is a must-visit destination for anyone seeking a truly unique and diverse tourism experience. With its rich history, stunning natural beauty, and welcoming community, Lancaster County has something to offer everyone.