Longwood Gardens

Prior to the end of Autumn and the leaves falling from their branches you should make your way to Longwood Gardens and enjoy the beauty of fall. Longwood gardens contains a rich history dating back to the 1700s when the land was purchased from William Penn. The beautiful estate sits on 1,050 acres with 20 indoor and 20 outdoor gardens, a conservatory, the Pierce-du Pont mansion, as well as their renowned fountains. Beginning September 7th and running through November 22nd Longwood Gardens will feature its Railway Garden display which, this year, will show case Thomas the Train along with new bridges and new water features. During the course of the fall season Longwood gardens will also display various spectacular fountain displays. Some of the fountain displays include the Open Air Theatre Fountains, the Italian Water Garden, Sylvan Fountain, just to name a few. During the Autumn months they will have their monster pumpkin display along with their Giant pumpkin Weigh-off and pumpkin carving, their culinature dinner, displays of their grand tree houses, and so much more.the Trey McIntyre Project dance performance, and the final fireworks show of the year. Sample the flavors of the season at cooking demos, and indulge in a fresh seasonal feast at our second Culinature dinner. So During the month of October, with the breath taking colors of fall, you certaninly want to take advantage of all that Longwood Gardens has to offer you.

Cherry-Crest Farm

One great way to enjoy the fall season and amazing colors in Lancaster County is to visit some of the local farms. One local farm even allows folks to venture out into the corn field on their property. Cherry-Crest Farm in Ronks, only about 30 minutes from the Adamstown Inns and Cottages, creates an Amazing Maize Maze in which they cut out various paths in their corn field to create one giant maze. You would be surprised at the difficulty of this maze once you are out in the corn and wandering about. I have visited this maze a number of times and it is usually in the dark, which adds to the challenge of finding your way through the corn. If you chose to go this route then you want to make sure you take a flash light along. Whether in the light of day or by the torch of your flash light in the darkness of night it is a lot of fun, and to end the evening the right way you certainly should sample some of their goodies and wash it all down with a cup of hot chocolate. The farm will also begin its Harvest Festival on September 26th. This festival offers 36 different farm activities, from the round-up festival, to face painting, pumpkin painting, and lots more. It is astounding on how many things there are to do in this area when one begins looking. Cherry-Crest Farm will definitely contribute to making wonderful memories at the Adamstown Inns and Cottages.

Local Fairs

It's that time of year again when the temp-erature changes, the days become shorter, and every local town in the state of Pennsylvania has a local fair. Within minutes of the Adamstown Inns and Cottages there are a number of local fairs coming up in the month of September. Next Wednesday, September 15th, the Denver Fair will kick off with just the beginnings of the fair season that will continue through the month of September and into the fall. Though the Denver fair is smaller than some in our area, it offers a wonderful opportunity to enjoy some family events and of course the fair food. Following that fair on September 22nd running through the 26th the Ephrata fair will commence. On Wednesday September 22nd the Ephrata fair will begin with a parade which features many floats that highlight the local community as well as the entire county of Lancaster. During the Ephrata fair, Main Street in Ephrata shuts down and the games, rides, and food stands fill the streets.
If you can't make it to the Adamstown Inns and Cottages for these two fairs another fair within driving distance takes place in New Holland. The 78th annual New Holland Farmers Fair will begin on September 30th and run until October 3rd. This fair will also start on September 30th with a parade. Then on October 5th through the 9th the Manheim Community Farm show will provide another opportunity to experience the local fair atmosphere of fall favorites, throwing ping-pong balls in cups for gold fish, and of course the healthy fair cuisine. Fortunately the Adamstown Inns and Cottages provides a great headquarters for you to travel around to each local fair. I'm eagerly awaiting the... you guessed it, the food.

Kyma Restaurant

I recently had the opportunity to sample the cuisine at the new Kyma Seafood Bar and Grill located only about one mile from the Inn. The Kyma restaurant which recently opened above Johnny's Steakhouse, which I would also recommend, has taken the place of the old Silk City Diner. They have done quite a bit of work inside and have created a pleasant dining atmosphere in the main dining section and a very elegant bar area. My family and I were seated immediately, mostly due to the earliness of the hour, but it looked as though they had plenty of seating for those busy evenings as well. The menu was only one page, but that was fine with me because I knew what I was looking for...seafood. I began with the Maryland Crab soup, which to my delight was served as a cream soup and also came with some warm bread. I then went with the scallops with a Cajun sauce and for my side I chose a baked potato. I received six very large scallops that were seasoned just to my likening, a little extra Old Bay. Everything I ordered came with my meal and was decently priced for the proportions I received. The prices begin at about $15 and vary depending on the meal as well as the market price of the seafood. I thoroughly enjoyed my meal and there were really no complaints from anyone else in my party. I would definitely recommend Kyma as a top seafood choice close to the Adamstown Inns and Cottages and have a feeling that you will not get a bad meal there.

Kristin will soon be dining at the new restaurant in Lancaster called Coerulea Bar and Grill. This restaurant, located in Lancaster, will be our first visit there as well. Kristin will have to blog about her outing in the near future to keep you posted on recommended places to eat. We may have to add some new restaurants and menus to our list at our website due to all the brand new hot spots to dine in Lancaster County. Although, I know there are a few that will definitely remain on the list. I'm looking forward to doing some more research on local restaurants.

Ted