Things to do in Pennsylvania Dutch Country, Pennsylvania Dutch Country: The Best Nature & Parks

September 20, 2021 Kaleigh Reichenbach

Discover the best top things to do in Pennsylvania Dutch Country, United States including Middle Creek Wildlife Management Area, Homestead Gardens, Homewood Nature Preserve, Lititz Springs Park, Wolf Sanctuary of PA, Conewago Recreation Trail, Lancaster County Central Park, Shenk's Ferry Wildflower preserve, Muddy Run Park, Susquehannock State Park.
Restaurants in Pennsylvania Dutch Country

1. Middle Creek Wildlife Management Area

100 Museum Rd, Kleinfeltersville, PA 17578 +1 717-733-1512 [email protected] http://www.pgc.pa.gov/InformationResources/AboutUs/ContactInformation/Southeast/MiddleCreekWildlifeManagementArea/Pages/default.aspx
Excellent
81%
Good
17%
Satisfactory
2%
Poor
0%
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Overall Ratings

5.0 based on 136 reviews

Middle Creek Wildlife Management Area

Many species of waterfowl call this lake / reserve home.

Reviewed By PaleoGypsy - Philadelphia, United States

If you enjoy being outside and interacting with nature, you may discover how much you love the Middle Creek Wildlife Management Area. Located 25-30 minutes from the Pennsylvania Turnpike (or Route 422), you will travel on the meandering and country roads to your destination of rural Lebanon County. These rural routes consist of paved and unpaved roads, Mennonite buggies, sharp turns, blind hills, impaired people signs, and slow speed limits exist here. If you are accustomed to visiting places with a heavy retail and restaurant area, you may want to avoid this area altogether if you find nature to be underwhelming. This is because you will not find those food and retail reinforcements in this immediate area. Bring your own food and water. Bring along a bag to pack out the trash. Binoculars and scopes are useful here. A camera with a zoom lens is a must. Dogs are allowed. NO DRONES. Be mindful that you are enjoying nature alongside the Mennonite population. Out of respect, AVOID taking photos of them. This is a popular destination for birdwatching, especially February and March. Go to the web site and look at the live web cam centering on the migration of the snow geese, tundra swans, and Canadian geese. The Willow Point Trail is where you may access a close view of these birds. The best time to go is during the sunrise and sunset. Enjoy looking at the multiple lift-offs. Be prepared to walk a couple of miles to get to this destination, as parking is limited. Port-a-potties are available, as are picnic tables and a pavilion. During February and March, THOUSANDS of birdwatchers are going to descend upon the scene. This is an opportunity for you to deepen your knowledge of birds. Many videos centering on the migration are found on You Tube as well. The driving route opens in March. The Visitor’s Center is beautiful and informative.

2. Homestead Gardens

695 Water St, Ephrata, PA 17522-9714 +1 717-733-7067 [email protected] http://www.homesteadgardenspa.com/
Excellent
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5.0 based on 1 reviews

Homestead Gardens is a family owned and operated greenhouse which grows and sells quality bedding plants for Lancaster County and surrounding areas, and fresh produce for Philadelphia farmers markets. For over 25 years, Homestead Gardens has been committed to producing superb quality plants and vegetables and offering unbeatable prices.

3. Homewood Nature Preserve

351 Keneagy Hill Rd, Ronks, PA 17572-9525 +1 717-392-7891
Excellent
100%
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5.0 based on 1 reviews

Homewood Nature Preserve

4. Lititz Springs Park

18 N Broad St, Lititz, PA 17543-1005 +1 717-626-7960 http://www.lititzspringspark.org
Excellent
77%
Good
20%
Satisfactory
3%
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Overall Ratings

4.5 based on 442 reviews

Lititz Springs Park

Reviewed By Travel745088

We grabbed lunch to go at the excellent Tied House a block away, end enjoyed using one of the Park picnic tables to eat. Everything was refreshingly clean, and it was fun to watch kids in the park interact with all the ducks. Nice, safe, relaxing experience.

5. Wolf Sanctuary of PA

465 Speedwell Forge Rd, Lititz, PA 17543-9537 +1 717-626-4617 [email protected] http://wolfsanctuarypa.org
Excellent
78%
Good
14%
Satisfactory
4%
Poor
2%
Terrible
2%
Overall Ratings

4.5 based on 853 reviews

Wolf Sanctuary of PA

Wolf Sanctuary of PA is dedicated to providing as near a natural life home to the wolves and wolf hybrids that live here. We hope to share educational information with our visitors and introduce you to the world of the wolf.

Reviewed By denab922

Great place to visit for all ages.Did the full moon tour, they have music and a bonfire.Have gift shop on premises. Plenty of personnel to help with any questions, etc.

6. Conewago Recreation Trail

Route 230, Elizabethtown, PA http://www.co.lancaster.pa.us/parks/cwp/view.asp?a=676&q=518283
Excellent
68%
Good
30%
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4.5 based on 57 reviews

Conewago Recreation Trail

Reviewed By eddE7296KF

This is a great trail for biking that will take you all the way up to the Lebanon county fair grounds, but no need to go that far, the Jigger Shop in Mount Gretna is far enough. It is roughly 12 miles from the start of the trail on Rt 230 in E-town to the Jigger Shop, maybe half of it on a slight incline. Basically when you get to the top of the hill, or close to it, you get off the trail and head down another path to a road that takes you right into Mount Gretna. It's hard to miss. Best part is you can treat yourself to an ice cream or milk shake, and they have cold water to refill your water bottles for the ride back, and roughly half the ride back is on a slight down hill decline. Last time I went the whole distance the trail was not is such great shape beyond Mount Gretna, but that may have changed.

7. Lancaster County Central Park

1050 Rockford Rd, Lancaster, PA 17602-4624 +1 717-299-8215 https://www.co.lancaster.pa.us/244/Lancaster-County-Central-Park
Excellent
50%
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4.5 based on 2 reviews

Lancaster County Central Park

8. Shenk's Ferry Wildflower preserve

Green Hill Rd, Pequea, PA http://www.pplweb.com/citizenship/environment/preserves/holtwood/points-of-interest.aspx#shenks
Excellent
65%
Good
17%
Satisfactory
4%
Poor
9%
Terrible
5%
Overall Ratings

4.5 based on 23 reviews

Shenk's Ferry Wildflower preserve

Wildflower Preserve / hiking / plants of interest

9. Muddy Run Park

172 Bethesda Church Rd W, Holtwood, PA 17532-9746 +1 717-284-5850 http://muddyrunpark.com/
Excellent
54%
Good
38%
Satisfactory
4%
Poor
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Terrible
4%
Overall Ratings

4.5 based on 26 reviews

Muddy Run Park

Reviewed By connie662017 - Lititz, United States

Muddy creek is a great place to rent a boat or kayak and go fishing or just to relax kayaking or boating. They have food and a small souvenir shop. Very beautiful and great food.

10. Susquehannock State Park

1880 Park Dr, Drumore, PA 17518-9751 +1 717-252-1134 http://www.dcnr.state.pa.us/stateparks/findapark/susquehannock/index.htm?tab=Maps#Maps
Excellent
38%
Good
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Satisfactory
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4.5 based on 24 reviews

Susquehannock State Park

Reviewed By E1660RDjohnb - Norristown, United States

I went here for the first time this year. Even though it was in January, the views of the Susquehanna River were very nice. I would recommend going there in the winter because it is not crowded. In addition to the views, I did some hiking and would find most the trails to be pretty easy. The only challenging one was the Rhondere trail because it was steep and narrow. Wear good hiking boots.

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