When some of my lovely blogger friends invited me to a blogaway, I said yes, I couldn’t wait to meet them all in real life.  When I heard it was for the whole family in Lancaster, I was very excited.  My kids have never been there, it is close to home and I have been there many years ago.  It ended up that I took the kids on my own, but luckily I spent most of my time with a friend who had a playmate for my daughters.  Our trip started at Strausburg Rail Road.  Mostly known for having a Thomas train ride, these restored steam trains offer a tour through Amish Country.  The 45 minute adventure thrilled both me and my kids and was very comfortable.  When we arrived back at the station, the kids were excited to ride the Cranky Cars.  We also were treated to lunch at the Trackside Cafe, although you can purchase a ticket option where a meal is served on the train. 
Our next stop was Cherry Crest Adventure Farm.  There is a huge corn maze, big trampolines, huge slides, a petting zoo where you get to hold a baby chick, and a mining station where you can sift through a bag and find gems, and arrowheads.  Everything here was extremely fun and also affordable.  Several moms took their daughters to the make a friend shop and made rag dolls.  We missed that but will definately go when we go back. 

Stay tuned for part 2 about our hotel, dinner and day 2 in Lancaster……