going on a trip to Lancaster PA

The TCA museum is next door.  The Penn RR museum is about a mile away.  Choo choo barn another mile.  I just visited all three on my way back from York Saturday.

 

doug

Yes.  Don't stay at the Red Caboose. 

 

Do the Strasburg Railroad. 

 

Do the TCA Museum. 

 

Do the Railroad Museum of Pennsylvania.

 

Do breakfast at the Lapp Family Restaurant.

 

Don't stay at the Red Caboose.

 

Jon

 

Did I mention not staying at the Red Caboose?

Kooljock1 why should i not stay at the red caboose??

I highly recommend the Country Inns and Suites across from Dutch Wonderland.  Terrific fat filled breakfasts and great coffee.  All of the aforementioned sites are worth your time.  You can easily spend a day in the PRR Museum.

Absolutely disgusting, dirty, expensive for what it is. Basically a glorified trailer park in my book. I like the Historic Strasburg Inn in downtown Strasburg. 

Agree totally with others who said not to stay at red caboose. It is a dump and was even shut down once by board of health for sewage problems. Country inns and Suites is always nice. I stay at Fulton Steamboat Inn. It is reasonably priced, very charming and it  has a restaurant, tavern and an indoor pool as well as nice grounds. It is Also very close to all train activities in Stasburg. I highly recommend it!

 

Brush

Watch out for the roaches at the Red Caboose.

We stayed two years ago and it was fine.  We requested the Erie RR painted car after looking through interior photos of the other cars.  It looked the most authentic but recently renovated.  Other than some flies buzzing around (you're staying in a railroad car...), it seemed clean enough.  My family camps a lot however, so to some clean freaks it might not be the place to go.

I stayed at the Caboose Motel once years ago and made the drive to York from there...

I had no problems THEN and and found it "different", which was the intent, and pleasant...but it might have been in the late 1980's.....I used to stop there regularly

when they had a few trains for sale, just to walk through,  but that was done away with and it has been several years since I've stopped there..just blowing by to the TCA Museum during York week...I, too, used to camp, and have a motto of "travel cheap and travel often", so have stayed in none of the others listed above...

thanks for the info.  but my sister already payed for it.  hope i can sleep there  

There used to be a model train shop next store to the Choo Choo Barn model rairoad layout. That is where I bought a couple of Strasburg RR freight cars for my O gauge trains.

The Pennsylvania Railroad museum has a large indoor model railroad layout, it is a must see if at the Pennsy RR museum.

 

Lee Fritz

A good place to eat is the Shady Maple, a buffet style restaraunt, on route 30 between Morganton bypass I-178, from Reading to the PA turnpike and Lancaster. Head west on route 30 into the Amish country, and watch out for the horse and buggies. Might be able to take route 30 east from Lancaster to the Shady Maple, not sure on that, so don't quote me.

 

Lee Fritz

While Shady Maple is the best, it is far from you. Millers up on Route 30 is great..Strasburg is great, but as everyone else said DONT stay at the Red Caboose..Why you think you have to pay in advance? I was just there and it was terrible and I am a train guy..

Don't miss the ice cream and candy shop on the main corner in downtown Strasburg. It is on the northwest corner at the intersection where you turn east to go to the museums. Also, The Iron Horse Inn for a good lunch and brew. It is right near the Strasburg RR.

Lightn up guys .... he's taking his family. We used to stay at the Red Caboose with the kids often. They loved it. IIRC, they even had fly swatters in the cabooses for your convenience.

 

On the other hand, sometimes enough is enough, and we would stay at Willow Valley Resort ... a little ways west of Strasburg taking 741. Swimming pools, pretty good buffet, big rooms. Kinda overpriced.

 

There used to be a tiny motel a ways east of Dutch Wonderland ... Cherry Lane Motel ??? .... off of rt 30/340 ..... run by an elderly couple. My kids would go in the chicken coop and fetch their own eggs to be cooked for them, take a try at their milk cow , etc. Really nice. Then a family from India or someplace bought the motel, and lived there. They were very nice people, but all the animals and stuff ended. Sad.

 

We spent many a weekend in Strasburg when my kids were small. Railroad Museum of Pennsylvania .... what a great place!!!!

 

Have fun on your trip.

Jim

 

If you want to eat the best food for the cheapest money go to Dienners. Half the price of Millers. Number one rated Place in Ronks. Its next to Dutch Haven,the place with the windmill. The Country Inns and suites is really nice as others have said.

You guy's are all forgetting about Isaacs next to the train store in Strasburg. Great sandwiches.

My wife and I once stayed at the Red Caboose Motel. Never again. The last two times we have stayed at the Clarion Historic Strasburg Inn. We will be there again next month on our way back from a wedding in Dewey Beach, DE. We also try to at least have one meal at Dienners and Isaacs Deli. Great food at a reasonable price.

I'd have to agree with the others about the Caboose Motel. I also stayed there once a few years ago and that was enough. There is no railroad caboose "feel" to the interior of the room. Inside it just looks like any other cheap motel room.

 

Eddie G is right on about Isaacs. It's in the same building with the Choo Choo Barn and the Strasburg Train Shop. Some of the best sandwiches I've ever had!