Favorite Family Fun Places to Visit in Lancaster County

I was born and raised in Lancaster County and have been residing in the Millersville area for about three years. Here’s my list of family fun activities located mostly south of Lancaster City.

1. Cherry Hill Orchard

For me, it’s easy to lose track of time in a place like Cherry Hill Orchard. I have an aspiring green thumb and walking through their greenhouse always gets my inspiration flowing. My favorite thing to do is stop in early spring and buy up a bunch of seedlings for my garden. They sell a great variety of vegetables, herbs, and flowers. They also sell gardening supplies such as potting soil, containers, garden tools, etc.

In the summer, take your family to Pick Your Own fruit! You can pick peaches, cherries, apples and more, directly from the trees! They also offer Pick Your Own pumpkins in the fall, along with a hayride through the orchard! Create memories by picking your own food you can use to whip up fresh homemade applesauce, pies, and treats.

If all of that wasn’t enough to sell you, they have a farm market on site as well, which is open year round. They sell in-season produce, canned fruits, butters, baked goods, whoopie pies, cheeses, bacon, milk, farm fresh eggs, and so much more. You get to support local business while enjoying delicious and nutritious treats. Not to mention you get to enjoy the country setting.

   

     2. Muddy Run Campground

Don’t be fooled by the name, Muddy Run is much more than just a campground. To be honest, I’ve never actually camped here, so unfortunately I can’t speak to that. However, the other activities this location offers I could go on and on about!

One of my favorite things to do here is go kayaking! They have a boat dock where you can bring your own boat or rent one. You could spend the whole afternoon floating around Muddy Run Reservoir, soaking in the sun and the beautiful surrounding nature. There’s also many places to fish, whether on boat or on land, if that’s your thing.

I’ve hiked on their trails as well, and it was one of my all-time favorite hikes for this area. One of the trails goes all around the reservoir which takes you through beautiful woods, meadows and fields, allowing many opportunities to see wildlife.

They also offer a snack shop, disc golf course, several playgrounds and a Splash Pad, which is a great place to relax and cool off in the summer. There’s something here for everyone in your family!

 

     3. Pine View Dairy

One of the best ice cream shops I’ve been to would have to be Pine View Dairy. It’s the perfect place to go on a hot summer day. The property is on scenic farmland, so you can walk around and see the cows that very likely provided the milk to make the ice cream you’re eating. If you’re lucky you could get to watch them be milked! They have a number of delicious flavors of fresh ice cream for you to enjoy. There is a walk-up window on the side of their building for easy ordering and then plenty of picnic tables scattered around for you to sit and enjoy the ice cream. Inside the shop, they sell milk, ice cream, frozen yogurt, and sherbet in half-gallon containers, breakfast and lunch to-go items, seasonal produce (all from local businesses), and different cuts of meat.

 

     4. Caruso’s Italian Restaurant & Pizzeria

This is my go-to place for a satisfying and affordable meal. Not only is their pizza great, but their cheeseburger subs are so flavorful and delicious. Caruso’s also offers a great variety of the typical foods you’d find at a pizza place; a selection of pastas, stromboli and calzones, appetizers, and more. You’ll be sure to find something for everyone in the family to enjoy. There’s a place to eat inside, but many get their meals to go, which can be picked up inside or at the drive thru window.