“I just want to hide” seems to be the common sentiment in the US. I know just the place.
- Cris

Amish Country

Retreating With the Amish: Pennsylvania’s Quietest Getaway

Sometimes the best way to reset your brain isn’t a spa or a beach—it’s a kitchen table in Pennsylvania where the bread is still warm from the oven and the air hums with the clip-clop of horse-drawn buggies. Staying with an Amish family on retreat isn’t about novelty or pretending you’re in a different century. It’s about slowing down, listening to the quiet, and remembering that life can run beautifully without constant notifications.

What It Feels Like to Stay With an Amish Family

Imagine starting your day with fresh eggs gathered that morning, coffee poured into thick ceramic mugs, and sunlight spilling through simple lace curtains. Your phone? It’s there, but you don’t feel the need to reach for it. Conversation takes the place of scrolling, and you realize that “entertainment” can be as simple as learning how to braid soft pretzel dough or watching kids race barefoot across the grass.

Evenings are special. After dinner (usually hearty comfort food - think roast chicken, corn pudding, apple pie), the lanterns come out. You sit on the porch, watching fireflies, listening to laughter drift from one farmhouse to another. The pace is slower, but it doesn’t feel primitive. It feels intentional. You feel really healthy because the food you ate was real food. And every dish started with a stick of butter - it’s perfect!

The Amish don’t set out to be hosts for curious outsiders - they’re simply living their lives. But a few families and communities in Pennsylvania have found a way to welcome “the English” (that’s you and me) into their homes for retreats, balancing curiosity with respect.

Going Somewhere? Protect Your Trip (and Your Sanity)

What to Expect

OK, let’s get this out of the way. Yes, there is a town called Intercourse in Lancaster, PA and yes, you want to go there to visit the Old Candle Barn. Try to get over your snickering before you get out of the car.

• Participation over observation (stop snickering). Don’t expect to sit on the sidelines. You may find yourself helping in the garden, gathering eggs, or joining a quilting circle. It’s part of the retreat: doing, not just watching.

• Digital detox, built in. Wi-Fi is scarce. Good news: your nervous system will thank you.

• Generosity in the details. Rooms are simple - quilts, handmade furniture, no frills. But you’ll sleep better than you have in years. And breakfast is always too good to finish. You’ll go home and start giving away the things that clutter your life. You don’t need them but you won’t waste. Someone else can use them.

• Warmth, not performance. This isn’t a tourist show. It’s people sharing their real lives with you. That’s the charm. You are a guest in their home and in their community. Be respectful. Be useful or get out of the way.

Three Ways to Experience an Amish Retreat

1. Stay on a Working Amish Farm (Lancaster County)
   A handful of Amish families offer farm stays where guests can wake up with the roosters, join in the morning milking, or learn the art of making apple butter in giant copper kettles. These stays feel closest to the rhythm of Amish life. Expect early mornings, plenty of laughter in the barn, and meals that make you wish you had a bigger stomach.

2. Amish Guesthouses and Bed & Breakfasts (Paradise & Bird-in-Hand)
   Not every visitor wants to shovel hay at dawn. Guesthouses run by Amish families provide the experience in a gentler form - private rooms in a farmhouse, hearty meals, and maybe a buggy ride through the countryside. It’s the right mix of immersion and comfort. You get stories at the dinner table, lantern light at night, and the unforgettable sound of horses trotting past your window.

3. Retreat-Style Workshops and Craft Vacations
   Some Amish communities open their homes for retreats focused on skills: woodworking, quilt-making, or cooking. Imagine spending three days learning to stitch a quilt by hand or (note to self: schedule this) bake bread in a wood-fired oven, with an Amish matriarch guiding you. These retreats feel almost meditative - your hands busy, your mind calm, and by the end, you carry home both a skill and a story. And maybe a new quilt from their store.

Wait - how are you supposed to book a place to stay? Don’t the Amish shun the internet? YES! This is one of the reasons you will love it here. There is no doom scrolling. The Amish are very practical and think in terms of generations when forming business arrangements. “Is this person trustworthy enough that her grandchildren will respect my grandchildren?” If someone passes the test, then Amish families and business form long-term (multi-generational) agreements with The English - who manage their websites, and route communications through special channels. Everyone is happy.

The magic isn’t in the novelty - it’s in the reminder that quiet moments matter. That food made from scratch tastes better, that work done by hand feels satisfying, and that community is built around shared tables, not shared Wi-Fi passwords.

If you’ve ever wished for a reset button, an Amish retreat in Pennsylvania comes close. You won’t come back with a tan or a luxury brand name on your suitcase. You’ll come back with stories, the smell of fresh bread still in your memory, and the kind of stillness that lingers long after you leave.

See you next Wednesday.

What did you think of Espresso Boarding?

Was this forwarded to you? Sign up to receive your own copy.
It’s free to subscribe.

Looking for previous destinations? They are safely located here.