B2—Lancaster Farming, Saturday, July 7,1984
BY SALLY BAIR
Staff Correspondent
MANHEIM Watching cows
being milked or calves being born
does not sound like the experiences
of the average tourist in Lancaster
County. But for those who visit the
Earl N. Landis family guest house
on their dairy farm near East
Petersburg, the activities and
sounds of farm are part of the
vacation. And guests keep coming
back for more.
Earl and Evelyn first opened the
home for tourists in 1977, and after
a slow period, business has picked
up so that the only open dates on
the summer calendar are those
when the family plans to go on its
own vacation.
The guest house dates to the late
1700’s as does the main farm
house, and although no one knows
for sure, the Landises assume that
it was originally a “grandmother’s
house,” so it has simply been
restored to what it once was.
It served many purposes since it
was built, but most recently was
the Landis’ garage including a
garage door built in one end. When
they decided to renovate the house
in 1975, they restored the wall to its
original condition, and as they
worked on the interior, they found
original paint and other features
which they incorporated into their
guest house.
The house is fully air conditioned
and heated, so the only months
m
irv
/J
Evelyn Landis straightens the quilt on one of the beds in
the guest house adjacent to their brick farm home near East
Petersburg. The Landis family has been welcoming tourists to
the house since 1977.
/ li
A fully-equipped kitchen offers guests the opportunity to do their own cooking while
spending time in Lancaster County. The close proximity to local farm markets gives them
the chance to taste Lancaster County’s produce at its freshest.
Guesthouse welcomes visitors to Uncaster County form
which are really slow with
reservations are January and
February.
Evelyn explained, “We don’t get
your normal run of tourists. We get
many families who are looking for
something other than a motel. A lot
of them have never stayed on a
farm.”
Because this is a first for so
many, Evelyn gets lots of
questions when she handles the
phone reservations. She said she
tries to allay any fears the visitors
may have.
Once guests arrive at the farm,
located just a mile from Route 283,
they are welcomed with the visual
treat of an immaculate lawn and
flower beds, and with genuine
warmth from members of the
Landis family. The stone guest
house stands invitingly next to the
brick farm house with wide por
ches.
Most of the guests are “excited
about everything,” Evelyn says.
Usually, though, it is the women
who make an effort to get up to see
the morning milking, and they are
also the most interested in
trekking to the bam in the middle
of the night if there is an im
pending birth.
To accommodate visitors,
Evelyn says they try to be aware of
how guests see things, and she
adds, “We try to keep things
cleaned up.” But the farm is a
working farm, and milking, field
Earl and Evelyn Landis home opened the small house to the left of the main brick farm
home to guests. Sandblasting and extensive restoration have returned the small
“grandmother's" house to its former beauty and warmth and offers a respite to visitors
from outside the area. The immaculate landscaping offers a tempting welcome as guests
drive onto the farm.
work and other chores must go on
daily.
The Landises try to educate
while they go about their routine,
and welcome guests into the barns
to see how milk is produced - a first
for most of the city or surburban
born guests.
“We let them try to milk a cow.
Some people see it once and that’s
it. Others like to see it over and
over. A lot of people say their
grandparents had a farm, and so
enjoy visiting one now, “Evelyn
relates.
After seven years Earl says the
animals are accustomed to the
visitors and don’t seem ill at ease.
When visitors wish to milk a cow;
however, Earl says they do choose
“nice cows.”
Earl manages a 53 cow herd,
averaging 17,400 pounds of milk.
“Most people are glad to see how
the milk gets into the tank,” Earl
states.- “They are surprised to see
how much a cow eats.”
When they began the business,
Evelyn said she talked to others
with experience who gave some
advice. Their first step was placing
brochures with the Tourist Bureau
and the Mennonite Information
Center. Now they also pay to be
listed in a Pat Dickerson directory
called "Farm, Ranch and Country
Vacations.” And now, many
visitors are repeators or ones who
have learned of the farm through The visitors come from as far as
friends.
Evelyn says it is difficult to from the East coast, with many
pinpoint the average length of stay from New Jersey, Washington,
because it varies so widely. Some D.C., and Philadelphia.
stay two to three days, some for a
weekend, and some for a week.
is handles most of the reservations, and often
does it at this desk in the family room of their spacious farm
home. The reservation book is filled for the summer, but
dates are being reserved for fall and winter. Guests come
from all over the Country, but primarily from the eastern
seaboard.
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California, but the majority are
The small house offers not only
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