Pennsylvania produces roughly 80% of all pretzels sold in America, and Lancaster County is where it started. The first commercial pretzel bakery in the country opened here in 1861, and generations of German, Amish, and Mennonite bakers have been twisting dough ever since. Whether you want to tour a historic factory, twist your own pretzel, or just eat the freshest soft pretzel of your life, this is the definitive guide.
Pretzel Tours
Julius Sturgis Pretzel Bakery: America's First
219 E Main Street, Lititz, PA 17543
Mon–Sat 10:30 AM – 4:30 PM, Sun 12–4 PM | $6 adults, $5 children (3 and under free) | 25 minutes
This is the one. Julius Sturgis opened America's first commercial pretzel bakery in 1861, and the original brick ovens are still in the building. The 25-minute tour includes the history of how a traveling stranger gave Sturgis a pretzel recipe that changed everything, a walk through the original bakery, and, the highlight, a hands-on pretzel twisting lesson where you learn the traditional three-loop twist with real dough.
You'll watch bakers hand-twist soft pretzels the same way they've been made here for 160+ years. The retail shop afterward has fresh pretzels, flavored varieties, and pretzel-themed souvenirs. Book online in advance: walk-ins are welcome but space is limited, especially on weekends.
Best for: Families, history buffs, anyone who wants the full hands-on experience. This is the most complete pretzel tour in the county.
Hammond Pretzel Bakery: Free, Old-School, No-Frills
716 South West End Avenue, Lancaster, PA 17603
Mon–Fri 7 AM – 5 PM, Sat 8 AM – 12 PM | Free (observation only)
Hammond's has been family-operated since 1931, the oldest continuously family-run hand-made pretzel bakery in America. There's no formal tour, but you can watch bakers twist pretzels through the windows during production hours (9 AM – 3:30 PM weekdays). The sourdough recipe uses minimal ingredients, and the result is a denser, tangier pretzel than what you'll find elsewhere.
Walk in, buy a bag of fresh pretzels from the counter, and watch the bakers work. That's it. No frills, no gift shop, no marketing. Just a family that's been making the same pretzel for 90+ years. It's beautifully simple.
Best for: Pretzel purists who want to see authentic small-batch production without the tourist trappings.
Intercourse Pretzel Factory: Free Tour with Twisting
3614 Old Philadelphia Pike, Intercourse, PA 17534
Free | ~15 minutes
A free 15-minute guided tour that includes a hands-on pretzel twisting experience and fresh pretzel samples. The factory produces about 100 pounds of pretzels daily. It's smaller and less polished than Julius Sturgis, but it's free, interactive, and right on Route 340 in the heart of Amish Country.
Note: Call ahead at (717) 768-3432 to confirm they're open, hours can vary seasonally.
Best Soft Pretzels
Immergut Hand-Rolled Soft Pretzels: #1 Rated
3537 Old Philadelphia Pike, Intercourse, PA 17534
Tue–Fri 9:30 AM – 5 PM, Sat 9 AM – 5 PM (closed Sun–Mon)
Rated 4.8/5 on TripAdvisor and #1 of 14 restaurants in Intercourse. "Immergut" means "always good" in Pennsylvania Dutch, and the name delivers. Watch Amish women hand-roll pretzels right in front of you, the warmth and freshness is unbeatable.
What sets Immergut apart is the variety: plain, cinnamon sugar, whole wheat, sour cream & onion, garlic, sesame. They also make pretzel wraps with pizza toppings, fresh-squeezed lemonades, and blended iced coffees. If you eat one pretzel in Lancaster County, eat it here.
Uncle Henry's Pretzel Bakery
1550 Bowmansville Road, Mohnton, PA 19540
Established 1983, hand-made and hand-packed by Amish and Mennonite community members. This is an off-the-beaten-path bakery, you go downstairs to a screen door to request entry. Production hours are erratic, so call ahead at (717) 445-4690. Closed Sundays. The pretzels are all-natural with no preservatives.
More Fresh Pretzel Sources
- Dutch Country Soft Pretzels: 25+ years in business, all-natural ingredients
- Countryside Road Stand (Ronks): Amish-run roadside stand with hand-rolled pretzels and homemade birch beer. The kind of spot you stumble onto driving back roads.
- Central Market (Lancaster): Multiple vendors sell fresh soft pretzels on market days (Tuesday, Friday, Saturday)
- Jim Mack's (26 W Main St, Mount Joy): Fresh soft pretzels paired with homemade ice cream
Lititz Pretzel Fest
Every April, the town of Lititz hosts Pretzel Fest: a town-wide celebration of all things pretzel. 25+ locations throughout downtown offer pretzel-themed treats, local musicians perform on the streets, and you can meet the Warwick Robotic Pretzel Team (yes, that's real). Admission is $35 and includes a marked map for a self-guided tour of all the stops. Proceeds benefit Kiwanis Kids Day in the Park.
Lititz is already one of the most small towns in Lancaster County. Add pretzel-themed everything and live music, and it's a perfect Saturday.
Why Lancaster is the Pretzel Capital
In the 1700s, German immigrants settled in Lancaster County and brought their tradition of lye-boiled, hand-twisted breads. These evolved into the pretzels we know today. The breakthrough came in the 1850s when Julius Sturgis, a bread baker in Lititz, received a pretzel recipe from a traveling customer and realized he could bake them crispy enough to be shelf-stable, creating America's first commercially distributed pretzel.
That innovation launched an industry. By the early 1900s, Lancaster County had dozens of pretzel bakeries, and Pennsylvania was producing the vast majority of the nation's supply. Today, the tradition continues in family bakeries that have been operating for three, four, even five generations, mixing the same dough, twisting the same shape, baking in some of the same ovens.
The Perfect Pretzel Day Trip
If you want to go all-in on pretzels, here's a route that hits the highlights in about half a day:
- Morning: Julius Sturgis Pretzel Bakery tour in Lititz (book the 10:30 AM tour)
- Late morning: Walk downtown Lititz: grab coffee, browse the shops, visit Lititz Springs Park
- Lunch: Drive to Intercourse (20 min): get pretzel wraps at Immergut
- Afternoon: Quick stop at the Intercourse Pretzel Factory for the free tour
- On the way home: Swing by Hammond's in Lancaster for a bag of sourdough pretzels
Total cost: about $12 (Sturgis tour + pretzel purchases). Total pretzel consumption: irresponsible.
