Museums in Lancaster County, PA

The big-draw museums

The Railroad Museum of Pennsylvania sits directly across Route 741 from the Strasburg Rail Road, so most visitors do both in one stop: a working steam railroad on one side, a state museum of historic locomotives and rolling stock on the other. A few minutes away, the National Toy Train Museum covers the model side of the same story. In Columbia, the National Watch & Clock Museum holds one of the largest horological collections in North America, from tower clocks to pocket watches.

Local history, town by town

Nearly every Lancaster County borough keeps its own history museum or society. The Lititz Historical Foundation runs the 1792 Mueller House, the Historical Society of the Cocalico Valley covers the Ephrata area, and Marietta Restoration Associates preserves the river-town architecture along the Susquehanna. These are small, often staffed by volunteers, and worth a call ahead for hours.

Steam, farm machinery, and factory tours

For the industrial and agricultural side, the Rough and Tumble Historical Association in Kinzers fires up antique steam tractors and threshers at its summer reunions, and several working-farm and factory attractions across the county run tours that double as living museums of Pennsylvania Dutch craft and food production.