Every summer, I try to think of a new day trip or two to take with my grandchildren when they visit for a month from out of state. I have to give it some thought because their ages run the gamut from one to fifteen so the destination has to please them all. Being the itch that I am, I always want to try something new, somewhere I've never been before and have yet to discover myself. Luckily, living in the tri-state area, we never run out of options. This year, for one of our little road trips, we decided to head to Lancaster (Columbia, PA to be exact) to check out the "Turkey Hill Experience."
Who doesn't like ice cream, right? Even those of us down here in Wawa territory occasionally enjoy Turkey Hill ice cream, novelties and beverages. I thought it would be fun to go check out this new kid on the block, that just recently opened in 2011. The 17,000 square foot attraction highlights Turkey Hill's history while demonstrating its ice cream and iced tea-making proce sses.
Doorstep to doorstep, it took us about an hour and a half to get there from Delaware County. Turkey Hill Experience is not the factory where the products are made. We were told that's down the road from the "Experience," as are the dairy farms where the cows, the most essential part of the whole operation, are located. Rather, this is an attraction to educate consumers how the product is made, packaged and delivered to stores across the nation. All this education is done in a way that's fun for the entire family with fake mechanical cows to milk, a real-life delivery truck to pretend driving, a homogenization ball pit and and an ice cream theater (inside a giant ice cream container) to watch a video about the ice cream making process.
Lots of technology is incorporated into Turkey Hill Experience. Visitors can formulate their own ice cream flavor and name it, design their own ice cream carton and even create their own commercial to market their personalized new flavor. The whole thing is then sent to visitors' home computers to share through social media with family and friends.
To top it off, visitors can visit the "Taste Lab" where they are given a large bowl full of vanilla ice cream. In the lab, visitors can add their own flavor extracts to the base, such as caramel, chocolate, coffee or others, as well as add some mix-ins like nuts, candies, fruits, espresso beans and such. They then place their new concoction into a commercial freezer. When the time is up, visitors get to eat their finished product or take it home if they live closeby. I know this sounds an awful lot like Delco's FroYo places (think Yogurtland or Mango), but the instructors wear lab coats at Turkey Hill Experience and it's set up to look like a laboratory too, which makes the whole thing really feel like you're in a lab.
I forgot to mention that throughout the entire Turkey Hill Experience, visitors can sample all the ice cream they could possibly eat. Come to think of it, the place might not be quite as much fun if a person is lactose-intolerant. There are all kinds of flavors to sample (and the sample cups are ample size, comparable to a small cup of ice cream if you ordered it elsewhere). My group's hands-down favorites were Moose Tracks, Phillies Graham Slam and Party Cake flavors. Additionally, there's a Tea Room, where visitors can have all the samples of tea, lemonade, iced coffee and other Turkey Hill beverages they desire (up to 20 different varieties of beverages are available). As a side note, the Iced Mocha Latte was awesome! There's no doubt that by the time visitors reach the Taste Lab, they are quite filled to the brim from the limitless ice cream and cold drinks.
The entire Turnkey Hill Experience was really cute—all the kids, and adults included, really enjoyed themselves because it was something different (and all the ice cream one can eat didn't hurt the positive reviews either).The experience is definitely aimed at families, and there are plenty of photo/selfie taking opportunities at each exhibit, which seem s to always be a plus these days for young and old alike. We all learned a lot about the ice cream and beverage industry (Did you know in 2014, that Butter Pecan replaced Vanilla as the most popular flavor of Turkey Hill ice cream?). In fact, on the ride home, we laughed as we quizzed one another on various Turkey Hill facts that we had learned that day. We had all been transformed into walking, talking Turkey Hill ice cream encyclopedias.
The Turkey Hill Experience reminded me somewhat of the Crayola Factory in Easton, PA for some reason. Both attractions are all about products (crayons and ice cream) that gave us good vibes when we were younger and provoke good feelings in us now that we're older.
Everyone who worked at Turkey Hill Experience was really friendly, courteous and nice, which made our visit there extra special. The exhibit area was really contained too, so the kids could basically run amok pretty freely from activity to activity without lines or restrict ions. Downstairs, upon entrance and exit, there is a unique gift shop with, what else, but Turkey Hill everything!
We could have truthfully spent more time at Turkey Hill Experience, but we had reservations at Strasburg Railroad and we knew the last train was at 3 pm. When planning our little road trip, we had decided to split our day and visit both of these family-friendly Lancaster-area attractions. Luckily, on the day we visited Strasburg, it was one of the Thomas The Tank Days so we had the extra bonus of activities for young children going on in addition to the 45-minute, round-trip larger-than-life steam train ride through the tranquil Amish countryside to Paradise, PA and back. Continued...
Years ago, when my children were little (they are now in their 20s and 30s), we visited Strasburg Railroad, but I truthfully forgot how enjoyable it is. The train ride in one of the beautiful antique first class train cars, was relaxing as we rolled along at a leisurely pace, passing by more than 1,000 acres of farm fields. Again, the staff was friendly, polite and knowledgeable which made the experience a feel-good, positive one. After all the hoopla of Turkey Hill, it was nice to kick back on the comfortable velvet seats in the train car and just veg for awhile, imagining being a rider of yesteryear.When we disembarked the train, we walked through the tents full of Thomas the Tank products and activities and browsed through some of the unique gift shops on the grounds, concluding with a stop at the Railroad Museum of Pennsylvania. Now, honestly, I am not much into trains, but I still enjoyed the exhibits highlighting the history and technology of railroading and the interactive , hands-on education center. I delighted in watching my grandchildren discover and learn about railroading, the industry that basically built our nation. For those who are fully into trains, this would be a train-lover's utopia.
For directions, admission prices and more information on Strasburg Railroad or the Railroad Museum of Pennsylvania, visit www.strasburgrailroad.com or call 1-866-725-9666. For more information on the Turkey Hill Experience, visitwww.turkeyhillexperience.com or call 1-844-VISIT-TH.
If you go to either or both places, I hope you enjoy the little day trip as much as my crew did. Originally, when we had planned the day, we were going to sneak in a Lancaster family-style lunch in between both attractions. However, on the actual day, we were so full from all the ice cream eating we did at the Turkey Hill Experience, that we skipped lunch altogether and finished our day waiting out one of those infamous summer storms while eating dinner at the Cra cker Barrel on Route 30 in Lancaster. If I ever go again, I must remember to eat breakfast first so I don't OD on the ice cream samples as we surely did this time around.
Lancaster is one of those versatile destinations like going into Philly or down to the Jersey Shore. No matter how many times you go, there are always new and exciting things to do and see. My grandchildren are here for another two weeks. We are busy planning another fun day trip or two in the tri-state area to make more lasting memories together and share some more priceless quality time. Isn't this really what summer is all about?
Readers can e-mail Peg DeGrassa at pdegrassa@delconewsnetwork.com or write her c/o DCNN, 1914 Parker Ave., Holmes, PA 19043.
Every summer, I try to think of a new day trip or two to take with my grandchildren when they visit for a month from out of state. I have to give it some thought because their ages run the gamut from one to fifteen so the destination has to please them all. Being the itch that I am, I always want to try something new, somewhere I've never been before and have yet to discover myself. Luckily, living in the tri-state area, we never run out of options. This year, for one of our little road trips, we decided to head to Lancaster (Columbia, PA to be exact) to check out the "Turkey Hill Experience."Who doesn't like ice cream, right? Even those of us down here in Wawa territory occasionally enjoy Turkey Hill ice cream, novelties and beverages. I thought it would be fun to go check out this new kid on the block, that just recently opened in 2011. The 17,000 square foot attraction highlights Turkey Hill's history while demonstrating its ice cream and iced tea-making processes.
Doorstep to doorstep, it took us about an hour and a half to get there from Delaware County. Turkey Hill Experience is not the factory where the products are made. We were told that's down the road from the "Experience," as are the dairy farms where the cows, the most essential part of the whole operation, are located. Rather, this is an attraction to educate consumers how the product is made, packaged and delivered to stores across the nation. All this education is done in a way that's fun for the entire family with fake mechanical cows to milk, a real-life delivery truck to pretend driving, a homogenization ball pit and and an ice cream theater (inside a giant ice cream container) to watch a video about the ice cream making process.
Lots of technology is incorporated into Turkey Hill Experience. Visitors can formulate their own ice cream flavor and name it, design their own ice cream carton and even create their own commercial to market their personalized new fl avor. The whole thing is then sent to visitors' home computers to share through social media with family and friends.
To top it off, visitors can visit the "Taste Lab" where they are given a large bowl full of vanilla ice cream. In the lab, visitors can add their own flavor extracts to the base, such as caramel, chocolate, coffee or others, as well as add some mix-ins like nuts, candies, fruits, espresso beans and such. They then place their new concoction into a commercial freezer. When the time is up, visitors get to eat their finished product or take it home if they live closeby. I know this sounds an awful lot like Delco's FroYo places (think Yogurtland or Mango), but the instructors wear lab coats at Turkey Hill Experience and it's set up to look like a laboratory too, which makes the whole thing really feel like you're in a lab.
I forgot to mention that throughout the entire Turkey Hill Experience, visitors can sample all the ice cream they could possib ly eat. Come to think of it, the place might not be quite as much fun if a person is lactose-intolerant. There are all kinds of flavors to sample (and the sample cups are ample size, comparable to a small cup of ice cream if you ordered it elsewhere). My group's hands-down favorites were Moose Tracks, Phillies Graham Slam and Party Cake flavors. Additionally, there's a Tea Room, where visitors can have all the samples of tea, lemonade, iced coffee and other Turkey Hill beverages they desire (up to 20 different varieties of beverages are available). As a side note, the Iced Mocha Latte was awesome! There's no doubt that by the time visitors reach the Taste Lab, they are quite filled to the brim from the limitless ice cream and cold drinks.
The entire Turnkey Hill Experience was really cute—all the kids, and adults included, really enjoyed themselves because it was something different (and all the ice cream one can eat didn't hurt the positive reviews either).The exper ience is definitely aimed at families, and there are plenty of photo/selfie taking opportunities at each exhibit, which seems to always be a plus these days for young and old alike. We all learned a lot about the ice cream and beverage industry (Did you know in 2014, that Butter Pecan replaced Vanilla as the most popular flavor of Turkey Hill ice cream?). In fact, on the ride home, we laughed as we quizzed one another on various Turkey Hill facts that we had learned that day. We had all been transformed into walking, talking Turkey Hill ice cream encyclopedias.
The Turkey Hill Experience reminded me somewhat of the Crayola Factory in Easton, PA for some reason. Both attractions are all about products (crayons and ice cream) that gave us good vibes when we were younger and provoke good feelings in us now that we're older.
Everyone who worked at Turkey Hill Experience was really friendly, courteous and nice, which made our visit there extra special. The exhibit area was really contained too, so the kids could basically run amok pretty freely from activity to activity without lines or restrictions. Downstairs, upon entrance and exit, there is a unique gift shop with, what else, but Turkey Hill everything!
We could have truthfully spent more time at Turkey Hill Experience, but we had reservations at Strasburg Railroad and we knew the last train was at 3 pm. When planning our little road trip, we had decided to split our day and visit both of these family-friendly Lancaster-area attractions. Luckily, on the day we visited Strasburg, it was one of the Thomas The Tank Days so we had the extra bonus of activities for young children going on in addition to the 45-minute, round-trip larger-than-life steam train ride through the tranquil Amish countryside to Paradise, PA and back.
Years ago, when my children were little (they are now in their 20s and 30s), we visited Strasburg Railroad, but I truthfully forgot how enjoyable it is. The train ride in one of the beautiful antique first class train cars, was relaxing as we rolled along at a leisurely pace, passing by more than 1,000 acres of farm fields. Again, the staff was friendly, polite and knowledgeable which made the experience a feel-good, positive one. After all the hoopla of Turkey Hill, it was nice to kick back on the comfortable velvet seats in the train car and just veg for awhile, imagining being a rider of yesteryear.
When we disembarked the train, we walked through the tents full of Thomas the Tank products and activities and browsed through some of the unique gift shops on the grounds, concluding with a stop at the Railroad Museum of Pennsylvania. Now, honestly, I am not much into trains, but I still enjoyed the exhibits highlighting the history and technology of railroading and the interactive, hands-on education center. I delighted in watching my grandchildren discover and learn about railroading, the industry that basically built our nation. For those who are fully into trains, this would be a train-lover's utopia.
For directions, admission prices and more information on Strasburg Railroad or the Railroad Museum of Pennsylvania, visit www.strasburgrailroad.com or call 1-866-725-9666. For more information on the Turkey Hill Experience, visitwww.turkeyhillexperience.com or call 1-844-VISIT-TH.
If you go to either or both places, I hope you enjoy the little day trip as much as my crew did. Originally, when we had planned the day, we were going to sneak in a Lancaster family-style lunch in between both attractions. However, on the actual day, we were so full from all the ice cream eating we did at the Turkey Hill Experience, that we skipped lunch altogether and finished our day waiting out one of those infamous summer storms while eating dinner at the Cracker Barrel on Route 30 in Lancaster. If I ever go again, I must remember to eat breakfast first so I don't OD on the ice cream samples as we surely did th is time around.
Lancaster is one of those versatile destinations like going into Philly or down to the Jersey Shore. No matter how many times you go, there are always new and exciting things to do and see. My grandchildren are here for another two weeks. We are busy planning another fun day trip or two in the tri-state area to make more lasting memories together and share some more priceless quality time. Isn't this really what summer is all about?
Readers can e-mail Peg DeGrassa at pdegrassa@delconewsnetwork.com or write her c/o DCNN, 1914 Parker Ave., Holmes, PA 19043.
Source: All the ice cream you can eat? Now that's a Turkey Hill Experience!
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