It’s hard to believe it’s been 20 years since Harrison Ford donned an Amish straw hat and danced around the barn of an Amish farmhouse with Kelly McGillis in the romantic thriller Witness. Since that time, visitors have flocked to the region seeking a little of the peaceful refuge Ford’s character found when staying with an Amish family in the scenic countryside of Lancaster County, Pennsylvania. Pennsylvania Dutch Country, as the region is known, is home to the nation’s oldest Amish community, a group of people who still travel by horse and buggy, farm the land with teams of horses and mules, and choose a simple, pious life away from the modern technology and gadgets most of us can’t live without. In honor of the 20th anniversary of Witness, visitors get a new glimpse inside the Amish way of life with special tours that go behind the scenes of some of the film’s most famous locations.
The Witness Movie Experience Tour, which runs through November 21, 2005, takes visitors on a three-hour guided motorcoach tour throughout the rolling hillsides and country roads of Pennsylvania Dutch Country. The highlight of the tour is the so-called “Witness Farm,” the Amish farm featured on the big screen. The farm is a private home and is still a working Amish dairy farm, and these anniversary tours offer an exclusive glimpse into what went on at the farm during filming and since. Visitors tour both the farm’s summer kitchen and the barn (site of that famous dancing scene) and have the chance to take a little glimpse of Hollywood magic. Find out why the Amish family just couldn’t get the walls of the summer kitchen clean when they moved in, or discover the secrets of filming of the “silo scene” in the film’s thrilling climax.
The tour also visits the “Witness to Witness” memorabilia exhibit at the Lancaster Cultural History Museum, where visitors can take a peek at everything from Kelly McGillis’ Amish dresses from the film to Harrison Ford’s workbench from the barn-raising scene. The exhibit also features plenty of candid photographs taken by crew members and local extras from the film, and artist’s interpretation of the barn-raising sequence, and an entire floor dedicated to explaining the myths and realities of the Amish way of life.
From there, the tour takes a driving tour through the countryside to see other prominent filming locations. Among the highlights – Zimmerman’s store in the quaint village of Intercourse (named for the site of the intersection of some of the area’s major trade routes in the late 1700s, when the village was founded) and the downtown Lancaster Greist building (site of the Philadelphia police station).
But Witness wasn’t the only time Hollywood came to Pennsylvania Dutch Country in search of that perfect location. The area’s unique atmosphere has been featured on the big screen several times. Stars Oprah and Danny Glover came to Lancaster to film Beloved, and today, visitors can still tour the buildings of Landis Valley Museum, the Pennsylvania German living history village that was transformed into a Hollywood set. Today, visitors can stop to see authentic open hearth cooking demonstrations, blacksmithing, quilting, or stroll through heirloom gardens to learn about the Pennsylvania Germans who settled in the region.
Another famous Hollywood figure comes from the world of musicals. When Dolly Levi boards the train in the final scene of “Hello Dolly,” the train car is actually that of the Strasburg Rail Road, America’s oldest steam line, which is still in existence today in Pennsylvania Dutch Country. Dolly’s train car is now open to the public, and visitors can take a 45-minute ride through the countryside on the historic Strasburg Rail Road.
It’s no wonder Pennsylvania Dutch Country has been a favorite for Hollywood over the years. Just a short drive away from the quaint countryside of Lancaster County is Gettysburg (site of the historic Civil War battle and the movie of the same name), where visitors can stroll the historic battlefields made famous both in history books and on screen. Pennsylvania’s capital, the city of Harrisburg, was the filming location for Girl, Interrupted and Major League II, and York County, just across the Susquehanna River from Lancaster, was the filming site for the comedy For Richer or Poorer. Pennsylvania Dutch Country is a wonderful region to explore, boasting not only film locales, but also incredible scenery, antiquing, family fun, factory tours, shopping through quaint towns and villages, and much more. Families will find everything from thrilling amusement park rides to experiencing the trend of agri-tourism with family farm stays and cornfield mazes. Adults seeking a quiet getaway will find it with quiet, luxurious B&Bs, quaint village shops, and theatre. History buffs will enjoy exploring historic homes, Civil War sites, and a way of life from ages ago.
