Lititz has always been one of my favorite small towns to visit, and it's no wonder why it makes the "Top Ten list of small towns in Pennsylvania." The historic streets are well preserved and the shops and houses are are beautifully kept. So, it seemed the perfect destination to visit with Joshua for two reasons: to share some of its unique history, and second, to visit the Wilbur Chocolate Store which helped to make this town famous. And let's face it.....who doesn't like chocolate?
To add to the day's excitement, we were able to share the experience with Joshua's cousins whom he rarely has an opportunity to see outside of FaceTime. So, Stacey reserved a time slot at the Julius Sturgis Pretzel Bakery on the edge of town to start out the fun.
For those of you unfamiliar with this story, Julius Sturgis was the first man to design the process for baking hard pretzels to sell to the consumer. He built the brick ovens into the back of the building that served as the operational bakery as well as a store, and his residence as well. He had 14 children to help with the process that resulted in the first commercial pretzel bakery in the United States. The original building still stands along the historic street just at the edge of the town limits.
We arrived a bit early, so we walked up the street a few blocks to the Lititz Historical Society where we admired the gardens in the back. Look closely and you will see two ducks basking in the sun.
And, looking closer....I spied this cute little frog hanging out on a rock.
There were some lovely gardens
and, true to form, some interesting decor on the porches of some of the houses along the street.
Soon it was time to return for our pretzel tour.
So, we met up with the cousins and headed inside for the tour.
The tour guide explained the history behind the house, and the process of making the pretzels back in the 1800's. Then, everyone was given a ball of "dough" and instructions on how to make the perfect pretzel.
I'd say that did a fabulous job!
She also showed the baking ovens and explained more modern techniques, but I didn't take any photos of that. After we were finished, we all went outside for pretzel photo.
It's not easy getting them all to smile at the same time, particularly when the sun is shining in one's eyes. But, hey, we got most of them!
We walked down to the park, where a red caboose stands along the train tracks. Marty took Joshua into the caboose for a tour. Apparently the man inside was thrilled to finally have someone stop in and take a look.
The rest of us waiting in the park, entertained by ducks.....lots of them!
And it seemed an eternity before Marty and Joshua exited that train! Marty said the man was thrilled to have the audience and it was hard to break away, but Joshua was fascinated by the information, so it was definitely worth stopping in.
Just across the way there is Lititz park, where the kids could have a fabulous time playing on swings, slides, and in this case, a wooden train.
It was loads of fun. We all lunched on a picnic that we had brought with us, then headed over to the Wilbur Chocolate building, which was limiting 15 people at a time inside the store. Marty and I decided to forego entering, but the kids enjoyed seeing the women dipping the pretzels in chocolate through the glass window.
Treats were purchased.
And, obviously, enjoyed.
We then decided to stop at one more place before heading home. There is a new playground called the Tree House in Lititz, and that was our destination. How awesome is this?
The kids all were SO excited to see it and eager to enjoy its many fun features.
Everyone had a slide....or two or three....or, perhaps ten or more?
And there was a special area set up just for little tykes.
which this one thoroughly enjoyed.
Let's just say.... there was a LOT of fun had by all.
But the heat got the better of us, so we called it a day, parted ways, and headed home.
Another fabulous adventure made even sweeter by Wilbur Chocolate. You just can't beat that, can you?
No comments:
Post a Comment