Yes Intercourse USA really exists and supposedly, it has the most stolen sign in the whole of the country. Intercourse PA, in Lancaster County Pennsylvania, is a bit of a tourist hot spot as it sits squarely in beautiful Amish Country. We had to visit Intercourse town as part of our USA road trip and this part of the world didn’t disappoint in any way. A post about the town of Intercourse PA, things to do in and near Intercourse, and how did this town get its name?
The famous Intercourse sign.
We were visiting Intercourse on a road trip around the eastern part of the US. Our journey took us from Canada to the very tip of the Florida Keys, on quite a tight budget with 2 kids. We made a special diversion to see Amish Pennsylvania.
The town of Intercourse got its name because it stands on a junction, an intercourse of roads, today’s 340 and 772 highways. The town was originally called Cross Keys, after a local pub, but the name was changed to Intercourse in 1812. (source, the Lancaster County website)
There are 2 towns called Intercourse in the US, the other is in Alabama. We haven’t visited that one, but Intercourse PA, we liked very much.
A road sign near Intercourse showing an Amish buggy. Lancaster County.
If you want to see the beautiful and traditional Amish horse-drawn buggies, along with the rolling farmlands of this part of the world, Intercourse town is a very good place to spot them.
Intercourse Pa itself is full of gift shops, quilt shops and country antique stores. They’re great if you’re in a shopping position, unfortunately, as we now live out of backpacks full time, we weren’t.
It’s liberating to only own what you can carry. This is one of the reasons travel is cheaper than staying at home and part of how we managed to continue travelling the world with the kids for 6+ years.
The joy of Intercourse for us, was in just driving around, enjoying the countryside in this part of the world.
It is so pretty, incredibly so. We think we picked a good time of year, that blanket of snow on rooftops and rolling fields made things even prettier.
Pretty Intercourse PA.
This road, the Pennsylvania Route 340, took us through Bird in Hand where we had a great time visiting the farmers’ market, trying new foods and looking at hand-made Amish crafts.
As we’re not from the US, apple cider was totally new to us and chocolate-coated bacon was pretty interesting.
American bacon is nothing like UK bacon, that’s another revelation of this trip.
More posts on Lancaster County and Amish country to come, we highly recommend this part of the world, there is a lot more to it than just the Amish community, but that in itself, was amazing.
We also found interesting places involving pretzels and chocolate, this was a very food focussed trip.
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Things To Do in Intercourse Pennsylvania
The town of Intercourse is pretty small, but there are some cool things to do in and near Intercourse.
Visit the Intercourse Farmers Market, the Bird in Hand Farmers Market is also good and not far away.
Browse the gift and antique shops, look out for quilting and fabric specialists.
Take a traditional Amish buggy ride farm tour. Book a tour, departing Lancaster, here.
Visit the Dutch Wonderland theme park, this amusement park is about 20 mins (10 Miles) from Intercourse PA, on the outskirts of Lancaster.
In Lancaster, take a food tour. We highly recommend the food markets here! Reserve your place here.
Take a look at Barry’s Car Barn in Intercourse if you love vintage cars.
The American Military Edged Weaponry Museum is in Intercourse.
The Waltz Vinyards Wine Shop is in Intercourse.
Eat at Stoltzfus Meats, Amos’s Place, or The Olde Mill Restaurant.
There are many places of Interest around Intercourse, be certain to check out the Julius Sturgis Pretzel Bakery in historic Lititz, Pennsylvania and the Wilbur Chocolate Factory and Candy Store also in Lititz. Lititz is approximately 16 miles from Intercourse, the drive should take you just under half an hour. Our kids loved these two attractions!
The Inn and Spa at Intercourse Village is more centrally located and possibly the best hotel in Intercourse. This hotel also has family and kid-friendly rooms. Their breakfasts get rave reviews and this old building is quite lovely. See it here.
Intercourse is in the US state of Pennsylvania. Is Intercourse a town or a city? It is neither, it is a unincorporated community and a census-designated place (CDP). It is located in Leacock Township, Lancaster County, Pennsylvania and is 10 miles (16 km) east of Lancaster on Pennsylvania Route 340.
This town is in the northern hemisphere and is in the North East of the US mainland. The other Intercourse in the US is in the south, in Alabama.
How Far is Intercourse Pa From New York City?
The drive time from New York City to Intercourse would be 2 hours 40 mins, traffic allowing, the distance is 147 miles (237 km), making Intercourse a great place to visit for a short break or weekend getaway. We drove to Intercourse from the Canadian border, heading south.
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About the author
Alyson Long
Alyson Long is a British medical scientist who jumped ship to chase dreams. A former Chief Biomedical Scientist at London's West Middlesex Hospital she started in website creation and travel writing in 2011.
Alyson is a full-time blogger and travel writer, a published author, and owns several websites. World Travel Family is the biggest.
A lifetime of wanderlust and over 6 years of full-time travel, plus a separate 12 month gap year, has given Alyson and the family some travel expert smarts to share with you on this world travel site.
Today Alyson still travels extensively to update this site and continue her mission to visit every country, but she's often at home on her farm in Australia.
Ah this brings back memories. I’ve been there and had my picture taken by the road sign. We then went on for a traditional Amish meal where I also picked up a copy of the local newspaper, Intercourse News.
There are actually quite a lot of towns in the area with sexually orientated names. I’m not sure if it is the Amish sense of humour or just great marketing?
Hi Alyson!
I for one would like that sign in my living room … The Niagara Falls look nice. How do they compare to Foz de Iguaçu? My kids thought THAT was awesome. Should you go to Foz, check out the Argentinian side of the falls too. You get much closer (my kids loved the bird-park in 2006, but we haven’t been back since…). But for a panaromic view, the Brazilian side is a must do!
Keep going – your blog is really fantastic!
Wow – you’re close to our farm! Make sure you visit the Strasburg (Steam) railroad. They are super-nice folks and the ride on a steam train is a beautiful way to see our special PA farmland.
It was fantastic around there Daria! We’ve left now, for Canada. I have lots more posts to come about Lancaster County, we enjoyed our time there immensely.
Been to intercourse pa its cute town bought a shirt with Virginia has lovers but pa has intercourse
I have a keyring and a mug that say Virginia Beach is for lovers. Missed out on the Intercourse souvenirs!
LOL! You should also visit Climax, MN!
Yes I think we probably should Kary.
Ah this brings back memories. I’ve been there and had my picture taken by the road sign. We then went on for a traditional Amish meal where I also picked up a copy of the local newspaper, Intercourse News.
There are actually quite a lot of towns in the area with sexually orientated names. I’m not sure if it is the Amish sense of humour or just great marketing?
Hi Alyson!
I for one would like that sign in my living room … The Niagara Falls look nice. How do they compare to Foz de Iguaçu? My kids thought THAT was awesome. Should you go to Foz, check out the Argentinian side of the falls too. You get much closer (my kids loved the bird-park in 2006, but we haven’t been back since…). But for a panaromic view, the Brazilian side is a must do!
Keep going – your blog is really fantastic!
Wow – you’re close to our farm! Make sure you visit the Strasburg (Steam) railroad. They are super-nice folks and the ride on a steam train is a beautiful way to see our special PA farmland.
Enjoy your visit!
It was fantastic around there Daria! We’ve left now, for Canada. I have lots more posts to come about Lancaster County, we enjoyed our time there immensely.