Take a day trip to Miller’s in Lancaster, PA
There are certainly many things to do when in Lancaster Pennsylvania, not the least of which is eating. Let’s take for example one of the most popular buffets there, Miller’s on Route 30, also known as Lincoln Highway, in business since 1929.
It all stated when Anna Miller began serving chicken and waffles to truckers as they were passing through town.
Today Miller’s has a very large dining area, actually many dining rooms combined to serve about one thouand folks a week. If you go away hungry from this feast it’s your fault. Nobody counts how many trips to the buffet you make. I’m certainly not a big person, but during my last visit I made three trips. Seems like each time you look you see something else you want to try.
The trip from the Baltimore area is relatively easy. Once you get on Route 30 you keep going until you reach Miller’s. One word of caution is warranted here. This time of year, especially on weekends, you’ll find the traffic to be very heavy. The reason is you will have to drive by the many outlet stores located on 30. You also have to pass the American Music Theatre showing their annual holiday show. So if time is a factor, allow for this. Of course after dining at Miller’s you can be one of the folks shopping.
There are various meal plans from which to choose. They range from the full buffet ($23.95) all the way down to the $7.99 plan. The difference of course is the amount of food you can get. It seems as if most people opt for the $23.95 deal. It really is a good option considering how much food you can consume. The variety goes from soups, salads, breads, pasta, beef, chicken, fish, desserts, fruits and veggies. One of my favorites is the fried chicken and yes I do remove the skin. And yes I know, it’s the best part.
Along with the dining areas there’s also a huge gift shop and bakery. I usually make a point to bring back whoopie pies and the raisin bread. As you might imagine, many of the products being sold are from the Pennsylvania Dutch area, for example, those shoo-fly pies and the root beer. I think it’s a good idea to make reservations, especially on weekends.
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Eddie Applefeld is a Baltimore native and a graduate of Towson University. He has been in the broadcasting profession for over 30 years. Currently he is the Promotions Director of WCBM radio. Before that, he was part of the Rouse & Company show on WQSR, host of a cable TV show called Dining Out and adjunct instructor at Towson.
His past accomplishments include being named a finalist in Baltimore Tourism’s Employee of the Year Program and winner of Toastmaster’s Speaker of the Year contest. He was also twice a heartthrob for the American Heart Association’s gala fund raiser.
Advice from a local… If you want a real Lancaster County smorgasbord experience, visit the Shady Maple. Quality of food is about the same as Miller’s, but there is a better selection and better value. Also, this is about 15 miles away from Lancaster, so you avoid most of the traffic that Eddie mentions in the story. The only disadvantages is that Shady Maple is closed on Sunday and they don’t serve alcohol.