Dutch Country and Bible History Museum

We went to the town of Bird-in-Hand for breakfast at the Bird-in-Hand Family Restaurant and Smorgasbord. We had the Smorgasbord (buffet) which was delicious! Thankfully we got there early because as we were leaving the restaurant was very full.

We then drove and explored the different towns and Amish communities and took a covered bridge!

We stopped at Bible History Exhibits in Ronks. This “museum” was based out of the owner’s home and we paid the $8 for the tour. I’m glad we did because he shared a lot of valuable information about the artifacts and models throughout history and the different cultures in the exhibits. He had models of the Tower of Babel, Ark of the Covenant, replicas of different tablets, tools, weapons, the dead sea scrolls, the Shroud of Turin, and early Bibles. Outside, he had an area talking about Roman crucifixion, a real crown of thorns, and was growing an olive tree and fig tree. There was also replica of the tomb Jesus was buried in. Also outside were little “archeological dig” areas where kids could dig around and find little treasures. Sidney found a shark tooth, shells, coins, and a fossil of some kind.

Overall, it was very informative and interesting! He was open to questions but definitely presented the information in a scientific, factual way, not necessarily faith-based (or so it seemed). For example, there was a small corner in the exhibit that referred to the Exodus and how some scholars attribute the “pillar of cloud” and “pillar of fire” to a volcanic eruption (Thera eruption). When I asked about this theory as opposed to the miracle of those events, he basically attributed it back to some scholars believe this.

Lastly, we really wanted to go to a local farm stand but not one of the touristy ones. Since we’re in Dutch country, there are a LOT of businesses geared towards tourists. We found a small family owned farm stand called Busy Bee’s Farm Market. They had a nice selection of handmade goods, freshly grown produce, jams and jellies, but more importantly we discovered freshly made and cooked soft pretzels. We’ve all had soft pretzels before from a store or restaurant but these were literally the BEST soft pretzel we have EVER had. I’m a little sad that we ever tried them in the first place because I don’t think I can ever eat a “regular” soft pretzel again (which is probably a good thing!). I may have requested Kyle go back to get more before we left the area… We also enjoyed watching the goats and chickens while we ate our pretzels and drank our freshly made strawberry lemonade.