Lititz: Mueller House and Sturgis Pretzel Bakery

blog photo mueller house

I had the opportunity to chaperone my daughter’s fourth-grade field trip to Lititz at the end of the school year and I realized this little trip fit in perfectly with my day traveling interests hence another blogging topic!  Both sites mentioned can easily be done in a morning or afternoon.

Lititz was founded in 1756 as a closed Moravian community, so much of the historic aspects of the town are centered around the historic church and school.  There is a quaint downtown shopping district in Lititz which brings much of the appeal to the small town.  Another centerpiece of the town is the Lititz Springs Park, an idyllic park featuring natural springs which are neatly channeled through the park, home to a population of ducks.   The Johannes Mueller House Museum (1792) offers costumed tours, approximately 45 minutes long, detailing what life was like for the late eighteenth century tradesman and his family.  The house was carefully restored to its original appearance and contains hundreds of authentic artifacts from the community and the Mueller’s during that time period.

The tour guides were great with children, energetic and interactive; they made Johannes Mueller come to life as they walked us through a typical day showing different aspects of his domestic life and also his trade as a tanner.  They made a lot of comparisons between the student’s modern life and that of an eighteenth century Moravian child.  We saw what kinds of clothes they wore, where they would sleep, what chores children may have had, and even the types of toys they would have played with.  They must have made it sound appealing enough because when asked, half the students raised their hands if they would have rather lived in colonial times!

Make sure to stop by the lovely Mary Oehme Gardens behind the museum, which are also available by rent for special occasions. At the end of your tour, you will have an opportunity to visit the museum gift shop as well.

Hours:

Monday through Saturday; 10am-4pm, Memorial Day through last Saturday in October.  (The Lititz Museum is run by the same historical society and operates by the same hours—you could include this as part of the trip as it is right next door, but we did not visit so I cannot comment on that.)

Admission:

$5- adults ($4 for AAA members), FREE-children 10 and younger! (That’s unusual)

Mueller House and Lititz Museum

137-145 East Main Street

Lititz, PA 17543

717-627-4636

Visit www.lititzhistoricalfoundation.com for more information!

 

Julius Sturgis started his own pretzel bakery in 1861, America’s first commercial pretzel bakery.  The original factory still stands and is presently a museum where visitors can learn about the early bakery.  The structure has an even longer history dating back to 1784, which was one of the original structures in Lititz.  Built using stones from the street and wood hewn from the surrounding woods, the interior has beautiful, plank pegged floors and heavy wooden doors with iron strap hinges.  On the tour, we were all given a piece of dough and taught how to roll and twist a pretzel.  The tour gave us a look at the original ovens where we learned the process of baking pretzels, both in the past, and how the process has changed over time.  It was a quick but fascinating look into one of the most common snack foods.  At the end of the tour you have the option to purchase a delicious soft pretzel baked on the premises for an extra dollar.  You also get a small bag of hard pretzels and an opportunity to visit the bakery’s gift shop for more treats and souvenirs.

Hours:

Monday through Saturday; 9:30-4:30pm (store is open 9-5pm) March 16-Dec. 31.  (Hours are reduced during winter)

Admission:

$3.50 adults, $2.50 children

 

Julius Sturgis Pretzel Bakery

219 East Main St. (Rt. 772)

Lititz, PA 17543

717-626-4354

Visit www.juliussturgis.com for more information!

blog photo pretzel inside

 

Day Tripper Mom

Jeanette Knaub is a wife and an at-home mom to four children; Jackson (17), Eliana (15), Amalia (13), and Lilah (8). During the school year, she works part time as a Classroom Aide. In what little spare time is left, she enjoys volunteering at church and community organizations, reading, running, and of course researching and blogging about her family’s next trip!

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