Thomas the Tank Engine is visiting Strasburg PA this week, and since our 4-year-old is train obsessed, we decided to make the trek up there to check it out. My DH and I wanted to make the trip fun for the boys, but also as relaxing as possible for us. That means a peaceful atmosphere (i.e. not loads of other families with children, and a separate place for us to hang out after the boys go to sleep so we don't have to go to bed at 8 pm or sit in the dark and whisper to each other). After looking online and rejecting many outrageously priced suites, we ended up staying in the guest house at Penn's Valley Farm, which was reasonably priced, and suited our needs quite well.

The B&B is surrounded by farmland, and has a lovely porch with rocking chairs that looks out over cornfields. There is also a playset, which the boys thoroughly enjoyed. The guest house also had some toys and books to entertain the boys, which was great for us, since we had neglected to bring these very important items. The guest house has two floors, one with a sleeper sofa, a kitchen and eating area, and a television with a vhs/dvd player, and some videos and movies, mostly suited to children. There were homemade blueberry and chocolate chip muffins waiting in the kitchen when we arrived, and an array of cereals in the cupboard.

A winding staircase takes you up to the sleeping area which has farm animals stenciled on the walls. There is a twin bed, 2 double beds and a small crib, and a bathroom with a shower. There is a gate at the top of the stairs - a very good thing for small children, since the stairs are quite steep. Gladys, the baker of the muffins, also offers an optional full breakfast for an addition $4 per person. We decided to partake on our last morning, and are glad we did. She made sticky buns, scrambled eggs and bacon, and some other delicious looking baked goods that we were too stuffed to sample. She and her husband Melvin, the owners of the farm, joined us for the breakfast, and they were good company. The cottage cost us $80 per night ($70 base + $5 each for the boys), plus $16 for the full breakfast. We though it was a great deal.

And I got some knitting time in on the porch.

Nice view to knit by!