Be Prepared to See More Than You Expect

Beginning in his teens Laurence Gieringer began constructing a model village.  Over the next 60 years Gieringer built houses, barns, churches, stores, gradually adding streets, railroads, bridges, a coal mine and much more to his village.  In all there are 400 buildings in the 6000 square-foot Roadside America.  Dora Gieringer, Laurence's wife, hand made 10,000 trees and shrubs, including a garden of corn stalks.

Mr. Gieringer died in the early 1960s but Roadside America lives on almost unchanged (you can see new model cars in front of the church!).  The display is interactive!  You can operate the trains, twirl couples in a Saturday night barn dance, run a steam roller and much, much more.  Every half-hour the sun sets and a not-to-be-missed patriotic and religious slideshow begins, complete with Kate Smith singing "God Bless America".

Roadside America is located in Shartlesville, Pennsylvania, just off I-78.  If you look left and see the giant Amish couple you've gone too far.  Take the next exit and go back, as it is one of the most amazing sights you'll ever see.

Comments

[judy]

I think this is the place I went with Mom and Aunt Judy on our PA trip.

[Joe]

Do you remember any of it?