We were just a stone's throw away in Hershey and Intercourse was just a slight detour on our way to Baltimore.

As it was Amish Country (known locally as 'Dutch Country') as well, we felt compelled to visit.

As you approach the town you begin to see the distinctive black horse drawn buggies of the Amish running their errands between their farms and the local businesses of the town.

You are not really supposed to take pictures of the Amish directly and interestingly I did take a sneaky picture of one driving a buggy, but my digital camera memory got full and the only picture I accidentally deleted to make space was that one...

It is interesting to watch these people as they go about their business as their religious beliefs cause them to willingly eschew such things as electricity in the house, or the motor car in preference for a simple life of humility and family.

Intercourse is a picturesque little town with a great many craft shops of many kinds lining its main street, with the nucleus being the 'Kitchen Kettle Village' of over 30 shops clustered together in a tasteful little period village atmosphere, including such great shops as the Smokehouse Shop and Jam & Relish Kitchen. Amish are famous for their quilts and their are several excellent quilt stores here as well, if you're into that sort of thing...

As Skye820 correctly points out, the Amish and 'Pennsylvania Dutch' communities as a whole were granted a unique lifeline by emmigrating to the US in the face of violent and deadly persecution in Europe...

Really there is a surprising amount to do in Intercourse as it is such a small place.

Probably the best thing to do is people watch, just by walking around town etc. We visited an Amish Supermarket, which was an interesting experience. Remember to be unobtrusive, as although their customs are very different from mine for example I was still aware that I was visiting their town and not the other way around...

Other things you can do include going for a buggy ride, taking a steam train journey on the nearby Strasburg Rail Road, visit the Choo Choo Barn - aka 'Traintown' in nearby Lancaster, visit the Amish Village for a historical tour of Amish life and visit some nearby covered bridges...

A little further afield are Philadelphia, the Chocolate Empire of Hershey and the Harley Davidson Factory at York.

Unfortunately we only had a few hours of Intercourse, so we only really saw the town, the Kettle Village and one of the covered bridges before heading off to York.

Watch 'The Witness' starring Harrison Ford, a tense thriller that was shot in this area.

Other nearby villages include the equally interestingly named 'Blueball', 'Bird in the Hand', 'Virginville' and 'Paradise' -one wonders just what was on the minds of the locals...!!? ;-)

Check out the local website for an in depth history of this interesting culture and info about Intercourse...

Situated in the middle of Amish Country between Lancaster and Philadelphia on routes 340 and 772 this is definitely farm country of flat fields and grain silos...

There is probably a bus service of some kind, however driving is the only serious way of getting around by giving you the independence to do what you want.

The roads were fine in this area without too much traffic, so it is easy to get around.

Intercourse is a sleepy place not much larger than a village.