How to keep your New Years Resolution to travel more

Enviably every January 1st social media is flooded with people's resolutions for the upcoming year, there's always the exercise more, eat healthier, spend more time with friends, limit technology use, but it's on the rare occasion I see people who make a resolution to travel more. I think that's a wonderful resolution, it possibly combines all of the above resolutions and incorporates the wonderful concept of expanding your horizons. So, the question is, how does one keep your resolution to travel more?   CNBC posted some great ideas for how to keep travel affordable, keeping in mind that not every trip needs to be the trip of a lifetime, but your lifetime should be full of trips. Websites like Airbnb and Homeaway allow you the chance to get away with affordable locations , or you could consider Nomador- a website for house-sitting ( and i can tell you from experience, house sitting… Read More

How to Pick the Right B&B

Now that we’ve worked through how you can best keep your New Years resolution to travel, let’s talk about how one goes about picking the right B&B for your vacation away. This seems like a tall order at first, with so many choices especially in tourist areas.  How do you find the inn that meets your expectations of a home away from home? This wasn’t hard for me because the first time I ever stayed at a B&B it was a surprise from my husband and I had no say in the planning, but knowing him he meticulously researched until making his selection. When I asked him, “how did you go about doing that”  he replied, “I just thought about you, about me, and what would make us comfortable.” Now that doesn’t seem like much help, but if you take a few minutes to sit down and make a short list of the 5 top things you want from your stay, it makes the process much easier. Here are… Read More

Food Envy . . the Challenge Is Real

Food Envy, it’s a real thing people. Most accurately described as the moment you receive your food, look over and see your friend’s selection and wish you had ordered that instead. I’ve experienced this many times, and it becomes particularly frustrating when you narrow down your choice to two selections and when you get your food you realize you made the wrong choice. Frustrating, aggravating, all the words that enrage the hulk to turn green are what food envy does to a person. BUT, I’m here to tell you there are ways to curb this emotion and remain calm and collective during your meal out.   If you’re hungry for something, just get it. Don’t let diet, time of day, or peer pressure drive your decision- if your body is craving chocolate, go ahead and order that piece of cake because if you don’t and watch the waiter walk by with it to another table- food envy will… Read More

Time Flies!

December was a big month for us, as we celebrated the one year anniversary of our on-site pub, Black Forest Brewery, threw its 1st Anniversary celebration, and what a celebration it was. Coordinated by Amanda DeVine of DeVine Destinations, the day-long celebration included raffle prizes, a local performance by Two Pints Shy, a delicious Italian buffet from Antonino Elia, and a Russian Imperial Stout beer reveal. The event which was released to the public in early November saw over 300 people through its doors on the 12th and welcomed many new faces to the Black Forest family. The owners of the pub and the 1777 Americana Inn Bed and Breakfast could not have happier and surprised with the amazing turnout on the day, they felt simply overwhelmed with gratitude as the community they entered only one year ago came out to celebrate with them. The day started right away at noon with new faces… Read More

Date Day and Date Night

Discovering Lancaster in my mid-twenties was about the best thing that could have happened to this Berks county girl. My first trip to downtown Lancaster was in the spring of 2014 and I’ve been hooked ever since. The vibrant community that exists within the 5-block radius of Penn Square blew my mind and exceeded anything I had experienced in Reading. I was able to visit the oldest farmers market in the U.S., I browsed in and out of countless art galleries witnessing the rebirth of sculpting, painting, drawing, and printing, and  I ate food that had nothing to do with potatoes, meat, and sauerkraut, it was simply magical. After my first trip, it took me a few weeks to make my way back, but when I did it was for a most epic date day with my husband. That’s the glory and charm of Lancaster (especially downtown) that you can make a date day and then make a date night and have them be completely… Read More

Wines

When it comes to wine, I can pinpoint the exact date and location I fell in love. October 12th, 2010 at a grand little vineyard called Hilltop Berry, twenty miles outside of Charlottesville, VA. My husband had surprised me with a weekend away at The Mark Addy Bed and Breakfast (highly recommended if you're in VA visiting) and we decided to explore the 20+ vineyards that surrounded our home for the weekend. We had our doubts because neither of us really drank nor enjoyed wine before this weekend, but oh boy did that change. We took our first couple sips at Hilltop and we were hooked (case in point by the 10 bottles we left the vineyard with that day). The rest of the weekend was spent tasting and relaxing amongst the vineyards and eclectic wineries and when it sadly came time to head home, I was officially a changed woman. Since that weekend I have made it my mission to experience and enjoy… Read More

Visit Lititz

If you’re looking for a getaway weekend for the holiday season, I think I’ve proven that the 1777 Americana Inn B&B is obviously the best choice in the Lancaster and Berks county areas, but if you need further proof, let’s talk Lititz. Voted one of America’s Best Small Towns, Lititz has something to offer everyone and it’s only a short 10 minute drive from the 1777 Americana Inn B&B. I encountered Lititz around the same time I found my affinity for downtown Lancaster, this quaint little town has so much to offer in only a 3-4 block radius that I became enthralled. There are antiques, jewelry, exotic meats, olive oils, kitchen gadgets, beautifully crafted wooden tables, boutiques with scarves galore and a chocolate factory…what more could a person want. Lititz has become one of my top choices for local recommendations especially now that the festive holiday season is in… Read More

Holiday Happenings

Ho.Ho.Ho. Infamous words that ring in the ears of everyone earlier and earlier every years. It seems as I grow older, the holiday season become longer and longer with every birthday candle.  When I was five, it started December 1st, when I was 15 it moved to mid November, but now at 26, the holiday season has officially reared its magical head the day after Halloween. Most people are against this, not sure if they just want to give the in-between Thanksgiving holiday its shining moment or they can't stand the commercialized and over priced stores taking advantage of this joyous season. The one good thing that comes out of this early merriment is that the 1777 Americana Inn Bed & Breakfast Americana Inn Bed and Breakfast gets to brag about some of the best seasonal sales and packages offered throughout Lancaster County County. So if you plan on visiting Lancaster County this winter season… Read More

Craft Brewery

The craft brewing sensation has had a gentle slope upwards over the past decade, but now it's become a phenomenon. Lancaster alone has over 15 different craft breweries and an ever growing number of home brewers. The 1777 Americana Inn Bed & Breakfast is proud to be part of that number with our onsite brewery, Black Forest Brewery. The concept for the brewery was thought up by Bob Harter and his three sons over 6 years ago on a back-packing trip through the upstate PA Black Forest Trail. A veteran of home brewing already at this point, Bob and Denise thought it would be an excellent idea to combine the retirement plans of opening a bed and breakfast with opening their own craft brewery, and that is exactly what they did.   Black Forest Brewery opened its door 12.13.14 and has had an impressive first year as they have brewed over 128 barrels of their original recipes. Black Forest… Read More

Award For Top Beer Lovers B&B

1777 Americana Inn has been named a Top B&B for Beer Lovers by BedandBreakfast.com. You can view the article here. This award was featured in their weekly newsletter to over 1 million travelers and will also be featured on their website and social media.  We are proud to be one of only six Bed & Breakfasts nationwide to receive this award for 2015. If you have yet to experience our trifecta of Beer, Bed & Breakfast, book your stay now and see what all the excitement is about! Read More