James Hale Steinman
Louise Tinsley Steinman
refer carefully to the directions on this site to help you find us. In trying to ensure your visit will be a pleasant one, we ask that you please read through the following notes and advise everyone in your group of this information before your tour date.
total tour time may be one+ hours).
2011 Season: June 15 - September 28
The gardens here at Conestoga House are open for free summer tours through the courtesy of the Steinman family and the James Hale Steinman Conestoga House Foundation. The gardens are open for self-guided tours for individuals on Wednesdays from 1:00-8:00 p.m. starting June 15 until the end of August and from 1:00-6:00 p.m. in September (no reservation required). Groups of twenty or more may make a reservation for a guided tour on other weekdays by calling 717-397-5353, although we ask that you try to schedule your tour for a Tuesday, Thursday or Friday. We prefer to keep the look of a private estate and for that reason there are no signs or parking lot - please
Guided Tour Description and Group Size
Following a twelve minute audio-visual presentation, you will be divided into small groups, each group led by one of our volunteer docents, for your guided tour of the gardens. The tour itself takes about an hour and is a tour of the gardens and grounds only (it does not include the house). Please be as accurate as possible in giving us the total number of persons in your group beforehand, since the size of your group will determine the number of docents we will need for guides. We also ask that you please limit the number in your group to forty (if there are more than forty we may have to stagger your tours, and your
Outdoor Events An eating area with seating for 32 people is available for use by guided tour groups and also by individuals during the Wednesday self-guided tour times in the Dance Floor area. On Wednesdays, please bring only small bagged or basket lunches. No large coolers or reserving of tables. A 30 minute time limit on use of tables is allowed. No pool use on Wednesdays. For guided tour groups who are also having a picnic, there is limited access to kitchen facilities in the main house for food refrigeration. The pool is no longer available for use due to a new federal law.
Smoking
Smoking is prohibited on the grounds.
What to Wear
We advise the wearing of light-colored, comfortable clothing along with hats and sunglasses for protection against the heat, strong sun, and summer humidity. There are over ninety steps in our multi-leveled garden areas and in addition some of the areas are uneven, so we also advise that you wear sturdy, comfortable walking shoes.
Handicap Accessibility
Because of the way in which the gardens were originally laid out and terraced, the installation of a system that would entail installing ramps would mean removing many specimen trees and plants. A limited tour of the lower areas, comprising about half of the entire garden area, is available for the physically handicapped.
Touring At Conestoga House and Gardens!
Use the above control to turn the music on or off
