I’ve always loved all things miniature: miniature decks of cards, little glass bottles, little Christmas villages under the tree. Even stamps are little miniature pieces of artwork to me. Of course this includes miniature villages – they are the best! It’s no wonder I love making gnome doors, and creating miniature gnome homes “in the wild”.

Choo Choo Barn Miniature Village in Strasburg, PA

There are two miniature village roadside attractions in Pennsylvania. The first, Roadside America, is in Shartlesville, Pennsylvania. The second is the Choo Choo Barn in Strasburg, Pennsylvania. Strasburg may sound familiar to some of you… it’s home to a couple attractions about which I’ve previously written, Famous Amos, and Amish Boy with Pig. (Also, Strasburg is where the tornado touched down in February.)

Because of the lighting, or my phone camera, or a sun flare, the photos of the miniature village at Roadside America were not turning out good – they were all fairly dark so I did not take that many. The colors of the exhibit are much more natural and realistic than my photos would indicate.

And now, mostly because I’ve run out of stuff to say… SLIDESHOW!

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But wait, there’s more! Another SLIDESHOW! It’s just like getting two Ginsu knives for the price of one! Daayam, I bet you all are feeling pretty lucky about now, huh?! Can I get a Hallelujah! Can I get an Amen! (totally unrelated song reference, just because it popped into my head right then)

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Lest my slideshows of awesomeness *cough* not be enough to appease your appetite for all things miniature village, and you decide to see them on your own, I recommend going to Roadside America first, followed by the Choo Choo Barn.

Why? Because I did it the other way around. The best experience, in my humble opinion, is to see the more detailed Choo Choo Barn second. Otherwise, it’s kind of like seeing the Taj Mahal first, and then The White House. Not that I’ve been to either, and not to say the miniature villages in Pennsylvania are anything like those opulent structures, but they do have little trees and houses and stuff, and…. I don’t know where this is going, except to say that both miniature villages were awesome, and a bit crowded when I went over the holidays.

The mini villages and the gnome gardens and homes are a running theme in Pennsylvania. There is someone in the area creating little gnome doors and villages in local parks. (There’s more in my post Gnome Homes.)

Speaking of the gnome doors: Welcome! to those of you visiting from Melanie the Medium’s page! She’s a fan of gnomes, and owner of one of the gnome doors I’ve created. If you are interested in seeing some I’ve created, or ordering your own custom gnomes doors, check out my Better Gnomes and Gardens tab for contact infromation.