Experiencing the Turkey Hill Experience

Today we share the first blog post of MDT staff member, Cheryl W.  She works in our customer and guest information department and has a passion for sharing her love of the local area with passengers and customers at Harrisburg International Airport (MDT).  Cheryl and a coworker recently took a tour of the Turkey Hill Dairy Experience and found it quite a delicious and delightful endeavor! 


Sitting vacant for nearly three decades, the building that formerly housed the historic Ashley & Bailey Silk Mill has become The Turkey Hill Experience.  You can find the Turkey Hill Dairy (THD) Experience conveniently located between routes 441 and 30 in Columbia, Lancaster County (Just 35 minutes from MDT).  Upon your arrival, you are promptly greeted by a familiar animal, the Turkey Hill Cow.  Although she doesn’t have a name, she is Turkey Hill’s famous traveling mascot.  You are now ready to begin your journey through the Turkey Hill Experience.

COMPANY:   The actual Turkey Hill Dairy is located 6 miles from” The Experience” in Manor Township.  Turkey Hill Ridge was given its name by the Susquehannock tribe for the wild turkeys they found there.  The Frey family obtained farm land on Turkey Hill from the sons of William Penn, Thomas and Richard, in 1817.   Fred and Alice Frey began working the farm, which included a small herd of dairy cows, 70 years later.  Their son, Armor, began bottling and selling milk from the dairy in 1931.   The first bottle of milk he delivered was to a family in Columbia.  Armor sold the dairy to his sons in 1947 and today his grandson, Quintin Frey, is the president of Turkey Hill. 



REGION:   Before entering the interactive exhibit area, you will first see exhibits featuring Conestoga Native Americans, Early Settlers, the Susquehanna River and dairy cows.  There are many different breeds of dairy cattle.  The Turkey Hill cow is a Holstein cow.  They are the most common breed of dairy cow in the United States and are well known for their high level of milk production.


PRODUCT:   As you enter the interactive exhibit area, you will learn about the history of tea.  Tea is the #1 beverage on earth.  Step inside an oversized tea bottle to find out how Turkey Hill iced tea is Cold Fashioned; every bottle is made cold, bottled cold, shipped cold and sold cold for freshness.  It is kept at 38 degrees protecting the taste and keeping it fresh until you drink it. Have a seat in the Chill Zone where you can watch an informative video. Smell different varieties of tea leaves as you move on to take a computerized personality test to find out what iced tea best suits your personality.  The many flavors of Turkey Hill iced tea are sold in over 45 states.  Turkey Hill is the Nation’s #1 selling refrigerated iced tea.


Now let’s move on as you become an ice cream maker and develop your own ice cream flavor creation. While moving through the ice cream making process, you can choose your ingredients, pick a name for it, design your package and star in your own commercial. Along the way, shoot a laser ray, slide down a chute and play in the ball pit.  Try to guess the ingredients of Turkey Hill ice cream flavors, practice filling batches of mix into cartons and step inside a mock freezer.  A highlight is getting to watch actual ice cream production on the dairy cam.  Turkey Hill is the #4 best-selling ice cream in the nation and is now sold in 26 states.  Taste a sample of ice cream and a have a sample of iced tea before having your picture taken inside an authentic 1960’s milk truck, but your experience won’t be complete until you pull up a stool to milk a lifelike cow.  


As your tour concludes, stop at the Creamery for more ice cream treats and Wi-Fi is free so you can share your experience online with friends on Facebook or Twitter.



Do you have a favorite Turkey Hill Dairy ice cream or iced tea flavor?  When will you be planning your trip to the THD Experience?