Issuu

FESTIVALS AND EVENTS

Enjoy a community of creators. When it comes to fun things to do, one new thing this year is Lancaster Fringe Fest — a performing arts festival featuring everything from dance troupes and comedy to poetry and textile art in a variety of nontraditional spaces in downtown Lancaster. The inaugural Fringe Fest takes place from May 21-24, with 40 independent acts at about 20 venues, all sharing stories that highlight human connection. Additional street performances are also planned.

Think spring while enjoying the beauty of 150 cherry trees in bloom along Front Street in Marietta. The Cherry Blossom Benefit Music Festival takes place in April between River Trail Brewing and McLeary’s Public House. Along with music and food trucks, artisans and vendors are also on hand to sell their wares.

Commemorate the burning of the Columbia-Wrightsville Bridge during the Civil War in June 1863 with a two-day RiverFest,

featuring the Bridge Burner Run and Paddle Challenge, trolley tours and more.

Attend one of the county’s 20plus mud sales, so named because of the condition of the ground during the spring thaw. These fire company benefit sales offer everything from furniture and quilts to antiques and tools. There’s plenty of homemade food, too. Hint: Wear boots.

Immerse yourself in the longago days of merry olde England at the Pennsylvania Renaissance Faire, complete with jousting knights, kings and queens, and a colorful array of villagers, from magicians to mud beggars. Hint: Satisfy your royal appetite with a giant turkey leg.

Celebrate and support African American culture. The annual African American Cultural Fair and Parade returns to Reservoir Park, 832 E. Orange St., from May 26-31. The event features a midway with carnival games and rides, live entertainment, a Showtime at the Apollo talent search, a parade, vendors and more.

Sink your teeth into a juicy homegrown tomato sandwich at the Washington Boro Tomato Festival held on the second and

third Saturdays in July in Pennsylvania’s unofficial tomato capital: Washington Boro. Enjoy chicken corn soup, live music and family activities, too. 6

Nothing says old-fashioned fun like a county fair, and Lancaster County has a bunch of them from late summer into fall. They’re all unique in their own way, but most of them boast those staples fairgoers have come to expect: carnival games, rides, fried food, animal exhibits and agricultural contests. (Think cow milking, tractor pulling and scrapple eating, just to name a few.)

Take a break from the midwinter doldrums and head to Lititz for the 10-day Fire & Ice Festival, which features wow-worthy ice sculptures and live ice carving along with a chance to warm up while sampling entries in the annual chili cookoff. There’s also a maker’s market, food trucks, live music, a scavenger hunt and more.

Find inspiration for your own backyard at one of several garden tours held in communities throughout Lancaster County. Marietta, Strasburg and Columbia all host self-guided tours of mostly private gardens in June. The Columbia tour also incorporates plein air artists at each garden stop.

From May to December, downtown Lancaster is alive with the sound of music every third Friday from 5-8 p.m. Music Fridays feature live performances at over a dozen locations throughout the city.

The Falmouth Goat Races began as a joke more than 40 years ago and they’re now an institution. Come as a spectator and watch handlers and their animals compete. Or bring your own goat and join the

race yourself. Don’t have one? No worries. You might be able to rent one at the event, which takes place every September at Governor Stables Park.

If you’re a fan of the whoopie pie, the Whoopie Pie Festival at Hershey Farm Resort will have you yelling “Whoopee!” The September event includes lots of fun whoopie pie-related activities, but the real attractions are the whoopie pies themselves — in over 400 different flavors. If you can’t get enough whoopie from just one festival, you’re in luck. Shady Maple Farm Market in East Earl and Brecknock Orchards in Mohnton have their own whoopie pie festivals twice a year.

Ring in the new year. Lancaster’s Lunar New Year Festival was created not just to celebrate a new year but also to share Asian culture with the local community. Expect live performances, food, games, crafts and, of course, the lucky lion dance.

THE GREAT OUTDOORS

Ride a rail trail. Lancaster city is becoming more and more bike-friendly, but nothing beats a ride on one of the county’s many rail trails. The area’s rich ties to the railroad industry might be history, but the old trails are still being put to good use. Some trails to check out include the Warwick to Ephrata Rail Trail, Northwest Lancaster County River Trail between Columbia and Bainbridge, the Enola Low Grade Trail from Turkey Hill to the Chester County line, and Conewago Recreational Trail from Elizabethtown to the Lebanon County line.

Take a picnic and check out the view high above the Susquehanna River, at the Chickies Rock County Park overlook in Columbia. From this massive outcropping of quartzite rock 100 feet above the river, you can see York County, Marietta borough and northwestern Lancaster County farmland.

The unusual and picturesque outcropping known as the White Cliffs of Conoy, on the edge of the Susquehanna River in Conoy Township, has its origins in a 19th-century limestone quarry business. The limestone here also had a healthy mix of dolomite, which was used by steel

factories to take out impurities in metal. The cliffs are believed to be the waste material from the processing of limestone-dolomite that was dumped over many years along the edge of the river. The cliffs are about 125 yards wide and 90 yards deep, leaving plenty of room for lounging.

Pedal your way through the county’s scenic farmland and covered bridges during the Lancaster Bicycle Club’s Lancaster Covered Bridge Classic held every August. Choose routes ranging from 31 to 100 miles, with proceeds benefiting Lancaster Bicycle Club’s grant program, which has donated over $600,000 to covered bridge restoration and bike-related initiatives since 1999.

Wind your way through a corn maze in the fall and take a hayride to pick pumpkins at several county farms, including Cherry Crest Adventure Farm in Ronks, Oregon Dairy in Lititz and The Country Barn in Lancaster.

Take a hike around a 100acre lake, go birding, explore the diverse woods, play disc golf, cool off on the splash pad or check out the night sky at a state-of-the-art observatory, all on a visit to Muddy Run Recreation Park near Holtwood.

Reaching Our Community Throug h Art

You might think Art of Recycle is just a great place to buy new and gently used arts and crafts supplies at affordable prices but it’s so much more This Ephrata gem also has a free crafting area, a bookstore, a summer camp program, low-cost crafting events and more all focused on the mission of developing, growing and healing communities through art.

Customers often say, “How did I not know this was here,” says Chelas Montanye, who founded the nonproﬁt at 27 Cloister Ave., Ephrata, and runs it with her husband, Joshua Myers. “We tapped into something really good and it kind of has a magic of its own,” she says

Entering the art center is like entering a maze, with a little of that magic at every turn The free crafting area is in a large room with an under-the-sea theme Kids can use the free supplies in the craft castle to make a craft they can take home. For those who just want to play, a pirate ship that’s broken in two doubles as a puppet theater, with portholes for the puppets to perform. There’s also a giant free library that includes books for kids and educational books for homeschooling parents.

There are tables where parents can gather while their kids play Or older kids can occupy themselves while their parents shop in the store, which sells not only arts and crafts supplies, but also sewing supplies, wood crafts, books, music, home and holiday décor, and more.

Around another turn you’ll find the bookstore and a large reading tree that kids and sometimes adults can crawl into and curl up with a good book. These books aren’t free, but they’re reasonably priced and include everything from adult fiction and non-fiction to children’s books, cookbooks and DIY craft books. The bookstore also has a greeting card section where you’ll find thousands of cards for 10 cents apiece.

Art of Recycle offers a free art class from 10 to noon every Thursday for all ages and abilities. “A lot of people come with adults with disabilities, children, seniors a whole mix,”

Montanye says. “It’s really nice. We try to come up with a really unique activity for everyone to do.”

A non-traditional camp program offers experiential opportunities for ages 12-21 throughout the year Designed as a job training and life skills program, the camp gives adolescents and young adults, whether highly advanced or with special needs, the chance to get handson vocational skills while also serving the community. Some may learn dollars and coins while working on the cash register or brush up on math by measuring fabric Others get experience with digital literacy, management skills, problem solving, time management and professionalism. Campers with autism may enjoy special projects like sorting seashells, rocks and minerals to create learning kits for schools.

Other fun activities throughout the year include a fairy garden workshop in the spring and a Winter at Hogwarts event. They also supply greeting cards for a Valentine’s event where participants make cards for seniors and veterans as part of Blue Ridge Communications’ Touch a Heart program.

Touching the community is at the center of Art of Recycle, not only through its many free and low-cost fun and educational activities for all ages and abilities, but also through its donations of arts and craft supplies. That includes free yarn to kitting groups that make items for homeless shelters and neonatal intensive care units as well as free resources to churches, homeschool co-ops, schools and senior communities.

All of that good work is funded by Art of Recycle’s arts and crafts store and fueled by a love of art and creativity, Montanye says “Inspiration is what we do.”

Grab your mountain bike and head to the Ephrata Bike Park @ Heatherwood, a public bike park owned by and located within Ephrata Borough, adjacent to the Warwick-Ephrata Rail Trail. The park features a pump track, multiple skills areas for beginner, intermediate and advanced riders, and 1.5 miles of singletrack trails. Need a bike? Rent one at the Ephrata Bike Share.

In an area rich with historical landmarks, some of the oldest and most significant artifacts involve a little more effort to experience. Adventure seekers can check out — with the aid of a reliable watercraft — ancient Native American petroglyphs located on rocks in the middle of the Susquehanna River near Safe Harbor. The symbols are thought to have been carved into the stones by Shenks Ferry Native Americans sometime between 500-1,000 years ago. Scholars have declared these carvings to be the best examples of Native American rock art in North America. The waters in the area can be a bit tricky to navigate, so guided paddling tours are a good idea.

Paddle down the scenic Conestoga River or Susquehanna River in a canoe or kayak. The Class I Conestoga River runs for 60 miles and empties into

the Susquehanna, the longest river on the East Coast and one of the oldest rivers in the world. If you need a little help, kayakLanCo can provide the gear and the route for a self-guided adventure.

Grab a tube at Sickman’s Mill and take a relaxing 1.5hour, 2-mile float down the Pequea Creek, where you’ll pass the remains of an old magnetic ore mine and maybe catch a glimpse of an eagle, hawk, heron or deer.

Join the Lancaster County Bird Club and help to observe birds in the area’s many diverse habitats and preserve native bird life.

Take a quick break for a scenic walk along the Kiwanis Loop on Mill Creek, a 1.5-mile loop trail in Lancaster County Central Park. Considered an easy route, the trail is relatively flat as it meanders along Mill Creek through woods and open fields.

Visit the Middle Creek Wildlife Management Area, a favorite migration stop for snow geese and tundra swans on their way to the summer arctic breeding grounds. As many as 200,000 snow geese and thousands of tundra swans have visited the spot each year, typically in February and March.

Stop and smell the flowers at Shenks Ferry Wildflower Preserve, along the eastern bank of the Susquehanna River in Conestoga. The 84-acre preserve has over 70 wildflower species and 50 species of birds, along with fox, deer and eastern box turtles. A downloadable brochure at lancasterconservancy.org can help you identify the most common wildflowers you’ll find at the preserve. Wildflower fans can also visit the 4-acre Wildflower Lookout at Pleasant Paradise Farm in Ronks. For the price of admission, you can stroll through a field of blooms, relax on a quiet bench or bring a picnic lunch. Field rentals are also available for private photo shoots.

EAT AND DRINK

Join the Lancaster Liederkranz — Lancaster’s German cultural club — for some traditional German songs, dances and culinary delights. The club also hosts several public outdoor festivals throughout the year. Prost!

Any serious discussion of the best chicken barbecue in Lancaster County has to include Spooky Nook Produce & Greenhouse in East Hempfield Township. Every Saturday from April through October, the smell of marinating chicken wafts down the lane of the Stoltzfus family’s 66-acre farm at Landisville and Spooky Nook roads. The produce stand and greenhouse is open daily, Monday through Saturday, and sells what the family makes and grows: seasonal fruits including melons, berries and peaches; seasonal vegetables; homemade beverages including root beer, mint tea and lemonade; garden and landscaping plants, as well as flowers and planters; an array of birdhouses; baked goods on Fridays and Saturdays; and occasionally ice cream.

Stuff your face with Pennsylvania Dutch cooking at an all-you-can-eat buffet. Lancaster County has two of the best in the country, according to the 2025 USA Today 10Best Readers’ Choice Awards. Shady Maple Smorgasbord’s 200-foot buffet in East Earl was named the top buffet restaurant in the country, while

Miller’s Smorgasbord in Ronks earned the No. 2 spot. Visit Shady Maple on your birthday and eat for free. Hint: Wear an elastic waistband.

Visit the nation’s first pretzel bakery. In 1861, Julius Sturgis purchased the 18-century stone building on East Main Street in Lititz (and presumably some dough). Today, in that same building, people are still twisting dough into that familiar shape. The Sturgis Pretzel House is a delicious piece of history where you can tour the building and roll your own pretzel. Or you can purchase pretzels right out of the oven at Lancaster’s Hammond Pretzel Bakery, the oldest continuously family-operated handmade pretzel bakery in America. Thanks to its pretzel heritage, Lititz has also gained a sister city in Freeport, Illinois. Known as Pretzel City, USA, Freeport shares other common bonds with Lititz, including a rich German heritage, historic architecture and a vibrant Main Street. These sister pretzel cities are currently collaborating on ways to promote their new partnership.

Take your sweetheart to dinner at The Belvedere Inn in Lancaster city, named one of the country’s Top 100 Romantic Restaurants of 2026 by the restaurant reservation website OpenTable.

If java’s more your thing, check out some or all of the more than 25 quaint and cozy stops on Discover Lancaster’s Coffee Trail

Work up an appetite, then sink your teeth into a giant cheesesteak from Dottie’s Snack Bar, a popular spot in Quarryville since the 1960s that’s now run by the grandchildren of founder Dottie Tomlinson. Leave room for some ice cream.

Enjoy a heaping helping of chicken pot pie, Lancaster County’s classic comfort food, and help a good cause at the same time. Fire companies in Bird-in-Hand, Bareville, Gap and more hold fundraising dinners every year.

Sample some pepper jam and shoofly pie at Kitchen Kettle Village. What started as a simple family jelly business has expanded into a village-sized shopping experience located in Intercourse featuring more than 40 shops, lodging, restaurants and special seasonal events.

Scream for ice cream and enjoy a farm-to-cone treat at one of these county spots. Fox Meadows Creamery, Ephrata: Choose from 24 flavors made on site with milk from the family’s dairy farm. Stop at the right time and you can watch it being made. The Milkhouse at Oregon Dairy, Lititz: Try one of their 25 handdipped flavors, then visit the deer, goats and Patches the pig. Lapp Valley Farm, New Holland: Butterfat from their Jersey cows makes this small-batch ice cream possible. After your treat, view the cows and pet the calves. Pine View Dairy, Lancaster: Pick up some homemade ice cream and farm-fresh milk and pet the calves.

Taste a Wilbur Bud. From the 1930s until 2016, the sweet smell of Wilbur Buds produced at the Wilbur Chocolate Co. factory would infuse the air of Lititz. The factory has shut down, but Wilbur Buds are still for sale at the retail store across the street from the factory building and they’re as good as ever.

Pick up a tin of Bob Ross Happy Little Tree Mints, a box of Gobstoppers, a pack of Black Jack chewing gum and more favorites at the Vintage Candy Shop on West King Street in Lancaster. Still need to satisfy your sweet tooth? Stop by their bakery café for an ice cream sundae, float, milkshake, coffee drink or even a New York egg cream.

Downtown Lancaster has plenty of spots to enjoy a craft cocktail, from Passerine and Proof to Shot and Bottle and The Horse Inn. One of the newest is Hi-Fi Izakaya, a cozy, late-night Japanese café and listening bar, located behind Issei Noodle, where you can enjoy creative Japanese small bites, a DJ spinning vinyl, Japanese beers and, of course, those cocktails.

Drink in a little history at Lancaster County’s oldest continuously operating tavern. Back when James Madison was president and the U.S. was deep in the War of 1812, a tavern opened its doors on the corner of Waterford and Front streets in Marietta. Over 200 years and a few name changes later, Shank’s Tavern is still serving up food and drinks in a friendly neighborhood atmosphere.

Want to enjoy your food and drink with a view? Then try one of downtown Lancaster’s rooftop bars, all with a bird’s-eye view and a slightly different vibe — and height. Some possibilities: The Exchange at The Marriott at Penn Square; Altana Rooftop Lounge and Tellus360 on East King Street, and Little Mykonos on Orange Street.

Buy fruits, vegetables, pumpkins, pies or other locally grown or baked goods at a roadside stand.

Grab a bite at Southern Market. No matter what you’re craving, you’ll likely find it here, including authentic German food, New York-style deli sandwiches, pizza, and globally inspired dishes from Morocco to the Middle East. There’s coffee and craft cocktails, too. Southern Market was recently voted the second best food hall in the U.S. in USA Today’s 10Best Readers’ Choice Awards.

Above: The Exchange at The Marriott at Penn Square.

Ice cream at Fox Meadows Creamery in Ephrata.

THE ARTS

See a show at the Fulton Theatre, Lancaster’s own regional theater, a National Historic Landmark and the oldest continuously operating theater in the United States.

See a movie at Zoetropolis Cinema Stillhouse, a downtown Lancaster venue showing independent, foreign and documentary films. Hint: Arrive early to secure one of the comfy couches.

Grab a blanket or lawn chair and take in a free outdoor summer concert. Long’s Park has been hosting top musical acts from June through August for more than a half-century. The Shoppes at Belmont in Manheim Township has started its own concert tradition with a lineup of free outdoor shows every Saturday evening from Memorial Day Weekend through Labor Day Weekend. Or check out free outdoor shows throughout the summer in Ephrata, Columbia, Lititz, Marietta, Christiana, Quarryville, New Holland, Strasburg and Greenfield.

Stroll Gallery Row, the hub of Lancaster’s flourishing art scene and what many view as the catalyst for the downtown’s revival. The stretch of art galleries spans the first and second blocks of North Prince Street. Extra points if you visit during a First Friday celebration.

Take in everything from a touring Broadway show to a rock legend to a comedy act at the American Music Theatre. And don’t miss their original Christmas show.

51 Watch epic Bible stories come to life with music, elaborate sets, trained animals and state-of-the-art special effects at Sight & Sound Theatres just outside Strasburg.

Enjoy a buffet meal and a matinee or evening performance of a classic musical or a contemporary show at the Dutch Apple Dinner Theatre

Catch a first-run blockbuster movie or a live opera performance from the Met from the comfort of reclining seats at Penn Cinema in Manheim Township.

Grab a drink at the bar and a comfy seat at Prima Theatre, an intimate, boutique venue offering everything from concerts to contemporary theater in the city’s west side.

Check out an art show. There are plenty to choose from throughout the year where you can explore – and purchase – the work of artists and craftsmen from around the region or across the country. The Lititz Art Association hosts two outdoor art shows: The Lititz ParkWalk, coming June 13, to Lititz Springs Park, and the Lititz Outdoor Fine Art Show in October on the grounds of Lititz Moravian Church. The Heart of Lancaster Arts and Craft Show also has a spring and fall show at Roots Country Market in Manheim, including a Labor Day Weekend event now in its 37th year. But the granddaddy of them all is another Labor Day Weekend tradition: The Long’s Park Art Festival. The three-day event, featuring over 200 juried exhibitors from around the country, celebrates its 48th year in 2026.

FILE PHOTOS

Above: A free Queen tribute concert hosted by High Associates and Prima Theatre at Greenfield Park.

Left: The Long’s Park Art Festival.

LEARNING EXPERIENCES

Meet the Speedwell wolves on a tour of the Wolf Sanctuary of PA, an 80-acre natural refuge north of Lititz. Guided tours include stops to see some of the packs and hear their stories, as well as learning about wolf biology and conservation.

Make some time to visit North America’s largest collection of watches, clocks and timekeeping instruments at Columbia’s National Watch and Clock Museum.

Travel back in time to the North Museum in Lancaster and see fossils and bones of ancient animals such as Sphodrosaurus pennsylvanicus, a Triassic reptile that resided in what would later become Lancaster County over 200 million years ago.

Take a relaxing walk in a hidden gem located just outside of Lancaster. The Tanger Arboretum features a large variety of plant life including a dwarf conifer garden. It’s open seven days a week from dawn to dusk — and it’s free to tour.

earliest residents, complete with amazing Germanic architecture, unique music and art, and an intriguing backstory.

Learn about early Pennsylvania German life at Landis Valley Village & Farm Museum, a living history museum that includes an 1800s hotel, schoolhouse, blacksmith shop and more, along with the largest collection of Pennsylvania German artifacts in the country.

Discover the history of northeastern Lancaster County with a visit to the Historical Society of the Cocalico Valley’s Theodore Sprecher Museum in Ephrata. Housed in a Victorian mansion, the museum includes three floors of displays and period rooms, all free and open to the public.

Learn about Lancaster County Amish culture and customs with a trip to the Amish Farm & Home. Take a guided tour of the historic farmhouse and oneroom school, then enjoy a self-guided visit to the 15-acre farm. Need to relax? Take a yoga class with some cuddly goats.

More than a dozen Ephrata businesses use the name “Cloister,” but there is only one Ephrata Cloister, a historical treasure every Lancaster County resident must explore. These 275-year-old buildings, the very foundation of the town of Ephrata, hold stories of the spiritual journeys of some of Lancaster County’s

Tour the stone house just south of Quarryville that is the birthplace of famed steamboat inventor and Lancaster County native Robert Fulton

Check out the collection of more than 100 historic locomotives and railroad cars and learn about the area’s rich railroad history at the Railroad Museum of Pennsylvania in Strasburg.

A Civil War encampment at Robert Fulton Birthplace in Quarryville.

Gain an appreciation for how work was done back in the day by attending the Thresherman’s Reunion on the grounds of the Rough & Tumble Engineers Association in Kinzers. The annual event features old-fashioned steam traction engines and hit-and-miss gas engines, antique tractors, an operating sawmill and a working blacksmith shop.

Tour Wheatland — the 22acre Federal-style mansion where James Buchanan — the 15th president of the United States — lived for two decades.

Take a Historic Lancaster Walking Tour and follow a costumed guide to over 50 locations spanning more than 250 years of Lancaster city history.

Visit the 1719 Herr House, the oldest Mennonite meetinghouse still standing in the Western Hemisphere. The Herr House is part of the 1719 Museum, an 11acre site that also includes a full-size reproduction of a Native longhouse along with other buildings and exhibits tracing the formation of Lancaster County.

Visit the Thaddeus Stevens & Lydia Hamilton Smith Center for History and Democracy, an interpretive museum and education center that honors the accomplishments of its two 19thcentury namesakes —Stevens, Lancaster’s Civil War-era abolitionist congressman, and Smith, a Black businessperson who was Stevens’ confidant and housekeeper.

FOR KIDS

Feed the ducks that swim in the spring-fed stone waterway at Lititz Springs Park. There are two playgrounds to enjoy too.

Let the good times roll while skating to your favorite tunes at Castle Roller Rink.

Pick some fresh fruit at one Lancaster County’s orchards, such as Cherry Hill Orchard, Masonic Village Farm Market, Brecknock Orchards or Kauffman Orchards. Call ahead to find out what’s in season.

Discover your inner ninja warrior on the indoor obstacle courses at recRoc in Lititz and Spooky Nook Sports in Manheim. These venues also offer bouldering and/or rock-climbing opportunities for beginner and advanced climbers.

Learn and have fun at the same time at The Lancaster Science Factory, an interactive learning center housed in a reclaimed factory building featuring classes, exhibits and workstations where children can experiment and learn about science, technology, engineering and math.

See your favorite trains in toy form dating back to the mid-1800s, including meticulously maintained model train layouts, at the National Toy Train Museum in Ronks. Or check out the 1,700-squarefoot miniature model train layout at The Choo Choo Barn nearby in Strasburg. Hint: Be sure to pick up the free scavenger hunt sheet at the desk.

Fun, interactive learning awaits kids ages 2-10 at Hands-On House Children’s Museum, where you’ll find exhibits like Amazing Airways, Little Valley Farm, Mason’s Active Adventure Garden, Construction Zone and more.

Chug into Strasburg for a day devoted to trains big and small. The historic Strasburg Rail Road, founded in 1832, was initially used for freight hauling and transportation. These days it’s best known for family fun. Take your children to see Thomas the Tank Engine when he pulls into the station, ride with your favorite princesses or superheroes, or go on a Christmas or Halloween excursion.

Take a walk in an enchanted forest, sing songs, listen to stories, build a gnome house and look for signs of gnomes at Gnome Countryside in Kirkwood. More than 15,000 kids — and adults — have visited this wooded attraction for its naturebased programming over more than 25 years.

Enjoy over 30 rides and attractions, along with Duke’s Lagoon water play area, live entertainment and more at Dutch Wonderland, a theme park that’s been entertaining families for over 60 years.

Learn how ice cream is made, taste unlimited samples, milk a mechanical cow and develop your very own ice cream flavor in the Taste Lab at Turkey Hill Experience in Columbia.

Hop aboard a bus for a tour of Kreider Farms in Manheim, where you can watch cows getting milked on the milking merry-go-round, climb a 100-foot silo observation tower and drive down the middle of the maternity barn. If you’re lucky, you might see a newborn calf.

Have some fun at Daniel’s Den Playground, part of Manor Church Community Park in Lancaster. The fenced-in, inclusive playground has separated areas for tots and school-age kids and features themed play structures, a climbing wall, a water mister, slides and adaptive equipment, including a wheelchair-accessible swing.

Retro Fun & Food For All Ages

We’re Decades - a 45 game retro arcade, full restaurant, bar, 6-lane bowling alley, and seasonal ice cream bar. We’re open Wednesday through Sunday. Good for all ages! 21+ after 8:30pm. Easy garage parking right next door.

HOLIDAY

Head downtown to Penn Square on the Friday after Thanksgiving to kick off the holiday season with the Mayor’s Tree Lighting. Cap off the evening by visiting Santa.

Check out some impressive holiday light displays. Messick’s Farm Equipment in Mount Joy hosts a free, drive-up light show set to music featuring a display of tractors and 70,000 lights. Visit the Christmas Spirit Light Show at Penn Medicine Park, where you can drive through a one-mile track lined with thousands of lights that dance along to your favorite Christmas classics. Or head to the little borough of Terre Hill for Christmas in the Park and stroll a walking trail filled with tens of thousands of lights, play some holiday mini golf, enjoy craft vendors, food, multiple flavors of hot chocolate and more.

Get in the Christmas spirit by touring some local homes decked out for the holidays. Strasburg, Manheim and Marietta all host holiday tours of private homes and public buildings decked out in their yuletide finest.

Take a guided candlelight tour of the 1792 Johannes Mueller House in Lititz and learn how the early Moravian community celebrated Christmas centuries ago.

Experience the true meaning of Christmas at the National Christmas Center at Stone Gable Estate in Elizabethtown, where you’ll find over 1,200 nativities, storefronts decked out in 1950s Christmas themes, nostalgic décor, a doll emporium and a toy store featuring 5,000 hand-painted toy soldiers.

Spend a day at Roots Market in Manheim or Green Dragon in Ephrata. If you can’t find it at one of these markets, there’s a good chance it doesn’t exist. From cheeses and crafts to computer games and collectibles, the local farmers markets and auctions literally have something for everyone.

Watch the sport of kings on a Sunday afternoon at Forney Field in Rothsville, courtesy of the Lancaster Polo Club. Gates open at 1 and play starts at 2:30 p.m. Tailgating is expected, so bring your lawn chairs, snacks and of course your favorite beverage! The season runs from June to October.

91 Shop Lancaster Central Market, the oldest continuously running public farmers market in the country since 1730. More than 60 vendors offer local produce, locally sourced meat, poultry and more.

Watch the mud fly during some high-octane competition at Buck Motorsports Park south of Lancaster, where you’ll find tractor pulls, monster truck showdowns, demolition derbies and more every weekend, April through September.

Take yourself out to a ballgame at Penn Medicine Park, home of the Stormers, Lancaster’s very own professional Atlantic League baseball team.

Ever wonder how handcrafted furniture is made? Take a guided tour of the George’s Furniture woodshop and showroom in Marietta and see the stepby-step furniture-making process, from the drying and cutting of wood to the application of finishes.

If you’re a bookworm, check out one of the county’s independent bookstores, like Bookshelf Shenanigans in Elizabethtown, where you can explore a maze of bookshelves offering everything from

mysteries to graphic novels to Amish romances. You’ll find stickers, pens, bookplates and literary-themed teas, too. Pro tip: Head down the street and grab a cappuccino at EVO 206 at 206 S. Market St. afterward.

Find funky collectibles and retro clothing at one of the many vintage shops on the 300 block of North Queen Street in Lancaster.

Step up to the bar — the plant bar, that is. Visit the Gallery Grow Plant Bar in downtown Lancaster, where you can build your own terrarium or purchase a plant and container and pot it yourself at the complimentary planting bar.

Get your groove on and add some vinyl to your collection by checking out one of Lancaster County’s independent record stores. You’ll find several options downtown, including Stan’s Record Bar, CI Records & Skates, Dreaming Human, A Day in the Life Records and Angry, Young & Poor. Or venture beyond the city to Retro Rocks on Columbia Avenue, Lititz Music Co. in Lititz and the Record Connection in Ephrata.

Go treasure hunting along a 7-mile stretch of Route 272 in Adamstown known as Antiques Capital USA that boasts dozens of antique shops and thousands of dealers. Visit on one of three annual extravaganza weekends for more dealers, bargains and extended hours.

100

Get thrifty. Lancaster County has tons of thrift shops where you can find great buys on gently used clothing, accessories, housewares and much more. As an added bonus, shopping at some of them not only benefits your pocketbook but also the community. CommunityAid’s Lancaster thrift store helps support more than 500 local organizations meeting housing, food and basic needs. And Mennonite Central Committee’s seven local thrift shops help support that organization’s local and global relief efforts.

101

Get creative. Weave a basket, design mosaic jewelry, craft a redware ornament and more. The Pennsylvania Guild of Craftsmen offers a year-long calendar of educational workshops where you can try your hand at crafts representing a variety of disciplines, from fiber and stained glass to ceramics and metalwork. No experience? No worries. Many classes are geared toward beginners.

CÉAD MÍLE FÁILTE

28-30

A UNDRED T OUSAND WELCOMES

CÉAD MÍLE FÁILTE AHUNDRED THOUSAND WELCOMES

That's thecreed at Annie's, andyou feel it themomentyou step inside. Dark wood,low light, theslowpourofa proper Guinness settling on thebar —the kind of placeyou'd swearyou wandered into offa side street in Dublin,not themiddleofdowntownLancaster.

This is therealthing.Annie'swas builtinthe spirit of atrueIrish public house, wherethe door is always open anda stranger becomes aregular by thesecondround.A hundredthousandwelcomesmeans everyone gets one —wecookfromscratch,soweknowexactly what's in everydish, and we'reproud to take care of ourvegan,gluten-free,and allergen-friendly guests.Noone's turned away from ourtable

Come in forthe Harp batteredfishand chips, theshepherd'spie,a Dublin SpiceBag,ora sliceofGuinness soda breadwithrealbutter. Pair it with a perfectpint, adramfroma deep whiskeylist, or aclevercocktailwithan Irishsoul.

Honest food.Coldbeer.Livemusic.A warm welcomeevery single time.

Come visitLancaster's most authenticIrish pub. Céad Míle Fáilte —a hundredthousandwelcomes, waitingfor you.

E King Street, Lancas ter,

FILE PHOTO

A shopper browses the record selection at Angry, Young and Poor in Lancaster.