Downtown Lancaster (PA): worth a visit?
 

I'll be visiting my mother in central PA sometime in the next couple of months and we are thinking of things to do that don't entail a lot of walking (she is getting over a knee injury), although she'd enjoy a brief stroll around the downtown areas if they're worth seeing. We're thinking about a poke around downtown Lancaster, Ephrata, and Lititz...how are they these days?

Not on the agenda is cruising the back roads looking for Amish/Mennonite farms. I grew up in rural PA Dutch country, went to a two-room schoolhouse for a while and can get PA Dutch cooking with Mom and the relatives we'll be visiting. We'll probably also go over to Mt. Gretna, I haven't been there in years. And outlet shopping of course. I'd like to hit the Green Dragon, too (if not, we'll be at the Lebanon farmers market). And historic Bethlehem.

How are the centers of Lancaster, Lititz and Ephrata these days? Any recs for good coffee bars in those places?

Thanks!

IMO, downtown Lancaster and Lititz are both worth a visit. Ephrata I don't know as much about because I simply go to have dinner at Lily's On Main (awesome food) and leave...I've never walked around (or seen anything that I would want to stop for). Although, I understand the Ephrata Cloisters is worth checking out.

As for Lititz, it's a great little quaint town with cute shops. It wouldn't entail too much walking as the shops line about 2 blocks of Main St and 2 blocks of 501. There's also the Wilbur Chocolate Factory (and Dosie Dough) if anyone has a sweet tooth.

Downtown Lancaster has done a lot of revitalization projects in the last few years and is quite a nice little city, IMO. For not too much walking, try the Central Market area. There are great shops right there around the market building. Zanzibar, Bugaboo (if you have or know any kids) and The Tag Shop are some of my faves. Also, the 300 block of N. Queen St. is a great funky area that's only 3 blocks north of the market. There's Rachel's Crepes for a nice lunch or dessert stop, Zap & Co for some funky retro shopping and The Dude Shop for upscale jeans (Diesel, Seven For All Mankind, etc). I personally can't spend $200+ for jeans, but it's nice to browse and dream! :) And if you're into art, there's Gallery Row on Prince St. with lots of local artists hawking their wares. If you're here on the first friday of any month, they all stay open late for the First Friday events (generally 5-9pm). During First Friday, you can usually hear some music in the galleries, plus get some free wine and cheese at most.

As for coffee shops...in Lititz, there's a good one on Main St. that I can't remember the name of, but I'm pretty sure it's the only one on Main St. In Lancaster, right now I love Square One (on Duke St., right off Chestnut St.). However, sometime in the next few months, Chestnut Hill Cafe is scheduled to open and it is getting a lot of buzz around town. It's also gorgeous from the outside...the three girls who own it have done all of the work themselves and are doing an excellent job so far! It's on Chestnut and Pine and probably wouldn't be within walking distance of too much for your mom...you'd probably want to drive to it.

Hope this helps! And I hope you enjoy your time in the area!

Thanks! I've been looking at a downtown Lancaster website and it lists several bus routes. I'm going to check to see if one of them goes up to Lebanon. If so, I'm going to try and convince Mom to take it. She can drive perfectly well, but in case the day comes when she can't, I'd like her to be familiar and comfortable with the bus system. I've taken her all around Europe via mass transit, so I think she'll be more willing to explore the bus system(s) with me along.

And thanks for the great suggestions. Here's hoping the Chestnut Hill Cafe will be open by the time we poke around town. Lancaster does seem to be so much more developed (in a good way) than when I was last in the downtown area.

Hi BTilke-- I will echo SuCo's enthusiasm for Lancaster. My son has been in college there for almost 4 years, and we love visiting him.

The downtown area is really nice and very walkable. It has a lot of charm, and nice stores and restaurants. My favorite breakfast place is Wish You Were Here, on Orange Street. The Central Market is great and fun to walk through.

I think your mother would enjoy getting to know the town with you. The streets are one-way and can be confusing, but there are parking lots and you could set out from there on foot.

I can't beat the suggestions above other than add a vote for the Fulton Opera House and the Prince Street Cafe across the street for coffee. The Fulton has been selling out recently so consider getting tickets now.I don't think that you will find bus service to Lebanon but consider a drive to Mt. Gretna if the weather allows. The Hideaway by the MG fire house has very good food & prices for lunch and dinner.

There was a nice article about the Fulton in the NYT last week. I don't have the dates set for my trip yet, so we'll hold off on buying any tickets. And Mom doesn't like to drive at night if she can avoid it (my license recently expired and overseas expats can't renew their licenses by mail anymore).

And thanks for the Prince Street Cafe rec. My mother doesn't drink coffee, so she has no idea where the good cafes are.

BTilke, I actually completed my undergrad at a small college in Lancaster. To this day, I miss the market in downtown Lancaster. It was so fun, authentic, and just tons of interesting foods. We went back last Xmas and I couldn't believe how much downtown had changed, and for the better I might add. Have fun!

What's the latest on the Chestnut Hill Cafe? No open yet? Their web site says "soon"--a date fixed?

I will be in Lancaster in a few weeks and would love to check it out...

Thanks!

Topping...anybody know? Hello?

Also, recs for a special lunch in either downtown Lancaster or Lititz...Mom's birthday (although we may opt for someplace in the Lehigh Valley instead).

Thanks!!

In downtown Lancaster, try Carr's which is directly next to the Central Market (open Tues, Fri & Sat). In Lititz, try the General Sutter Inn (I haven't been there since new ownership). Lititz would be easier walking.

BTilke,

Chestnut Hill Cafe is not open yet, although they got most of their equipment in last week and are hoping to be open any day now. If you're not coming for a few weeks, they should definitely be open by the time you are here, but double check closer to your arrival date.

Thanks! I will be there in two weeks.

The General Sutter Inn in Lititz sounds like a nice idea for lunch or dinner, I will look into it. The menu has things on it Mom likes (tenderloin tips, crab cakes) and we might make a day of it...Lancaster in the late morning, just a light lunch (sandwich) somewhere, then Lititz and dinner at General Sutter. Other suggestions also still welcome!

A quick thanks for all the suggestions. We walked by the Prince Street Cafe and it looked pleasant, but we weren't ready to eat when we passed by. We didn't spend as much time in Lancaster as I'd planned because it was so hot and muggy. Chestnut Cafe not yet open. After visiting the Quilt & Textile Museum, we headed up to Lititz and had lunch at General Sutter's. My crabcake was excellent. Mom had the lobster bisque and tenderloin tips, both good, but I liked my meal better.
FWIW, my favorite meal in that part of PA was at Bluebird in Cornwall Township outside Lebanon. Good food, low prices, attractive but informal decor, gorgeous country setting.

Had a few meals in the Lehigh Valley that were surprisingly good...there are some new hot spots like Bolete and Melt (in the Promenade at Saucon Valley); plus a relaxing lunch on the shaded patio at the old Limeport Hotel on Limeport Pike.

Sounds like you had a nice time....but did you go to the pretzel factory in Lititz? :)

So, was downtown Lancaster worth a visit? :) Sounds like you had a good time.

Sorry about Chestnut Hill. They've been having some problems getting the final details worked out. The whole town is waiting (impatiently!) for them to open already! Did you peek in at all when you were there? I got a chance to walk through it the other day and it's gorgeous inside!

Hope you had fun!

I'm working on my trip report, so will post all the details.

Downtown Lancaster did seem worth exploring but it was such a hot, muggy day that my mother didn't have the energy for it. And since it was her birthday, I just did whatever she wanted. I would like to go back. Overall, however, I think I like historic Bethlehem more than downtown Lancaster.

No to the pretzel factory...I'd read it was closed in late 2007 for renovation and hadn't heard whether it had re-opened. Better still, we went to visit family friends whose home should be a museum! They have over 4000 works of art (2000 on display at the time), many of them museum quality, some dating back to the 16th century and a large collection of 18th century examples of American ironwork, art, sculpture, and furniture. In fact, one of their paintings is by a renowned Colonial artist and is the only still one privately owned. So that was a fascinating afternoon, esp. as they really enjoyed showing their collection and explaining how many of their pieces fit into early American (and Pennsylvania) history.