This Small Town in Pennsylvania Needs to Be Your Next Weekend Escape

Open year-round, Lancaster Central Market will leave your stomach full and your wallet empty. Here you'll find everything from Amish vendors selling fresh produce and traditional shoofly pie — a mouthwatering dessert made from gooey molasses goodness — to family-owned businesses serving locally roasted coffee. A can't-miss attraction, the market is a great place to get a taste for the local culture.

It's not very often you get to see a play in a theater that has as much personality as the show itself. In 1852, The Fulton was built on the foundation of a former jail, making this playhouse as spooky as it is elegant. The theater offers a variety of large-scale productions throughout the year featuring directors, actors, and playwrights from across the country. If you want to dive further into the workings and history of the theater, and maybe catch a glimpse of the ghosts who are rumored to live there, backstage tours are offered during Summer months.

Have you ever worn a sculpture? If you haven't, now you definitely want to. Luckily, Mio Studio can help with that. The artists at Mio have mastered the craft of recycling exotic metals and hardwoods into mini sculptures you can wear. Mio Studio sits on Gallery Row, the two blocks of North Prince Street dedicated to those who work to make sure creative juices are constantly flowing in this small town. Stroll the street and check out the work of some of the most established artists in the area at Red Raven Art Company, or find the iconic red umbrella featured in many pieces at Liz Hess Gallery.

Lancaster seems to have an ingenious way of repurposing big-city features to satisfy a small-town spirit, as it has with its 544 acres of Central Park. Pack a picnic of fresh breads and cheeses you found at the market, or throw on your running shoes and explore a number of hikes and trails. If you still can't shake those big-city blues, a surefire way to get back in touch with nature is by visiting the Garden of Five Senses. Overlooking the Conestoga River, this vibrant garden is exactly what it sounds like, housing enough sights, smells, and more to satisfy all five senses.

When New York Post called Lancaster "the new Brooklyn," there's no doubt it took its coffee scene into consideration. A number of cafes offer a variety of brews roasted locally to satisfy your inner coffee aficionado. Both Passenger Coffee and Square One Coffee are specialty roasters bringing distinct tastes to a downtown that unquestionably values originality. You can also find Passenger Coffee brews at local favorite Prince Street Cafe, where the art displays are almost as mesmerizing as the menu.

You can't leave Lancaster without tasting farm-to-table freshness, which is often marked by a menu disclaimer: "Menu subject to change based upon ingredient availability." At Ma(i)son, the French-Italian-inspired menu changes weekly based on the local farmers' harvest, making the uncertainty part of the experience. For a simpler menu that was created with the intention of putting the finest local flavors in the spotlight, try Carr's Restaurant, located just across the laneway from Central Market. Yet another farm-fresh favorite is John J. Jeffries, where the dedication to local ingredients goes even as far as the bar, which features local beers, wines, and ingredients for cocktails.

You may have seen Lancaster Cupcake on The Food Network's Cupcake Wars, and if you did, you're probably already dying to try some of its heavenly treats. Strawberry Champagne sounds delicious enough as it is, but make that a cupcake flavor and scrumptious can't even begin to describe it. A few blocks away you'll find Rachel's Creperie, home to desserts like you've only dreamed of with crepe flavors such as pecan turtle cheesecake, death by chocolate, and Nutella.

If you haven't heard of the term "urban upcycling," the main entrance of the Lancaster County Convention Center is a far better example than any definition you could find online. Lancaster won the creative reuse crown when it maintained the exterior of the landmark Watt & Shand department store as the face of this new building. Stand in Penn Square and admire the way urban development meets historic preservation, or go inside and check out some of the best views in the city.

There's no denying the words "pop-up park" have a ring to them that immediately makes you think great weather and even better food. During warm months, Prince Street Pop-Up Park is bustling with people lining up for locally owned food trucks, such as Penny's Ice Cream, Lancaster Burger Company, Passenger Coffee, Lancaster Sweet Shoppe, and more. Cool off with a cone of locally made ice cream as you admire the work of native artists and photographers that decorate the park on some First Fridays.

If you've been cooped up in a big city, it's likely been a while since you've been to a bar that manages to maintain a community atmosphere. Lancaster's Tellus360 is where locals flock to listen to live music and sample the bar's extensive whiskey collection, which it prides as Tellus3Whiskey. But this bar's best feature is undoubtedly its green roof, which overlooks the city and often hosts alternative events, such as rooftop yoga and movie nights.

Make sure to leave extra room in your suitcase for the must-have buys you're sure to find at local shops and boutiques. Treat your closet to something at Sophie Stargazer, or find a gift for the friend whose birthday is next at Because I Like U. And don't forget to pick up something for the chef in your life at The Spice and Tea Exchange, a store dedicated entirely to ways to spice up average dishes. But before you leave, you'll want to stop in Foxduck to pick up a token Lancaster t-shirt, laptop sticker, or baseball cap to look back on and reminisce on all of the memories you made on your weekend away.