Discover 35 hidden attractions, cool sights, and unusual things to do in Lancaster (United States). Don't miss out on these must-see attractions: Dutch Wonderland, Clipper Magazine Stadium, and Strasburg Rail Road. Also, be sure to include Landis Valley Museum in your itinerary.
Below, you can find the list of the most amazing places you should visit in Lancaster (Pennsylvania).
Table of Contents
Dutch Wonderland
Theme park in Lancaster County, Pennsylvania. Dutch Wonderland is a 48-acre theme park just east of Lancaster, Pennsylvania in East Lampeter Township, appealing primarily to families with small children. The park's theme is a "Kingdom for Kids." The entrance to the park has a stone imitation castle façade, which was built by Earl Clark, a potato farmer, before he opened the park in 1963.
The Clark family sold Dutch Wonderland in 2001 to Hershey Entertainment and Resorts Company. They also operate Wonderland Mini-Golf (Former Wonderland Cinema; Demolished in 2015), and Old Mill Stream Campground at the same location and the Gift Shop at Kitchen Kettle Village, in nearby Intercourse, Pennsylvania. On November 12, 2010, Hershey Entertainment announced that they sold Dutch Wonderland to Palace Entertainment.
The park has 32 rides, plus a tropical-themed interactive water play area called Duke's Lagoon. The park also has an extended season, open for "Happy Hauntings" and "Dutch Winter Wonderland" events for Halloween and Christmas. The park is part of a larger area in Lancaster zoned for entertainment, dining, lodging, and conferences.[1]
Address: 2249 Lincoln Hwy E, 17602-1188 Lancaster
Clipper Magazine Stadium
Ballpark in Lancaster, Pennsylvania. Clipper Magazine Stadium is a baseball park located in Lancaster, Pennsylvania, in the Northwest Corridor neighborhood. It is the home of the Lancaster Barnstormers, the city's Atlantic League of Professional Baseball franchise. It hosted its first regular-season baseball game on May 11, 2005, with the Barnstormers losing to the Atlantic City Surf, 4–3. The ballpark also serves as the corporate headquarters for the Atlantic League and seats 6,000 people.
The ballpark features a natural grass-and-dirt playing field. Its many food stands serve Pennsylvania Dutch and Philadelphia cuisine such as whoopie pies, cheesesteaks, hoagies, Tastykakes, soft pretzels from local bakeries and the Philly Pretzel Factory, barbecue from the four-time state champion Hess's BBQ, hot dogs from Kunzler & Company, beer from the Lancaster Brewing Company and Yuengling, ice cream and tea from Turkey Hill, salty treats from Utz and Snyder's of Hanover, and confections from nearby Hershey's. Clipper Magazine Stadium lies in the Northwest Corridor of Lancaster city, which includes Franklin & Marshall College and Penn Medicine Lancaster General Health. In October 2008, the venue hosted vice-presidential nominee Sarah Palin during the 2008 U.S. presidential election.
About 104,000 fans on BallparkDigest.com, a website by August Publications, ranked Clipper Magazine Stadium the "2020 Best of the Ballparks" out of all independent U.S. and Canadian baseball parks by a margin of 86 to 14 percent over the next runner-up, U.S. Steel Yard in Gary, Indiana. Clipper Magazine Stadium also won the 2021 "Best of the Ballparks MLB Partner Leagues" over runner-up, Franklin Field in suburban Milwaukee. The Atlantic League awarded Clipper Magazine Stadium the "Ballpark of the Year" following the end of its 2013 regular season, commemorating the Barnstormers staff for their excellence in groundskeeping and operations.
Clipper Magazine, a local periodical company, purchased the naming rights for $2.5 million over ten years beginning in 2006. They extended this agreement in 2013 through the 2019 season.[2]
Address: 650 N Prince St, 17603-3025 Lancaster
Strasburg Rail Road
Tourist attraction in Ronks, Pennsylvania. The Strasburg Rail Road is a heritage railroad and the oldest continuously operating railroad in the western hemisphere as well as the oldest public utility in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania. Chartered in 1832, the Strasburg Rail Road Company is today a heritage railroad offering excursion trains hauled by steam locomotives and diesel locomotives on 3.7 mi of track in Pennsylvania Dutch Country, as well as providing freight service to area shippers. The railroad's headquarters are outside Strasburg, Pennsylvania.
Strasburg has a total of eight steam locomotives on their current roster (five of which are operational). As of 2021, Great Western No. 90, Canadian National No. 89, Norfolk & Western No. 475 and Brooklyn Eastern District Terminal No. 15 (rebuilt as Thomas the Tank Engine) are all in active service. Canadian National No. 7312 (No. 31) is undergoing its ongoing mandated 1,472-day inspection and overhaul. Canadian Pacific 972 has been under restoration since 1999. The other 2 steam locomotives are 15” Gauge 4-4-0's built by Cagney in the early 1900s. They also have the nation's largest operating fleet of historic wooden passenger coaches. The Strasburg Rail Road is one of the few railroads in the U.S. to occasionally use steam locomotives to haul revenue freight trains. It hosts 300,000 visitors per year.
The nearby Railroad Museum of Pennsylvania occasionally uses Strasburg Rail Road tracks to connect to the Amtrak Philadelphia-to-Harrisburg Main Line junction in Paradise, Pennsylvania.[3]
Address: 255-293 Gap Rd, 17579 Strasburg
Landis Valley Museum
Museum. The Landis Valley Village & Farm Museum is a 100-acre living history museum located on the site of a former rural crossroads village in Lancaster, Pennsylvania. Founded by brothers Henry K. Landis and George Landis in 1925 and incorporated in 1941, it is now operated by the Pennsylvania Historical and Museum Commission. Its staff and volunteers collect, conserve, exhibit, and interpret Pennsylvania German material, culture, history and heritage from 1740 through 1940.[4]
Address: 2451 Kissel Hill Rd, 17601 Lancaster
The Ware Center
The Ware Center is a performing arts center located in Lancaster, Pennsylvania. First opened in 2008, it has been a satellite campus of Millersville University since 2010. Along with the Winter Center, The Ware Center is a venue for Millersville University’s Department of Visual & Performing Arts.[5]
Address: 42 N Prince St, 17603-3840 Lancaster
Central Market
Market in Lancaster, Pennsylvania. Central Market, also known as Lancaster Central Market, is a historic public market located in Penn Square, in downtown Lancaster, Pennsylvania. Until 2005, the market was the oldest municipally-operated market in the United States.
The Central Market comprises approximately 60 vendors who principally sell foodstuffs – fresh fruits and produce, meats, cheeses, fish and seafood and baked goods – and flowers. Products for sale come from Amish, Pennsylvania Dutch, German, Greek, Caribbean, Middle Eastern, and Slavic origins.[6]
St. Mary's Church
The Church of the Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary, more commonly known as Historic St. Mary's Church, is a Roman Catholic church located in Lancaster, Pennsylvania. Founded in 1741, throughout most of its history, the church served the German-speaking Catholics of Lancaster. The parish has had three church buildings over the course of its existence, with the current Gothic Revival brick church being completed in 1854.[7]
Address: 119 S Prince St, 17603 Lancaster
Wheatland
Wheatland, or the James Buchanan House, is a brick, Federal style house outside of Lancaster, Pennsylvania, in Lancaster Township, Lancaster County. It was formerly owned by the 15th president of the United States, James Buchanan.
The house was constructed in 1828 by William Jenkins, a local lawyer. The second owner was Thomas Fuller Potter. He sold it to William M. Meredith in 1845. Wheatland changed hands again in 1848, when it was purchased by Buchanan. Buchanan occupied the house for the next two decades, except for several years during his ambassadorship in Great Britain and during his presidency. After his death in 1868, Wheatland was inherited by Buchanan's niece, Harriet Lane, who sold it in 1884 to George Willson. It was inherited by a relative of Willson's in 1929. Wheatland was put up for sale again after the relative died in 1934 and was acquired by a group of people who set up a foundation for the purpose of preserving the house. Wheatland was designated a National Historic Landmark in 1961 and was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1966. It was designated a contributing property to the Northeast Lancaster Township Historic District in 1980. The foundation and the adjacent historical society merged in 2009.[8]
Address: 1120 Marietta Ave, 17603-2550 Lancaster
Historic Rock Ford
Historical place museum in Lancaster, Pennsylvania. Historic Rock Ford or the General Edward Hand House is an historic house in southeastern Lancaster, Pennsylvania. Although the property is surrounded by Lancaster County Central Park, it is privately owned and operated by the Rock Ford Foundation, a 501 not-for-profit organization. It was listed on the National Register of Historic Places on November 21, 1976. Edward Hand was an adjutant general to George Washington during the American Revolutionary War.[9]
Address: 881 Rockford Rd, 17602 Lancaster
Demuth Museum
Museum in Lancaster, Pennsylvania. Demuth Museum in Lancaster, Pennsylvania, United States, is a museum dedicated to the paintings of Charles Demuth located in his former studio and home at 120 East King Street. The museum offers a rotating view of a permanent collection which includes 42 Charles Demuth originals as well as artists and works that present a Demuth connection in the areas of theme, technique and epoch. Two recent exhibitions have featured Demuth contemporaries Alfred H. Maurer and Lyonel Feininger.
The house was built c. 1820 and is a contributing property to the Lancaster Historic District.
In addition to 10,000 annual visitors, the museum is regarded as an education center for students and scholars who access the archives and library for research purposes.
Admission is free. Every first weekend in June is the annual Demuth garden tour, which includes the Victorian garden at the museum, and about twenty other town and country gardens from which Demuth drew inspiration.[10]
Address: 120 E King St, 17602 Lancaster
Lancaster Mennonite School
Private school in Lancaster, Pennsylvania. Lancaster Mennonite School is a private Christian school with three campuses in Lancaster County, Pennsylvania, United States. The Lancaster Campus, east of the city of Lancaster, Pennsylvania, serves students in grades six through twelve. The high school on the Lancaster Campus is known as Lancaster Mennonite High School. The nearby Locust Grove Campus provides pre-kindergarten through eighth grade. To the southwest of Lancaster city, the New Danville Campus offers pre-kindergarten through fifth grade. In 2021, both New Danville and Locust Grove will be sold, and all the students will attend at the Lancaster Campus.[11]
Address: 2215 Millstream Rd, 17602-1499 Lancaster
Kingdom Coaster
Roller coaster in Lancaster County, Pennsylvania. Kingdom Coaster is the name of a wooden roller coaster located at Dutch Wonderland near Lancaster, Pennsylvania. The first coaster ever built by Custom Coasters International, it uses a single Philadelphia Toboggan Company train with buzz bars. The park's monorail runs through the structure of the ride.
It was known as the Sky Princess prior to the 2007 season.
As of the 2017 season, the minimum height went from Amber(42"-47") level to 46". Anyone at that height or at the Sapphire(48"-53") Level need to go with a responsible rider of the Ruby(54" and up) level.[12]
Address: 2249 Lincoln Hwy E, 17602 Lancaster
Fulton Opera House
Theatre in Lancaster, Pennsylvania. The Fulton Opera House, also known as the Fulton Theatre or simply The Fulton, is a League of Regional Theatres class B regional theater located in historic downtown Lancaster, Pennsylvania. It is reportedly the oldest working theatre in the United States. It was designated a National Historic Landmark in 1964.[13]
Address: 12 N Prince St, 17603-3808 Lancaster
Trinity Lutheran Church
Lutheran church in Lancaster, Pennsylvania. Holy Trinity Lutheran Church is a historic Lutheran church located at 31 South Duke Street in Lancaster, Pennsylvania. It is one of the oldest in the state. The remains of both Thomas Mifflin and Thomas Wharton are interred at Holy Trinity Lutheran Church.
A Commonwealth of Pennsylvania historical marker at Trinity Church commemorates Thomas Wharton and Pennsylvania Governor Thomas Mifflin, the first and last Governors and Presidents of Pennsylvania under the 1776 State Constitution. The marker was dedicated in 1975 and is located on Duke Street in Lancaster. The text of the marker reads:
Holy TrinityLutheran Church Founded in 1730.A session for an Indian treaty was held in the original church building in 1762.The present edifice was dedicated in 1766.Here are interred the remains of Thomas Wharton (1778) and Gov. Thomas Mifflin (1800).[14]
Address: 31 S Duke St #1, 17602-3593 Lancaster
Lancaster County Convention Center
Convention center in Lancaster, Pennsylvania. The Lancaster County Convention Center is a publicly owned convention center in the city of Lancaster, Pennsylvania, USA. With initial site preparation in late 2006 and completion in the summer of 2009, the Lancaster County Convention Center is one of several projects intended to help revitalize downtown Lancaster.
The convention center is integrated with the Lancaster Marriott at Penn Square, Lancaster's tallest building. The architecture of the hotel lobby and "shared space" includes the façade of the former Watt & Shand department store building, which was at one time listed on the National Register of Historic Places
The approximate cost to construct the hotel and convention center was $177.6 million.[15]
Address: 25 S Queen St, 17603-3918 Lancaster
North Museum of Nature & Science
Museum, Observatories and planetariums, Science museum
Address: 400 College Ave, 17603 Lancaster
Soldiers and Sailors Monument
Historical landmark in Lancaster, Pennsylvania. The Soldiers and Sailors Monument is a 43-foot tall Gothic Revival memorial which stands in Penn Square in downtown Lancaster, Pennsylvania. It was dedicated on July 4, 1874, at its present site on the Northeast intersection of King and Queen Streets. The monument's original intention was to pay tribute to Lancastrian Union soldiers killed during the American Civil War. However, today the Soldiers and Sailors Monument also represents those who have served in subsequent American military conflicts.
The 1744 Treaty of Lancaster between the British and Iroquois was signed in the old Lancaster courthouse which stood on the site of the monument at the time.
The Soldiers and Sailors Monument also stands on the exact spot where the Second Continental Congress met during the American Revolutionary War on September 27, 1777, in the old Lancaster Courthouse. The courthouse was built in 1739 but later burned down in 1784, rebuilt 1787 to serve as State House from 1799 to 1812 and reverting as Lancaster County Courthouse until 1852.
The monument has been listed on the National Register of Historic Places since April 2, 1973.[16]
St. Mary Coptic Orthodox Church
Place of worship in Lancaster County, Pennsylvania. St. Mary Coptic Orthodox Church is one of the oldest Coptic Orthodox churches established in Pennsylvania. It is one of over 200 Coptic Orthodox Churches in the US.[17]
Address: 3602 Marietta Ave, Lancaster
Lancaster City Historic District
Lancaster City Historic District is a national historic district located at Lancaster and Manheim Township, Lancaster County, Pennsylvania. It measures 3 square miles and includes 13,459 contributing buildings, 9 contributing sites, 6 contributing structures, and 19 contributing objects in the city of Lancaster. The buildings date from 1760 to 1950, with the majority dating from 1860 to 1930. A number of buildings were designed by Lancaster architect C. Emlen Urban. All the previously listed individual buildings and structures and historic districts are included in this district. Other notable buildings and sites include the City Hall, Lancaster County Prison, Miller and Hartman Building, Shaub Shoe Store, Watt & Shand, Conestoga Steam Cotton Works, Posey Iron Works, St. Mary's Catholic Church, Temple Shaarai Shamoyim, Bethel A.M.E. Church, the Unitarian Universalist Church of Lancaster, Pennsylvania Railroad Station, Lancaster Cemetery, Woodward Hill Cemetery, and Zion Lutheran Cemetery.
It was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 2001.[18]
Lancaster County Courthouse
Courthouse in Lancaster, Pennsylvania. Lancaster County Courthouse is a historic courthouse building located at Lancaster, Lancaster County, Pennsylvania. The original building was built between 1852 and 1855. The original building was designed by Philadelphia architect Samuel Sloan. The north wing was added between 1896 and 1898, and low flanking wings on either side of the exterior staircase were added in 1926–1927. These later additions were designed by Lancaster architects James H. Warner and C. Emlen Urban, respectively. It is an important example of the Romanesque Revival style.
It was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1978. It is a contributing property to the Lancaster Historic District.[19]
Address: 50 N Duke St, Lancaster
The Trust Performing Arts Center
Lancaster Trust Company is a historic bank building located at Lancaster, Lancaster County, Pennsylvania. It was designed in 1910 by C. Emlen Urban, and built in 1911–1912, in the Beaux-Arts style. It was added to the front of an existing five-story building, built 1889–1890. It consists of the Main Banking Room, Board Room, and vaults, with the basement, lavatories, and passageways include. The facade is of red brick on a limestone foundation. The bank failed in 1932, and the building remained vacant for the next 50 years.
It was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1983. For several years the building hosted the Lancaster Quilt and Textile Museum, which featured late 19th–20th century Amish quilts indigenous to the area.[20]
Address: 37 North Market Street, 17603 Lancaster
Amish Farm and House
Museum, Farm, Historical place
Address: 2395 Covered Bridge Dr, 17602-1174 Lancaster
Andrew Ellicott House
Heritage building in Lancaster, Pennsylvania. Sehner-Ellicott-Von Hess House is a historic home located at 123 N. Prince Street, Lancaster, Pennsylvania. It was built about 1780 by George Sehner, and is a finely restored house built in the Georgian style of architecture. It was occupied by Andrew Ellicott, first United States Surveyor General, from 1801 to 1813. Ellicott helped prepare Captain Meriwether Lewis for his exploration of the Louisiana Purchase.
It was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1972. It is now the home of the Historic Preservation Trust of Lancaster County, and open to visitors.[21]
Address: 123 N Prince St, 17603-3525 Lancaster
Steinman Hardware Store
Steinman Hardware Store is a historic commercial building located at Lancaster, Lancaster County, Pennsylvania. It was built in 1886, and is a three-story, brick and cast iron building in the Queen Anne style. It features a brick and stone balustrade at the roofline and a cut stone, metal, and stained glass storefront believed to date to 1744. The Steinman Hardware Store was first located at this site in 1793.
It was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1979.[22]
Ghost Tour of Lancaster
Museum
Address: Penn Square, Lancaster
Old City Hall
Building. Old City Hall, also known as County Court House and State House, is a historic city hall building located at Lancaster, Lancaster County, Pennsylvania. It was built between 1795 and 1797, and is a 3 1/2-story, brick building with stone accents in the Federal style. The building was restored in 1924. It was built as a "public office house" and housed the Commonwealth offices when Lancaster was the capital from 1799 to 1812. It has also housed city and county offices, a Masonic lodge, a post office, and library. It now houses the Lancaster visitor's center.
It was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1972.[23]
Hamilton Watch Complex
Building in Lancaster, Pennsylvania. The Hamilton Watch Complex is a former industrial complex in Lancaster, Pennsylvania. It was owned by the Hamilton Watch Company and was used as their headquarters from the company's founding in 1892, until 1980. The complex was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1982. The main building was converted into a luxury apartment and condominium complex. The Administrative Offices now home to a Montessori School.[24]
Address: Lancaster, 901 Columbia Avenue, Lancaster, Pennsylvania, United States
LancasterHistory.org
Museum, History museum, Historical place, Gift shop
Address: 230 N President Ave, 17603-3125 Lancaster
Beau's Dream Dog Park at Buchanan Park
Park, Relax in park
Address: 901 Buchanan Avenue, 17603 Lancaster
Annex 24 Gallery
Museum, Art gallery
Address: 24 W Walnut St, 17603-3015 Lancaster
Louise Arnold Tanger Arboretum
Arboretum in Lancaster County, Pennsylvania. Louise Arnold Tanger Arboretum is an arboretum located on the grounds of the Lancaster County Historical Society at 230 North President Avenue, Lancaster, Pennsylvania. The arboretum is open to the public daily.
The arboretum was established in 1959, and designed by Gustav Malmborg. It now contains 104 varieties of trees including American chestnuts, beeches, firs, and three Franklinia trees.[25]
St. Joseph Catholic Church Lancaster
Church
Address: 440 St Joseph St, 17603-5298 Lancaster
Mennonite Information Center & Biblical Tabernacle Reproduction
Museum, Specialty museum, History museum
Address: 2209 Millstream Rd, 17602 Lancaster
The Green Room Theater
Concerts and shows, Theater
Address: PO Box 3003, 17604 Lancaster
W. W. Griest Building
Building in Lancaster, Pennsylvania. The W.W. Griest Building, also known as the Lancaster Federal Building and PP&L Building, is a historic skyscraper located in the city of Lancaster, Pennsylvania. It was designed by noted Lancaster architect C. Emlen Urban and built 1924–1925. It is built in the Italian Renaissance Revival style and is a steel frame building faced in granite, limestone, and terra cotta. The Griest Building is fourteen stories tall and each floor measures 66 feet by 55 feet, or 3,600 square feet. The 12th floor, now office space, once housed a 300-seat auditorium with a green and gold frescoed ceiling. A 53 foot tall tower was added to the top of the building in 1976. The W.W. Griest Building is the second tallest building in the city of Lancaster.
The W.W. Griest Building is named after William Walton Griest, a former Pennsylvania representative and head of Lancaster Public Utilities.
It has been listed on the U.S. National Register of Historic Places since June 25, 1999.[26]