Lakeside glamping, a presidential home, and international eats in Lancaster | Field Trip

Lancaster, Pa., is technically a city, but it’s packed with the charm of a Hallmark movie town: strollable streets lined with boutiques, Instagram-worthy late-fall foliage, and — yes — even the occasional Amish couple riding in a horse and buggy just beyond the city limits.

Located about 70 miles west of Philadelphia, Lancaster is where centuries of Amish and Mennonite farm traditions meet (and often support) an up-and-coming restaurant scene with some of the best farm-to-table food and cocktails in the United States. It’s a place where tourists can learn how to churn butter the old-fashioned way and then end the night at a Brooklyn-cool listening bar. That’s exactly what an Inquirer reporter did when she took a last-minute trip to Lancaster.

To get your weekend started, take a 90-minute drive past picturesque farms on I-76 and U.S. Route 222, or hop on Amtrak’s Keystone line, which drops you at the edge of downtown.

Hear us out: This upscale campground is 30 minutes outside of Lancaster by car, but it has the vibe of an all-year summer camp for adults. Red Run Resort’s 21 lakeside A-frame studios and cabins are homey yet luxurious, with spa-style bathrooms with soaking tubs, plush king-size beds, and private firepits. The campground also has an on-site pumpkin patch and occasional line dancing and bingo pop-ups, so guests don’t have to go far for a bit of countryside flair.

If you’re looking to stay in the city, the boutique Lancaster Arts Hotel transformed an 1800s tobacco warehouse into a living art gallery, displaying $300,000 worth of art from local artists across its 63 guest rooms. It’s walking distance from downtown and earns bonus points for free parking and complimentary bikes to explore the city.

📍 877 Martin Church Rd., New Holland, Pa. 17557 (Red Run Resort) ; 300 Harrisburg Ave., Lancaster, Pa. 17603 (Lancaster Arts Hotel)

After checking in, fuel up at Square One Coffee, a local micro-roastery whose Ethiopian blend beat out more than 2,000 entries to win a Good Food Award for best coffee. Their flagship Duke Street cafe is a solid pick for both coffee snobs and “little treat” connoisseurs, specializing in single-origin espressos and aromatic lattes in flavors like orange blossom honey or Blue Zen, a sky-colored concoction of butterfly pea powder, jasmine syrup, and chamomile tea.

Home baristas can detour to Square One’s Elizabeth Avenue warehouse for public tastings or an Espresso 101 class.

📍145 N. Duke St., Lancaster, Pa. 17602

Take your coffee to go and spend the afternoon exploring a trio of downtown Lancaster’s curated thrift and vintage boutiques. This reporter’s advice is to pack light, because it’s easy to bring an outfit (or two) and a suitcase full of tchotchkes home.

Start at Basura for racks of salvaged denim and leather, colorful sweaters, and quirky tees before heading over to Space, which specializes in mid-century modern wares that feel like they were ripped from a Mad Men set. Then, close out your shopping spree by heading to BUiLDiNG CHARACTER, a vintage and artisan marketplace with 80-plus vendors selling everything from butterflies preserved in glass and the occasional fossil to old school suits and antique jewelry.

📍106 E. King St., Lancaster, Pa. 17602 (Basura); 24 W. Walnut St., Lancaster, Pa. 17603 (Space); 342 N. Queen St., Lancaster, Pa. 17603 (BUiLDiNG CHARACTER)

Lancaster’s Sweetish Candy was importing Scandinavian sweets long before pick-and-mix bags were all the rage. Sweetish Candy owner Tyler Graybeal started selling Swedish treats in 2019 and now stocks more than 70 colorful candies for shoppers to dump into customizable bags and buckets. Graybeal’s selection includes still hard-to-find BUBS gummies, plus varieties of licorice tubes, pastel marshmallows, and chocolate eggs. This sugar rush doesn’t come cheap, though: Two pounds of candy cost $47.

For snacks that don’t cause a toothache, Lancaster Pickle Company is across the street with barrels of assorted pickle chips, dill pretzels, and — yes — even half-sour lip balm.

📍301 N. Queen St., Lancaster, Pa. 17603

This 2.6 mile out-and-back trail wraps a horseshoe around the scenic Conestoga River and has three access points with parking lots at Duke Street, Broad Street, and Conestoga Drive. The greenway winds its away around the water and through the trees, so it’s perfect for late-fall leaf peeping and serene nature walks. The river is a favorite of duck flocks, turtles, and deers stopping for a drink.

Built in 1828 as a prominent lawyer’s mansion, Wheatland changed hands several times before landing in 1848 with James Buchanan — then secretary of state and later, by many historians’ accounts, one of America’s worst presidents. Buchanan lived there until his death in 1868.

Preserved by the nonprofit LancasterHistory, the home offers guided tours of Buchanan’s original furnishings and 19th-century décor. From Nov. 16 through Dec. 20, the tours take on a festive twist for Yuletide at Wheatland, exploring the family’s holiday traditions.

📍 230 N. President Ave., Lancaster, Pa. 17603

Tucked in the back of noodle bar Issei is Hi-Fi Izakaya, a speakeasy-esque listening lounge where DJs spin vinyl jazz, soul, and pop records until last call. The space is sleek and sexy, with a cocktail menu that adds Asian flair to standard drinks, like a gimlet mixed with matcha syrup, a Thai iced tea-infused espresso martini, and an old fashioned made with aged Japanese whiskey.

📍 40 W. Orange St., Lancaster, Pa. 17603

Tourists dine at Passerine, the French-inspired farm-to-table brasserie that landed on the New York Times’ best restaurant lists in 2024. Locals head to Quips Pub.

The cozy British watering hole has been serving oversize platters of crispy fish and chips and traditional bangers and mash since 1984. Regulars come by often, bartenders said, for hefty burgers and sarnies (British slang for sandwich), plus an extensive list of imported German, Irish, and English beers.

📍 457 New Holland Ave., Lancaster, Pa. 17602

Fox Meadow Creamery’s Leola location is exactly halfway between Quip’s Pub and your cabin at Red Run, making it the perfect place to cap off a day of gallivanting in the city. Fox Meadow churns its ice cream on-site with milk from cows raised on the creamery’s dairy farm in nearby Ephrata, resulting in ultra-thick and and rich scoops.

Fox Meadow’s flavors change with the seasons, so the late fall comes with vats of apple cream pie, pumpkin patch cheesecake, and venetian tiramisu ice creams, among others. And — before you ask — yes, they carry pints for you to take on the road.

📍 193 E. Main St., Leola, Pa. 17540