If you look past the horses and buggies and the rolling farms on the edge of downtown, Lancaster City could be any trendy Philly neighborhood.

The historic brick buildings and converted factories, the café culture and vintage shopping, the James Beard-recognized restaurants and interesting locals who work there — lately, Lancaster feels less like Amish Country than our cool country cousin whose house we want to crash at for the weekend.

And at only 80 miles from Center City, it couldn’t be an easier trip. Start the car.

Every trip to Lancaster should begin with Passenger. No disrespect to all the wonderful roasters back home, but bean for bean, Passenger crafts some of the most nuanced, flavorful coffees in the region — and backs up its sourcing with an annual transparency report. This is the place to linger over the lychee notes in a honey-process Ecuadorian pour-over, though the baristas make a mean latte and other espresso drinks, too. Whether you visit the Plum Street location, where you can get a peek at the roasting operation, or the flagship café on King Street, you’ll leave with one of the best cups of coffee you’ve ever tasted.

📍 131 N. Plum St.; 7 W. King St., Lancaster, Pa. 17602

One of the city’s original boutique stays, the Lancaster Arts Hotel holds up beautifully. The former tobacco warehouse pairs exposed brick walls and four-poster beds with a 260-piece art collection and easy access to downtown. Downstairs at John J. Jeffries, the cocktails are just as polished — especially the smoky Mexican Penicillin made with mezcal and Lagavulin 16.

📍 300 Harrisburg Ave., Lancaster, Pa. 17603

The vivid Trinidadian and pan-Caribbean cooking at Callaloo brings serious flavor to a bright green-and-white corner storefront. The portions are generous, so try to control yourself, but do not miss the buss up shut, the flaky Trini roti served with beef, chicken or vegetable curry.

📍 351 N. Mulberry St., Lancaster, Pa. 17603

While Lancaster County is rightly famous for its rolling countryside, it’s less common to hear about the greenspaces right in the city limits. Just two miles south of downtown, Windolf Landing Preserve is a compact 22 acres that overdelivers on natural beauty and floral diversity, with an all-ages loop trail that skirts the Conestoga River.

📍 2nd Lock Rd., Lancaster, Pa. 17603

Hand-illustrated greeting cards? Building Character. A cerulean army of Smurf figurines? Building Character. Vintage motorcycle jacket? Building Character. This complex of more than 80 vendors is the kind of place where time melts away as you lose yourself in the alleys of geodes, honey and vinyl. It’s also home the Heritage Press Museum, a must-visit for typography nerds.

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

So many bars have gone for the faux-speakeasty vibe, it’s become an industry cliche, but the Horse Inn (est. 1920) was an actual speakeasy during Prohibition. Walk upstairs to the former hayloft, where dark wood and amber lighting set a mood for pre-dinner drinks (though the food here is also great), where you’ll get into a classic Manhattan, a Three Springs Fruit Farm cider, or the Fulton Street Sour, a bourbon-amaretto riff sharpened with tiki bitters.

📍 540 E. Fulton St., Lancaster, Pa. 17602

With a James Beard nomination for Best Chef: Mid-Atlantic already under his belt, Nathan Flaim is cooking with serious confidence at LUCA. Craig LaBan recently spotlighted the restaurant in his rundown of Lancaster’s booming food scene, and it’s easy to see why. The rigorously seasonal “Pennsitalian” menu lately has included wild-nettle crespelle layered with spring lamb and green garlic béchamel; wood-roasted chicken with ramps and dandelion greens; and salads of Lancaster lettuces and edible flowers dressed with peach vinegar fermented from last summer’s harvest.

📍 436 W. James St. #101, Lancaster, Pa. 17603