Leaping_Deere

My other half needs a day to kill with some exploring/touristing whilst I am working for the day.

Of the cities of Harrisburg or Lancaster which would be more interesting place to spend a day?

A bit of sightseeing or museum, or just places that has good spots for people watching and coffee drinking would be best, maybe a few independent shops to peruse.

Any thoughts appreciated

flyer703

Don't know much about Lancaster, but in Harrisburg:

• The National Civil War Museum is definitely worth a visit.
• There is a good restaurant scene along Second Street.
• There is a path that runs along the river, great for biking/jogging/walking.
• You can walk to City Island to catch a Senators game (AA affiliate of the Washington Nationals) or take a riverboat cruise on the Pride of the Susquehanna.
• There are often festivals whereby city blocks are closed (usually on weekends).

The Harrisburg Hilton is a nice hotel and is centrally-located. HTH...

GUWonder

Harrisburg, but it’s been a while since I’ve been back to Lancaster.

With Lancaster, seeing some Old Order Amish stuff was popular with some of the people hitching a ride with me on my trips to Lancaster. Lancaster has a Tanger outlets shopping center, and it used to have some of the best (at least pre-tax) prices of any of the outlet malls in the country.

CDTraveler

The outlet malls have greatly deteriorated over the past 3 years; there are a lot of empty storefronts there these days. I wouldn't waste time on them.

mhnadel

I'd suggest some smaller towns in the general area. Both Ephrata and Lititz are worth visiting. There's also Hershey, of course, which has nice botanical gardens and a surprisingly good museum. Gettysburg is also reasonably close by.

djp98374

walking or driving around?

the area has

Hershey chocolate
Lancaster and Amish country area
Gettysburg civil war battlefield

Section 107

if you are around Hershey and like (or better) automobiles, then the Hershey Antique Auto Museum | AACA Museum | Hershey, PA is not to be missed! A world-class museum, fantastic permanent collections and very, VERY well done rotating collections. For example, they have the only Benton Harbor, from 1895 - significant because it is the first automobile manufactured in America specifically and entirely as an automobile - in contrast to all previous automobiles which were modified horse-drawn carriages with a steam, electric, or other fueled engine added to the coach/carriage. It is also the oldest still running automobile in America. And they have SO much more, including the most comprehensive collection of Tucker automobiles.

nice article about the car: Car Built in 1895 in Benton Harbor, MI, Still Runs (import-car.com)

bitburgr

Lancaster proper? If there on a Fri/Sat/Tues, the Central Market (farmers market) is a nice place to visit but certainly unlikely to fill a day. The 4 block radius surrounding the market does have some nice restaurants and coffee shops.

lamphs

Thanks for the reminder. I took one of my dad's cars to the AACA spring show in Gettysburg. That is when learned of the museum's existence.

serpens

I have no comment on Lancaster.
If you like Civil War stuff, I would recommend Gettysburg National Military Park over the National Civil War Museum.

It's my opinion, of course, but the National Civil War Museum was not top tier. In one display case, two artifacts in the legend were simply absent; there was no place for them and no numbers for them. Throughout the museum, reenactments were blaring on screens; it was impossible to find a location in a gallery where no reenactment was audible. The museum, although it has National in the name, emphasized Harrisburg and Pennsylvania. And it listed Nathan Bedford Forrest as a great man, which I thought was over the top, even in a culture of trying to portray Southerners as similar to the Founding Fathers in breaking away from a tyrannous government.

In the restaurant scene, I can recommend Real Elite Buffet ("Real Elite Buffett" on Google Maps). It is not a traditional buffet; a server takes your choices from a list of options and brings them. The servings were small-to-medium, but there were a lot of them; salad, two sides, soup, and multiple kinds of fish or steak. I don't mean those were available; those were served. In other words, I chose two sides from the menu. I chose fish and was served two kinds; my companion chose steak and was served three kinds. I thought the food was good; my companion thought the food was great. We both agreed there was more than we would have taken at a traditional buffet, and we were invited to take the leftovers with us, unlike at a regular buffet. If I recall, it was $28 for lunch, but seniors get 50% off. If you go, arrive hungry.

Lovethecabin

Lancaster has better downtown shops and restaurants and is overall a nicer city.

Harrisburg is home to the state capital and the building is stunning. An interior tour would be a nice way to spend some time.