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Tag: Field Trip

  • A winter getaway with chocolate, caverns, and holiday lights in Hershey, Pa. | Field Trip

    A winter getaway with chocolate, caverns, and holiday lights in Hershey, Pa. | Field Trip

    Hershey is not just chocolate. OK, it’s a lot of chocolate. But beyond its famous namesake and the company Milton Hershey founded in 1894, this sweet little town has all the ingredients for an easygoing, with-or-without-kids winter weekend getaway — and it’s less than two hours from Philly.

    There are an iconic hotel, interesting breweries, year-round geological wonders, and a full holiday glow-up courtesy of Big Cocoa. The Hallmark movie basically writes itself.

    Fuel: Rising Sun Bar & Kitchen

    If you have taken the Pennsylvania Turnpike to Exit 266, just before you hit Hershey, you’ll pass through Palmyra, home to Rising Sun since 2018. Part of the family-owned Funck Restaurant Group (you can’t spell Funck without fun), this historic-inn-turned-holiday-hangout shines at breakfast, when locals and Hersheypark-bound tourists pile in for sourdough French toast, carne asada omelets, and biscuits smothered in sausage gravy.

    📍 2850 Horseshoe Pike, Palmyra, Pa. 17078

    Stay: The Hotel Hershey

    The grand dame of the city is Hotel Hershey, a Spanish-style confection of apricot brick-and-green terra-cotta dating to 1933 — and really, there was never any question where you were staying. Sure, cheaper chains cluster nearby, but nowhere else gives the sense of history, scale, and capital-P Place than Milton Hershey’s clubhouse, which he commissioned as an employment engine during the Great Depression. (Listen to the Business Movers podcast’s season 30 on the Hershey company for excellent context.) The spa is fantastic (sometimes cocoa-enhanced), and families will love the newer villas with fireplaces, rain showers, and access to a concierge lounge with nightly firepit s’mores.

    📍 100 Hotel Rd., Hershey, Pa. 17033

    Explore: Indian Echo Caverns

    It might be winter, but the temperature remains a steady 52 degrees inside Indian Echo Caverns in nearby Hummelstown. Opened to the public in 1929 — though used for centuries prior by the Susquehannock and other Native Americans — these caves are an all-season attraction. A guided tour takes you 71 steps below the surface to explore ancient stalactites, fantastical drip formations, and impossibly blue underground pools, while learning why preserving this ecosystem matters.

    📍 368 Middletown Rd., Hummelstown, Pa. 17036

    Shop: Black Swan Antiques

    Another Palmyra gem, Black Swan Antiques houses 60 independent dealers across 20,000 square feet. It’s a treasure hunt in the best way: Amish woodwork, collectible comics, fine oil paintings, dainty cocktail glasses — and almost certainly something you never knew you were looking for.

    📍 61 W. Front St. (rear entrance), Palmyra, Pa. 17078

    Visit: Hersheypark Christmas Candylane + Hershey Sweet Lights

    Central Pennsylvania’s biggest winter attraction, Hersheypark’s Christmas Candylane, turns the theme park into a veritable North Pole of twinkling lights and merriment. Santa. Reindeer. Music (including a new show at the park’s theater). You know the drill. Come earlier in the evening if you have the kids, later if you’re without. The park stays open till 8 or 9 most nights. Up the road, Hershey Sweet Lights offers a two-mile, drive-through light show arranged through wooded trails. It’s available as an add-on ticket and is worth it.

    📍 100 Hersheypark Dr., Hershey, Pa. 17033

    Dine: Tröegs Independent Brewing

    Tired: Elf on the Shelf. Wired: Mad Elf for yourself. Clocking 11% ABV, this spiced cherry ale is of the most notorious rascals in the Tröegs portfolio, and it can be hard to find in Philly. Going straight to the source guarantees a taste of the yuletide nectar — and maybe a stash for home. The casual, industrial brewpub serves seasonal plates like butternut hummus and pork belly with cheddar-jalapeño grits, and you can splurge on Grand Cru versions of Mad Elf (including bourbon barrel-aged). Pair your meal with a brewery tour ($15), which has been voted best in the country four years running. Booking in advance is recommended.

    📍 200 Hersheypark Dr., Hershey, Pa. 17033

    Indulge: Desserts Etc.

    Proof that not everything sweet in Hershey comes in a wrapper: Desserts Etc. has been the town’s go-to bakery since 2012. After dinner, stop in for a holiday cookie flight paired with miniature lattes and hot chocolates in flavors like gingerbread and white chocolate-cranberry. Keep in mind, the shop close at 9. Don’t let the Mad Elf derail you.

    📍 840 E. Chocolate Ave., Hershey, Pa. 17033

  • Holiday shopping, coastal trails, and craft beer in Lewes & the Delaware Beaches | Field Trip

    Holiday shopping, coastal trails, and craft beer in Lewes & the Delaware Beaches | Field Trip

    They don’t go “down the Shore” on the other side of the Delaware Bay. First Staters go to the beach — or, more geographically correct, to the Delaware Beaches: the neighboring Atlantic towns of Rehoboth, Dewey, Bethany, and Fenwick Island, familiar to most Philadelphians even if they’ve never been.

    The Delaware Beaches and Lewes, their historic bayside gateway, are charming and festive during the holidays. Come for the tax-free shopping and craft-beer icons, stay for the smart indie restaurants and pristine nature. It’s a quick trip across the bay on the ferry. Margate, Ocean City, and Wildwood will still be there when you get back.

    Ride: Cape May–Lewes Ferry

    Getting to Coastal Delaware is half the fun when you take the Cape May-Lewes Ferry. It takes about the same amount of time to drive directly from Philly to Lewes as it does to drive to Cape May and board the boat for the 85-minute crossing, but only one option gives you cinematic views of the Delaware Bay — historically the most important waterway in the region. (No bay for Billy Penn to sail up, no founding of Philadelphia.) It’s also a key environment for marine life, from oysters and mussels to dolphins and seals. You might even catch a migrating humpback whale on the 17-mile crossing.

    📍 1200 Lincoln Blvd., North Cape May, N.J. 08204

    Stay: Dogfish Inn

    One of the original craft-beer brands, Dogfish Head is maybe the most famous Delaware resident who wasn’t also POTUS. Sam Calagione founded the Milton brewery — more on that in a minute — in 1995, and it became such a tourist magnet that a hotel was a natural expansion.

    The friendly, 16-room Dogfish Inn opened in 2014 and sits along the Lewes–Rehoboth Canal, walking distance to both the ferry and downtown. Rooms are simply furnished and stylish, with branded swag and pops of olive and teal. Outside, beer pilgrims, holiday shoppers, and their dogs (the inn is pet-friendly) gather around the Cowboy Cauldron, the nickname for the communal firepit.

    📍 105 Savannah Rd., Lewes, Del. 19958

    Snack: The Station on Kings

    Fig-tahini danish, pumpkin-cheesecake conchas, and sugared doughnuts plumped with chai-spiced cream gleam in the pastry case at the Station on Kings, a charming café with arboreal décor and a greenhouse dining room that feels sunny even when winter clouds cover the coast. Grab a table and settle in for a leisurely brunch of those excellent baked goods, a creamy French omelet, maybe the calendar-correct Mistletoe Matcha, Station’s matcha latte sweetened with white chocolate-peppermint syrup. After, browse the selection of candles, soaps, ornaments, and other local and artisan gifts.

    📍 720 Kings Hwy., Lewes, Del. 19958

    Shop: Tanger Outlets

    Continue making your list and checking it twice at the Tanger Outlets in Rehoboth. Bargain hunters come year-round, but the holiday sales are especially enticing. The complex is divided into three clusters (Surfside, Seaside, Bayside) along Route 1, with more than 100 brands, including Nike, North Face, and Le Creuset.

    📍 Route 1 Coastal Hwy., Rehoboth Beach, Del. 19971

    Walk: Cape Henlopen State Park

    There’s a windswept solitude to the beach in December that, for anyone raised on towel-to-towel summer crowds, is narcotically surreal. Encompassing more than 5,000 acres of sandy shores, reedy wetlands, and maritime forest, Cape Henlopen State Park is the place to get centered in nature at the Delaware Beaches. Walking trails lace the preserve, winding through historical sites like Fort Miles, which played a critical coastal defense role in WWII, and around Gordon’s Pond. Head to the Point, near the hooked tip of Cape Henlopen, for views of the 140-year-old Delaware Breakwater Lighthouse.

    📍 15099 Cape Henlopen Dr., Lewes, Del. 19958

    Sip: Dogfish Head Brewery

    Despite being bought by the Boston Beer Company in 2019, Dogfish remains a Delaware darling. The brand offers multiple touchpoints throughout the beaches, but it’s worth the 15-minute drive west of Lewes to the Milton brewery. Tours run three times daily, seven days a week, and include a pour of 60 Minute IPA. For an extra $8, enjoy a tasting flight in the on-site taproom.

    📍 6 Cannery Village Center, Milton, Del. 19968

    Eat: the Blue Hen

    Located a block and a half from the beach, on the ground floor of the Avenue Inn & Spa, the Blue Hen gives cozy coastal tavern vibes with pewter-blue paint, carved woodwork, and a gallery wall of framed photographs. The cooking, from chef Julia Robinson, elevates the genre: gingered lobster toast with dashi aioli, mezze rigatoni with pistachio pesto and confit chicken, Iberico pork Milanese.

    Robinson bought the Blue Hen with her wife, sommelier and GM Heather Sharp, in 2022 after moving from Philly in 2017. Walking the Rehoboth boardwalk after dinner, it’s easy to see the appeal.

    📍 33 Wilmington Ave., Rehoboth Beach, Del. 19971

  • Art museums, cozy inns, and mountain trails in the Berkshires | Field Trip

    Art museums, cozy inns, and mountain trails in the Berkshires | Field Trip

    In northern Massachusetts, just below the Vermont border, the Berkshires have been a four-season destination for as long as tourism has existed in America. Over the last couple of decades, greasy spoons, summer camps, and old motor lodges have given way to trendier offerings across North Adams, Lenox, and Williamstown.

    The region’s recent renaissance coincides with its rise as a cultural hub — and, more recently, an escape hatch for New Yorkers and Bostonians during the pandemic. Why should they have all the fun? At roughly four hours from Philly, the Berkshires make an easy late-fall weekend trip. You may still catch a few lingering leaves, and with any luck, an early dusting of snow. Dress warm — you’ll want plenty of time outdoors.

    Stay: TOURISTS Welcome

    With its low-slung, mid-century silhouette, TOURISTS Welcome almost blends into the forested landscape behind Route 2. That’s intentional, since this property (reborn in 2018 from a 1960s motor lodge) is all about the outdoors, offering guided Appalachian Trail hikes, waterfall meditations, and a cinematic suspension bridge strung across the Hoosic River. Inside, Scandi-meets-rustic comfort reigns: fireplaces, worn-in leather, raw wood, and window nooks perfect for reading. It works just as well for families (skip the amaro cocktails) as it does for weekending stylists.

    📍 915 State Rd., North Adams, Mass. 01247

    Visit: MASS MoCA

    While the picturesque landscapes bring many to the Berkshires, MASS MoCA has functioned as the area’s other magnet since its debut in 1999. Located in a former industrial mill complex, it’s one of the most lauded contemporary visual art museums in the country, filled with (and sometimes seemingly constructed from) colossal installations you can literally get lost in. Don’t miss the immersive light works by James Turrell.

    📍 1040 Mass MoCA Way, North Adams, Mass. 01247

    Snack: Steeple City Social

    Just a short walk from MASS MoCA, Steeple City Social lures visitors with the scent of cinnamon and coffee — and a menu that runs from thick biscuit sandwiches and sticky buns to savory cheddar-and-pickle scones. The pies by the slice are excellent, and a rotating selection of vintage housewares lines one wall. At night, the café shifts to spritzy cocktails and potatoes with caviar dip.

    📍 5 Eagle St., North Adams, Mass. 01247

    Walk: The Clark Institute Sculpture Park

    Not to be outdone by MASS MoCA, the Clark Institute is the other destination museum of the Berkshires, with a collection of American and English art that includes a striking bronze cast of Degas’ Little Dancer. But the real magic — especially for families — lies outside. Its 140-acre sculpture park is free, filled with meadows, storybook woods, and walking trails that are especially enchanting with a little snow on the ground. The museum provides snowshoes.

    📍 225 South St., Williamstown, Mass. 01267

    Sip: Berkshire Cider Project

    Pop a bottle of sour quince, crabapple-and-McIntosh pét-nat, sparkling rosé, or one of the other exciting ciders at Berkshire Cider Project. The young cidery’s tasting room is open on Saturdays and Sundays at Greylock WORKS, a former textile mill-turned-artisan hive.

    📍 508 State Rd., North Adams, Mass. 01247

    Splurge: Miraval Berkshires

    A Relax & Renew day pass at Miraval Berkshires — a nationally respected spa retreat in Lenox — isn’t cheap ($509 Sundays–Fridays; $539 Saturdays). But it includes $230 in credits for treatments (mineral body peels, birch-and-juniper foot massages), fee-based activities (falconry, golf), scheduled classes (yoga, rock climbing), full access to spa amenities, lunch, and gratuities. You can easily spend the entire day here. Consider it an early holiday gift to yourself.

    📍 55 Lee Rd., Lenox, Mass. 01240

    Eat: Water Street Grill

    If you love a cozy pub, you’ll love Water Street Grill. Historic building? Check. Friendly hospitality that makes you feel like a regular? Check. Creamy clam chowder you’d be happy to drown in? Check. At WSG, which lives in a wood-clad, century-old building, the 21 taps spout craft beers from here and away, the wings wear eight different sauces, and the meatloaf comes smothered in bourbon-kissed mushroom gravy.

    📍 123 Water St., Williamstown, Mass. 01267

  • River views, historic gardens, and standout eats in Richmond, Va. | Field Trip

    River views, historic gardens, and standout eats in Richmond, Va. | Field Trip

    Wilmington, Baltimore, Washington — watch their exits blur past on I-95 as you head farther south and see color return to the trees. The leaves that have already fallen in Fairmount Park and Rittenhouse Square seem to reappear here, lighting up the old oaks and elms that line Richmond’s stately streets. Autumn clings a little longer in this university town, where nature — from wild riverside woods to formal gardens — feels ever-present.

    Just over four hours from Philly, Richmond, Va., offers everything you’d want in a weekend escape: smart restaurants, fascinating history, and a new hotel from one of the country’s most creative hospitality groups.

    Fuel: Sub Rosa Bakery

    One of the best bakeries in the country, Sub Rosa calls Richmond’s Church Hill neighborhood home. After a devastating 2024 fire and a long rebuild, it reopens this November — and it’s absolutely where any RVA weekend should begin. Made with house-milled Virginia and Pennsylvania flours, its pastries include croissants stuffed with garlicky mushrooms or sour cherry-pistachio, crunchy biscotti, and polenta thumbprints filled with housemade jam. Order one of everything — you’ll wish you had anyway.

    📍 620 N. 25th St., Richmond, Va. 23223

    Learn: Poe Museum

    A 15-minute walk from Sub Rosa (just enough time to finish that coffee and croissant) brings you to the Poe Museum. Edgar Allen grew up and worked as a journalist in Richmond before achieving literary acclaim, a life chronicled inside this petite museum founded in 1922. It’s filled with letters, first editions, and personal relics — including the silver candelabras by which Poe wrote The Bells. The museum complex includes the Old Stone House (the oldest standing residence in the city), Poe Shrine, and the lush Enchanted Garden. Keep an eye out for the resident black cats, whose shenanigans are detailed on the @poemuseumcats Instagram account.

    📍 1914 E. Main St., Richmond, Va. 23223

    Stay: Shenandoah Mansions

    Ash Hotels’ forte is retrofitting historic buildings into eccentric, artsy-craftsy inns, and the new Shenandoah Mansions is no exception. Expect four-posted beds draped in tentlike canopies, block-printed quilts, hand-painted lamps, and checkerboard-tiled showers. Located in the Fan District — a neighborhood full of architectural candy — the inn feels residential yet central to everything.

    📍 501 N. Allen Ave., Richmond, Va. 23220

    Hike: James River Park System

    One of Richmond’s greatest assets is its proximity to nature. The James River Park System covers more than 600 acres, all within walking distance of Broad Street, the city’s main thoroughfare. Pick up the head of the North Bank Trail at South Cherry Street and Oregon Hill Parkway for an hourlong walk along boardwalks and dirt paths, past historic cemeteries, and through tunnels of color-changing leaves.

    📍 4001 Riverside Dr., Richmond, Va. 23225

    Visit: Maymont

    Exit the trail near Hampton Street and Kansas Avenue, and you’ll find yourself at Maymont, a 19th-century estate built by financier James Dooley and his wife, Sallie. Though the Gilded Age mansion is closed to tours while undergoing renovation, the grounds alone are reason to visit. Wander through the Italian Garden, along the butterfly trail, and through the Japanese Garden (the oldest on the East Coast), where boulder-backed waterfalls, koi ponds, and storybook bridges create incredible photos.

    📍 1700 Hampton St., Richmond, Va. 23220

    Drink: The Jefferson Hotel

    Fires, fortunes, presidents — and even a few alligators — have passed through the grand Jefferson Hotel since it opened in 1895. Every visitor should see the lobby’s marble floors and sweeping staircase, even if you’re not checking in. Stop by TJ’s Restaurant & Lounge for a predinner cocktail under the chandeliers; the Rotunda old-fashioned tastes like grapefruit, walnut, and old money.

    📍 101 W. Franklin St., Richmond, Va. 23220

    Dine: Stella’s

    A Richmond legend since 1983, Stella’s remains the last word in Greek cooking here. The food (artichoke moussaka, ouzo-kissed crab cakes, feta-and-Manouri cheese fries covered in shaved lamb) is just enough off-center from traditional to be interesting, while still honoring the soulfulness of the country’s cuisine. The regulars pack the dining room, creating a comfortable, gregarious vibe. Go ahead and think it: If we lived in Richmond, we’d be here all the time.

    📍 1012 Lafayette St., Richmond, Va. 23221

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

    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.

    @pennsylvaniajunkie 📍Lancaster, PA is so much more than horse and buggies. Downtown Lancaster is so one of my favorite cities to walk, wine and dine, especially during the holidays. 🎄✨🥂 @Discover Lancaster COMMENT your favorite place to visit in Downtown Lancaster and TAG who you’re bringing along on your next LancLanc getaway. 🥰 📍Places featured in video ✨ C’est La Vie ✨ Ream Jewelers ✨ Shot and Bottle ✨ The Belvedere Inn ✨ Lancaster Central Market ✨ Details ✨ Plough Don’t forget to follow me for all things Pennsylvania travel, adventure and lifestyle. 💙 #lancasterpa #lancasterpennsylvania #lancasterpagetaway #downtownlancaster #downtownlancasterpa #pennsylvania #pennsylvanialife #pennsylvaniacheck ♬ original sound – Pennsylvania Junkie

    Stay: Red Run Resort or Lancaster Arts Hotel

    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.

    The living room of one of the A-Frame cabins at the Red Run Resort in New Holland, Pa., which overlooks a lake. The upscale camp ground is roughly 30 minutes outside of Lancaster by car.

    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)

    Caffeinate: Square One Coffee

    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

    Thrift: Basura, Space, BUiLDiNG CHARACTER

    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)

    Just a portion of the pick-n-mix candy selection from Sweetish Candy at 301 N. Queen Street Lancaster, Pa., which has been importing Scandinavian candies since 2019.

    Pick-and-mix: Sweetish Candy

    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

    Stroll: Conestoga Greenway Trail

    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.

    Learn: James Buchanan’s Wheatland

    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

    Imbibe: Hi-Fi Izakaya

    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

    Dine: Quips Pub

    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

    Rows of seasonal ice cream flavors from Fox Meadow Creamery in Leola, Pa.

    Indulge: Fox Meadow Creamery

    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