By I haven’t done a “Weekend Trip Idea” in a while, mostly because I’ve just been super busy this summer with some major life upheavals, but I think it’s time to revive these.
“Weekend Trip Ideas,” for those just joining us (which is probably most of you), is exactly what it sounds like: an idea for a weekend day trip or getaway. The catch here, is that a lot of the locales and content featured on these post aren’t necessarily anywhere I’ve been.
I spend more time then I should researching potential future getaways, and these are simply the fruits of that labor. They aren’t all inclusive by any means, rather, how I would approach planning a weekend at said location.
Since I’ve been on a “missing Central PA” kick these days, after my move back to NEPA, I felt it appropriate to stick with that theme and have decided that this “Weekend Trip Idea” installment will take us to York, PA.
York, like Lancaster, is both the name of the county and it’s seat. York city has a population of roughly 40,000, making it the 14th largest city in the state, and fun fact, it was our nation’s capital back in the day from September 30, 1777 to June 2, 1778 (I learned this on my last trip to York).
While I probably haven’t explored York, as much as I could’ve when I lived in Lancaster, I have been in York enough to know the lay of the land (you need to go through York to get to Baltimore, it has the area’s only Dick’s, and when I was the yearbook advisor at my old job I had to run there quite frequently because of a photography office).
It was really put on my radar as a travel destination this past spring, when I participated in a “Susquehanna Ale Trail” event. We visited Mudhook Brewing, which is attached to York’s Central Market and Liquid Hero, which I really liked. York city is also home to the Holy Hound Taproom and Mexitaly, a Mexican/Italian fusion restaurant that brews its own beer. York County boasts Black Cap Brewing Company, Miscreation Brewing Company, Gunpowder Falls Brewing, and Warehouse Gourmet Bistro and Brew Pub. Additionally, Wyndridge Farm, in southeast York county, has a cidery (along with craft beers & sodas), while Old Republic Distillery, just below York City makes homemade vodkas and schnapps.
If you aren’t as alcy-inclined, as I am, there’s still plenty to do in York. York is known as the “factory tour capital of the world”, for, you guessed it, the number of factory tours that you can attend. You can see a complete list here (York County Visitor’s Bureau has a great website). Truth be told, a lot of the really popular ones, like Utz and Martin’s Potato Chips, don’t hold a ton of appeal to me, mostly because I’ve never been a real chips fan (question: why doesn’t Lancaster have Auntie Anne’s tours-I am a huge supporter of soft pretzels), however I am a fan of dairy (favorite food group by leaps and bounds) so would be interested in the Perrydell Farms, or Sweet Willows Creamery. To stick with the farming theme, I would definitely schedule a farm tour of the Painted Spring Farm, which raises alpacas. I also think the Harley Davidson factory tour would be interesting, even though I’m too scared to ever get on a motor cycle.
If outdoor fun is what gets you going, Ski Roundtop offers paintball, ropes course, and zorbing, while Shanke’s Mare Outfitters offers all sorts of outdoor recreation on the banks of the Susquehanna.
PA Weekend Fun 