5 Summer Spots To Visit in Lancaster County

Our neighboring county is full of surprises from city to farmland. Why not take a day trip this summer and explore all it has to offer?

Sophia Ahrens, Reporter|May 24, 2022

Photo via Chesapeake Bay Prog. under Creative Commons License

Here is a great view at Chickies Rock, with the beautiful rocks and water on display. It is just one of many worthwhile places to visit in Lancaster.

Looking for fun things to do over the summer but don’t know where to go?

I recommend taking a day trip and spending some time in Lancaster County.

From its small unique businesses in the city, art museums, parks, markets, and country farm land, Lancaster County is great for visiting in the summer. 

Check out my top 5 favorites.

Chickies Rock

For a great place to take a hike and adventure out, Chickies Rock County Park has beautiful views and is great for bringing a travel buddy along for the journey. You get a scenic look over the Susquehanna River.

It is 0.9 miles and the trail is around 25 minutes which is an easy route. Chickies rock is about 525 feet up, it was great to do in the summer time with family. 

You can take other paths that are harder to take to set you up for a challenge.

“I tried this place out with my family, I would recommend it to anyone and would go again,” junior Caitlyn Wood said.

Bring along food and a camera and enjoy the views at Chickies Rock, it is worth the try for something fun and the exercise you get from it.  

Cafe One Eight

Another place that is worth visiting is Cafe One Eight located on 18 West Orange Street, this cafe is a small owned business but it’s got a cute interior and is all about Hospitality, Quality, and Community. 

This cafe is owned by a lovely couple, Anthony Vega and Demi Smeltzer, who opened in 2022. 

I personally love their coffee and the Baja breakfast meal. There is a good variety of foods and drinks on their menu and it is cute and quaint inside, you could even bring a book or a laptop to do homework since it is so relaxing inside and not overcrowded.

Go take a friend check it out yourself and enjoy a sip of coffee. 

Tanger Outlets

Another place I would recommend to someone who needs a shopping day trip, is Tanger Outlets.They have a wide variety of popular stores. 

There are  71 stores at Tanger Outlet,  brand-name and designer outlet stores. 

Stores include Aeropostale, Bath & Body Works, H&M, Nike, The North Face, Under Armour, Michael Kors, Banana Republic, and more.

Tanger Outlets has a 4 and a half star rating and mainly good reviews. 

It also has some restaurants around it so you can get food as well when you’re there.

Sky Zone

Kids are always looking for places where to have a birthday party. In Lancaster, I recommend Sky Zone. 

Sky Zone is an indoor trampoline park, it includes an obstacle course, dodgeball, skyslam, a foam zone, and freestyle trampolines for jumping. 

On Fridays and Saturdays they have a glow up night where you can buy a glow t-shirt and the sky socks which is a cool experience. 

To book a party at Sky Zone, there is a minimum of 10 people unless you choose the glow zone party which is 30 people. 

I had a fun time in the foam zone as well as freestyle jumping and was happy with the staff who were there.

Sky zone has very good reviews and most people enjoy their time at Sky Zone, try checking it out if you haven’t before.

Field of Screams

Lastly a place in mind, but only for a crowd of people who like scary, wild, and horror would be the place of Field of Screams. 

Field of Screams is the top voted haunted house place in Lancaster, Pa. 

My first time was not as great as an experience because I did not know what to expect, but my second experience was very fun and exciting and I enjoyed all of the 4 attractions at Field of Screams. 

The 4 attractions include the haunted hayride, The Den of Darkness Horror Barn, and The Frightmare Asylum Haunted House. 

My favorite part was doing the hayride because as you go along there are new scare’s and new scare scenes as you go along and you never know what to expect as you go. The actors come out of nowhere and can be very frightening so be prepared to be scared. 

The characters are very frightening with the makeup and the costumes, they have fake chainsaws that they use to chase people and other kind of props. 

All of the employees there are actors and very well trained at trying to scare people so if you don’t handle scares and horror that well, I highly do not recommend it unless you want to try and get out of your comfort zone.

It usually takes a bit of time since there are long lines, but if you’re willing to wait then you will have a great experience.

If you decide to go again, Field of Screams changes it up each year so you can see something new when you go.

So what will it be a hike at Chickies Rock, a dinner at Cafe One Eight, or maybe a shopping day trip at Tanger Outlets, or perhaps you want to get your energy out at Sky Zone, or the horror and action at Field of Screams?

Take a trip to Lancaster. It is worth the time.