York Visit

At one time York was calling itself the factory tour capital of the USA (perhaps they still do). The only tour I took was the Harley Davidson factory tour. I highly recommend it. My wife has taken the kids on a few other tours.

I forgot leaving York on the right side ( heading east) once you got past rt 462 was one of the biggest Cat assembly lines it was shut down in the early 80's I think anyway it was at one time over a 1/2 mile long if I remember correctly. 

I also forgot about the Harley tour. there use to be so much to do there other than train related but man there is still a lot train related also still in the area. 

Anyone returning to the Northeast could start their return trip with a detour through Reading and Kutztown. Beside the obvious Reading RR points of interest, the detour along route 222 cuts through beautiful Amish country and passes nearby Crystal Cave in Kutztown. Much more scenic than I83 and I81.

If I do, I usually hit Strasburg (or Steam into History), but since I have several friends who attend college/live in York or Lancaster, I have to go see them or I get yelled at!

2 days at the fair grounds and then head home.Every few years we extend the trip to include the TCA museum and PRR museum on Wednesday. 

We are looking into one year extending the trip and visiting Gettysburg civil war battle site. The one year we planned it it rained hard so we cancelled, Maybe in April 2016

Of special interest to me is Adamstown, considered one of the antique shop/flea market "capitals" in the US. From York take 30 east to 222N (as you get near Lancaster). In less than 15 minutes on 222, you are in Adamstown. The big day is Sunday, when Renningers flea market takes place. Serious buyers show up before dawn with a flashlight. About 12 antique malls and shops are open most days.

For the archery shooter, Lancaster is home to Lancaster Archery, the largest online archery store in the US. The showroom/retail store is off the Old Philadelphia Pike exit of rt30 east. I think they are closed Sundays.

These are all great suggestions this is what I mean theres so much there personally I think I would go early so I could go home Saturday or Sunday.  

The wife and I had a great time Tuesday and part of Wednesday visiting the sites around York. Ate at some good restaurants also. The wife also had a good time shopping at the outlet malls on Friday. We will duplicate the efforts in October.

We drove to York on Tuesday and Wednesday went to the B&O museum. Lots of interesting train.  We were planing on staying to Sunday, but decided to leave Saturday. Which worked well, because I was able to run our purchases Saturday night after getting home.  We had planed on going to the Pennsy Museum, but we will save that for the next trip.

I've not heard of the flea market in Adamstown. Sounds very interesting. I have been to the Green Dragon in Ephrata many times. It is open on Fridays from nine AM until nine PM. I've also been to the one in Manheim, between Lebanon and Lancaster just off rt 72. This one is on Tuesdays. I don't know if this one is seasonal, or all year. I have been to Lancaster Archery as well, nice place, and they are nationally known. There are many interesting places to see and things to do in the Lancaster and York areas, and don't forget about Gettysburg west of York. Thanks for the heads up about Adamstown Joe.

Don

Thanks Don I thought it was Friday but then I thought I read somewhere recently it was Saturday I went and rechecked And it is Friday as you said.  I know they had a bad fire at the Green /dragon this past year but heard there mainly open again. Thanks again for the correction hate to put out wrong info

Bill,

A new building is under construction. I had forgotten about the fire, until my wife and I went recently, and were reminded by the construction. 

Don

One of my best friends lives just above the Green Dragon, so all my York trips include a visit to that part of Lancaster, and I visit two or three times a year beyond my York visits.  Other interesting places to visit in the area include the PA Wolf Sanctuary and Stoudts microbrewery.

Andy

Renningers indoor antique mall is very large, and open all year, Sunday only. Their outdoor flea market is most active April-Oct, with MANY dealers. It is pretty much where the dealers go to add to their inventory...hence, you will find buyers walking around with flashlights before dawn.  This also is Sunday only. They mainly offer good quality collectables and antiques rather than "dumpster junk" or new stuff. The "super big" dates for this are 4/26 (which I went to), 6/28, and 9/27. It is best to get there before 11am, as some dealers start to pack up.

Also, nearby is Shupp's Grove, a Sat.&Sun. outdoor flea market. Unfortunatly, it is a mere shell of what it was 20 years ago. There are also many antique shops and malls that are open most days of the week, most along the same road as Renningers.

One of the main roads, York, Pa is US Route 30.  We took the trip, one year, after a day and 1/2 at Gettysburg, up, over Tuscarawas Mountain, back to the turnpike at Breezewood.  At the very least it gives you an appreciation of what it was like before Interstate Highways.  The view from Tuscarawas Mountain is breath-taking.