July Recap
Published August 24, 2024
Our annual summer trip was the highlight of July, bringing us to Lancaster, Pennsylvania.
Shops in Downtown Lancaster, PA
Summer sizzled our skin with July’s 90-degree heat and humidity. We snagged parking along North Prince Street and planned to wander the storefronts prior to our reservation and check-in time.
Ironically, we parked in the best location — right in front of the Lancaster Beignet Company.
Lancaster Beignet Company
Viney plants draped over the doorway to the Lancaster Beignet Company. Light from the front windows and the string lights overhead make the space feel open and minimalist. A few pictures and plants sat along the top of the gray booth that ran the length of the room. One other couple sipped Oreo specialty drinks with whipped cream near the front window as we placed our order and took a seat.
3 Beignets | $5.55
We ordered sweet and savory options. Not long after placing our order two vintage plates arrived. The first was the plate of classic powdered sugar beignets.
Hot from the fryer, we burned our fingers trying to pick them up. I was surprised with the size — the beignets were almost as big as personal dinner rolls. They were thick but airy and the powdered sugar added the sweetness to the savory dough. Three was enough to share, given we also tried one of their savory options.
BBLT | $11.39
The BBLT — beignet, bacon, lettuce, and tomato — offered the best of textures and flavors in one sandwich. Juicy tomatoes, crisp lettuce, thick bacon, a mayo sauce, and the crispy beignet made for the perfect savory bite.
I can see why the Lancaster Beignet Company was such a popular cafe. With the piping hot beignets, nice coffees, and welcoming atmosphere, I was glad we stopped by to try their offerings at the start of our trip.
Gallery Row
Back on the sidewalk and down past the Pennsylvania College of Art and Design, through the intersection of West Chestnut Street and North Prince Street is the start of Gallery Row.
Dreaming Human Boutique
The corner shop caught our attention first with its neon scooter and music.
A metal rack of thrifted jackets, dresses, and vests hung to the left of the door. Wooden shelves created aisles in the center of the floor with records, books, and decorative items. The space felt bohemian with its hanging guitars and posters, small jewelry display, and single worker reading a magazine behind the counter.
The space was too tiny to browse with multiple people, so as another couple joined the single woman reviewing the books, we dipped back outside to continue exploring the nearby galleries.
Red Raven Art Company
A few of the art galleries were closed for the middle of the week, so we wandered through the Red Raven Art Company. One older woman worked behind the desk and helped a couple wrap up their selected artwork.
The gallery had wooden floors and lots of natural light. It reminded me of the galleries we visited in Rockland, Maine. Painted realistic flowers, sculptures of birds and pottery, and even several paintings of dogs hung throughout the space. In the back of the room, you could browse prints based on the artist in tall wooden bins. We didn’t buy any prints — though I was tempted by a few.
We considered visiting the Lancaster Pie & Coffee, which was right next door to the Red Raven Art Company, but we missed their store hours by a few minutes. Wandering down the street — which seemed to be endlessly busy with traffic for the middle of the afternoon — past various construction workers and a single man playing a colorful piano in the park, we found ourselves in front of Nooks Bookstore.
Nooks Bookstore
Nooks bright yellow front window caught our attention from the sidewalk.
Two navy bookcases lined the walls of the shop. Another bookcase split the center of the room and had tiered newly released books, journals, candles, and cookbooks. Colorful collector editions and framed artwork drew your attention to the thick crown moulding around the room.
A narrow cubby faced the open archway of another room, where a tween sat on the floor with blankets and pillows reading a book. To the left, the room opened to reveal more cases and wall displays of children’s and young adult books. A small display of prints and artwork caught my attention. I was impressed with the variety displays, attention to detail, and branding throughout the bookstore.
While we could’ve continued down North Prince Street to see even more shops, we were close to our reservation time and needed to head over to the next activity of our first day in Lancaster, PA.
Tour of President James Buchanan's Wheatland
We’ve started a tradition of house tours, like with our visit to The Armour-Stiner Octagon House or Mark Twain’s House. I was excited for our visit to President James Buchanan’s house called Wheatland.
We started our tour with a video history of President James Buchanan and a bit of background on Wheatland, including his niece and nephew. This would likely be too much information to cover in detail with the tour guide. Given I knew nothing about President Buchanan prior to this tour, I felt the video history provided a good overview of his political experience, his election and work in office, and the impact of his decisions on the American Civil War.
After the video, the tour group walked down to Wheatland where we met our tour guide.
I learned at the end of the tour that you could take photos inside, so I didn’t capture any of the grand rooms with their original furniture and china. One of my favorite rooms was connected to the dining room, where they had a painted window of Wheatland that looked like it was glowing, as well as James Buchanan’s elaborate wooden desk.
One of my favorite facts of the tour was the impact that James Buchanan’s niece had during his presidency. She is the reason for the creation of the term “First Lady.”
After our tour, we walked the expanse of the front lawn. We peeked into the windows of the old smokehouse building on the property, before making our way back to the museum gift shop.
I highly recommend a tour of Wheatland and exploring Gallery Row in downtown Lancaster, PA. After our afternoon of adventures, we checked into our B&B (more on that later) and made our way back to town for dinner. Stay tuned for the next post of my summer travel series on the blog.
What’s your July Highlight?
Do you have a favorite activity, adventure, or highlight from July? Tell me about it in the comments below.
Click here to read about our first dinner in Lancaster.
