Stay & Go
Image Courtesy The Manor on Front
Revive:
Once threatened with demolition, The Manor on Front Bed and Breakfast, built circa 1925, is now a serene manse restored with exquisite touches (themanoronfront.com). Relax in the library, parlor or courtyard. Shoot pool in the poolroom. Retreat to a getaway suite with a Pennsylvania tile bath and Susquehanna River views.
Past, meet present:
Step into the 1920s at City House Bed & Breakfast, restored with a nod to 21st century tastes and technology (cityhousebb.com). Watch the river roll by, or stroll to nearby restaurants, nightlife and attractions in Downtown and Midtown Harrisburg.
See & Do
Image Courtesy Ned Smith Center
Take a hike—and hear some tunes:
Feed the soul and energize the body at the engaging Ned Smith Center for Nature and the Arts, Millersburg (nedsmithcenter.org). Weep for Romeo and Juliet with Gamut Theatre’s Shakespeare in the Woods. Saturday-night music includes the funky street-band jams of No Last Call. The gallery displays the works of Roger Tory Peterson, artist and writer for countless bird guides. Hike or bike 12.5 miles of trails, some handicapped accessible. Since the lands are privately owned, you can even pack a bottle of wine in your picnic basket.
On the vine:
The Vineyard & Brewery at Hershey’s Decked-Out Live! series lights up Friday nights with beer, wine, cider and music, all in a bucolic setting (vineyardathershey.com). No one under 21 is allowed, but the kids get their own live music every Saturday and Sunday afternoon. Country stars Lee Greenwood and Phil Vassar headline the July 22 Straws ‘N Stripes Music Festival, benefiting local veterans dealing with PTSD.
Go flea:
This is not your granddad’s flea market. The HBG Flea, July 1 in the Midtown Cinema/Zeroday parking lot, is the city’s monthly, curated popup market for all things fun and sustainable (hbgflea.com). Peruse the unique wares of 50 local artists and vintage collectors, all to the beat of live music and the tempting aroma of fresh French fries from the Potato Coop food truck.
Sip & Savor
Some of the best Harrisburg restaurants have numbers in their names.
Chic plates:
Fresh-made, imaginative salads. Tempting small plates and hearty entrees. Artisan pizzas. Cocktails crafted from Pennsylvania spirits. Enjoy it all at Café 1500, in a comfortable, industrial-chic atmosphere decorated with fine works by local artists (café-1500.com).
Broiler perfection:
At 1700 Degrees Steakhouse, the broiler is set to the ideal temperature for searing succulent beef (1700restaurant.com). Or maybe you want seafood, pork, or lamb. Perhaps a small plate will suffice. Take your pick in a room that’s cozy but open, with broad windows overlooking the street.
Image Courtesy Home 231
Cozy up:
The farm comes right to your plate at Home 231’s intimate setting on a tree-lined street (home231.com). Sip on a creative cocktail or local beer. Did we mention Sunday brunch, with house-made donuts, pumpkin pancakes and calamari po boys?
Catch the spirits:
Two brothers-in-law took a detour from the fast lane to found Midstate Distillery, the Harrisburg area’s first distillery since Prohibition (midstatedistillery.com). Local ingredients bolster the flavor profiles of rum, whiskey, vanilla vodka and Midstate’s Iron & Ice Vodka, named in honor of the Walnut Street Bridge, defaced by a 1996 ice jam. Reserve a spot for a free Saturday tour, and enjoy your tastings at a bar fashioned from wood found in the basement of this former paint factory.
Midtown Saturday Sojourn
Ever realize that the best day trip is in your own backyard? Harrisburg’s revitalized Midtown provides a full and eventful day, or you can catch it all during 3rd in the Burg, Midtown’s lively third-Friday evening outing.
Image Courtesy The Millworks
Mix it up:
Food, beer, art and music harmonize at The Millworks (millworksharrisburg.com). It’s a restaurant flowing with Pennsylvania’s abundance, a co-op and gallery for artists, and a music showcase—all under one meticulously restored roof. And on the rooftop is the Biergarten, serving from The Millworks’ own craft brewery.
Bookworm’s delight:
Books stretch to the ceiling, snake around the loft, and lurk in not one but two basements at Midtown Scholar Bookstore, plus there’s a cheery kid-lit section (midtownscholar.com). On July 27, join Caribbean-American poet Aja Monet as she shares her work from My Mother Was a Freedom Fighter, her ode to mothers, daughters and sisters.
Centerpiece:
The atmosphere is funky and the food is delish at Harrisburg Midtown Arts Center, affectionately known as H*MAC. The Kitchen at H*MAC offers small plates like dreamy truffle fries and big plates like beer-battered fish and chips that you can share but won’t want to. Three music venues jump with the sounds of local acts, indie bands and—who knows?—maybe the occasional Rock and Roll Hall of Famer (harrisburgarts.com).
Market pride:
Hand-churned key lime ice cream from Urban Churn, anyone? Hankering for a wine tasting from Buddy Boy Winery? For tasty barbecue, the wait in line at Two Brothers BBQ is totally worth it. Broad Street Market’s roots stretch to the Civil War, while it also brims with the best of today’s organic produce and meats, fresh-roasted coffee, hand-crafted breads and sweet temptations (broadstreetmarket.org).
Pride:
The LGBT Center of Central PA is a gathering place and a resource for the whole community. Talented local artists exhibit their works in the gallery (centralpalgbtcenter.org). Youth groups meet on Wednesdays, and young adults meet on Sundays. And don’t forget the LGBT community’s big summer event, the Pride Festival of Central PA, July 29 at Riverfront Park, featuring the inimitable Martha Wash, one half of the Weather Girls who shattered the pop charts with “It’s Raining Men.”
Brew heaven:
Step into the cool of Zeroday Brewing Co. Choose among the Cherishburg (“an approachable pale ale inspired by Harrisburg”), Air Horn One IPA (“official beer of the Harrisburg Marathon”) or another from Zeroday’s wide selection of hand-crafted IPAs, stouts, porters, Belgians, saisons, shandys and so on.
Movie bliss:
Yes, Virginia, there are movies that don’t feature comic-book characters blowing things up. At Midtown Cinema, Harrisburg’s independent art house theater (midtowncinema.com), feast on the latest features from today’s brightest filmmakers and also on locally crafted popcorn, ice cream and a beer you bought at Zeroday right next door (zerodaybrewing.com).
Of course, you can’t have summer without an outdoor movie, like I Was a Teenage Werewolf with comedy-riffing commentators on July 14 or—just when you thought it was safe—Jaws on July 28. Duuunh-unh. Duuunh-unh.
Yes, you’re about to read this right:
Art in Balance: Motorcycles and Fine Art is Susquehanna Art Museum’s summer exhibition (susquehannaartmuseum.org). What better pairing than works by artistic rebels like Andy Warhol displayed alongside rare Harley Davidsons, Indians, Yamahas and Ducatis?