Country Idyll

Lancaster, Pennsylvania, becomes an unlikely getaway for food and culture.

- Janelle Erlichman Diamond

We never thought we’d say these words, but Lancaster, Pennsylvania, is having a moment right now. Known for so long as “the place with the Amish buggies,” this city, located in the hilly commonwealth countryside (and only a quick hour-and-a-half drive from Baltimore), has recently emerged with its own personality. And it’s a surprisingly hip one.

Surprising because, well, it’s just so dang old. Lancaster—one of the oldest inland cities in the United States—was settled in 1709 by German immigrants known as the Pennsylvania Dutch. It officially became Lancaster 20 years later, when a British citizen named it after his hometown in England. (Locally, Lancaster is pronounced “lank-iss-tar” not “lan-kast- ar.”) It even served as the nation’s capital for exactly one day during the Revolutionary War—September 27, 1777.

Today, the Lancaster Central Market—open Tuesdays, Fridays, and Saturdays—is the heart of the city and its revival. Around since 1730, it’s the oldest continuously run public farmers’ market in the country. On one fall afternoon, post-yoga women peruse French breakfast radishes at Groff ’s vegetable stand. Kids chow down on whoopie pies, a cakey cream-filled chocolate treat that originated in Lancaster County, and retirees shop the long aisles, illuminated by skylights overhead. There’s something for everyone—African cuisine, Cuban sandwiches, aged goat cheese, and more herbs and grains than you could use in a lifetime—a fusion of old and new.