Jump Off: Lancaster, PA

There’s something quietly luxurious about falling asleep in one state and waking up in another, especially when the journey includes crisp linens, a private roomette, and coffee brought to your door.

We once again boarded the Crescent Line in Atlanta just before midnight and let Amtrak rock us gently toward Pennsylvania. Our destination: Lancaster, PA, a city famous for Amish culture: horse-drawn buggies and rolling farmland, yes, but also for its bold culinary scene, rich history, and neighborhoods that echo the best of New York’s boroughs.

Lancaster is where past and present mingle seamlessly—a place where you can buy heirloom tomatoes from an Amish farmer in the morning and sip craft cocktails in a moody, candlelit lounge by night. For a rail stop that checks every box, Lancaster delivers.

After a quick shower (yes! Trains have showers!), we turned our attention to our first meal on board. Breakfast was bourbon apple crêpes and veggie omelets with sausage with piping hot coffee, and for lunch salmon and curry chicken as we rolled past small towns and sprawling countryside.

As we pulled into Washington D.C. shortly after lunch, we were treated to a brief but memorable stop at Union Station—one of the most iconic and architecturally stunning rail terminals in the country. Opened in 1907 and designed by renowned architect Daniel Burnham, Union Station is a neoclassical masterpiece with a soaring Main Hall, coffered ceilings, and 96-foot-high barrel vaults that echo the grandeur of Roman baths. Gold-leaf accents and white marble finishes give the space a timeless elegance, while its central role in America’s rail history anchors it in something more enduring. This station has seen presidents off to war, welcomed diplomats from around the world, and remains a bustling nexus of travel and culture today. 

By 4:45 PM, we arrived at Philadelphia’s 30th Street Station; a true monument to American rail travel. Built in the early 1930s in the Beaux-Arts style, the station stuns with its soaring 95-foot coffered ceilings, vast granite columns, and bronze chandeliers suspended like floating history. The soft hush of trains arriving and departing echoed through the marble Main Concourse, where every detail, right down to the gilded clocks and art-deco touches felt suspended in time. More than a station, it’s a living museum of rail’s golden age, still serving as a vital artery for travelers along the Northeast Corridor. We took a quick breather in the Amtrak Metropolitan Lounge (formerly known as Club Acela) a private space for first-class passengers, where we grabbed a snack, coffee, drinks and a freshen up  in the bathroom before hopping on a regional train bound for Lancaster.

Our arrival at Lancaster Station was like stepping into a postcard: quaint, charming, and just a few minutes from our hotel.

We checked in at the Lancaster Arts Hotel, a restored tobacco warehouse that perfectly blends raw history with refined comfort. Exposed brick walls, heavy wooden beams, and curated artwork gave the space warmth and personality. Our rooms felt equal parts industrial and boutique, with plush beds, sleek lighting, and a window view that looked out onto the quiet streets below.

If you appreciate design-forward lodging that nods to the past, this place is for you. Bonus points for being walking distance from many restaurants, bars, and shopping.

After settling in, we met up with a local friend and made our way to The Belvedere Inn, a refined spot housed in a Victorian mansion with pressed-tin ceilings and crystal chandeliers. Known for its upscale American fare, we started with craft cocktails, a burrata plate and bread service, followed by beet and peach salad, blackened halibut, and duck breast. We finished with vanilla bean creme Brule and chocolate hazelnut Rocher. An absolutely delightful and delicious first “real” meal after a day of train travel.

The ambiance was intimate but lively; think jazz playing softly in the background and candlelight flickering across polished wood. The service was attentive but relaxed, and the food? Absolutely lived up to the hype.

The next morning, we picked up our rental car from Enterprise and headed straight to Central Market, the oldest continuously operating farmers market in the United States. Established in 1730, the market feels like a living museum, but better, because there’s breakfast.

We wandered past stalls brimming with fresh-baked breads, hand-rolled pretzels, pickled everything, and produce so clean and vibrant it looked painted. Several stalls are run by local Amish and Mennonite vendors, offering baked goods and fresh produce that are as delicious as they are picture-perfect. We grabbed strong coffee, pretzel donuts made fresh, and acai bowls. Sitting at one of the open tables, with morning sunlight streaming in the soaring 20 foot windows, surrounded by locals, artisans and farmers, we felt instantly grounded.

Next up: a quiet walk through Woodward Hill Cemetery, where President James Buchanan, the 15th President of the United States, is buried. The cemetery’s peaceful paths and historic gravestones offered a reflective pause in the day, and the site itself is a meaningful landmark in Lancaster’s rich historical landscape.

From there, we headed to Strasburg Railroad, a heritage rail line that offers rides through the heart of Amish country. We boarded a restored vintage train, complete with velvet seats and polished brass fixtures, and settled in for a slow roll through Lancaster’s postcard-perfect farmland.

Lunch was served right on board: simple sandwiches, fresh chips, and ice tea, while the landscape outside gave us everything: golden cornfields, soaring silos, grazing horses, and the occasional buggy trotting down a dirt road.

Later that afternoon, we took a 35-minute horse-drawn buggy ride in Bird-in-Hand. It was equal parts tour and cultural exchange when we were given a chance to ask real questions, admire handcrafted barns, and understand life lived at a different pace.

Back at the hotel, we changed for dinner and made our way to Thistle Finch, a small-batch distillery inside a brick warehouse with an artfully rugged aesthetic. We sampled rye whiskey cocktails and took a quick behind-the-scenes tour, learning how they make spirits with Pennsylvania-grown grains.

Dinner was at the iconic Horse Inn, where booths are built inside repurposed horse stalls and the vibe is lively and casually cool with live music and a hopping bar scene. We grabbed a couple cocktails and split the charcuterie board that featured local cheeses and jams.

The Exchange Rooftop Bar at Lancaster Marriott at Penn Square is built around one of downtown’s most beloved architectural landmarks—the original Watt & Shand department store, whose grand Beaux‑Arts facade, designed in 1898 by local architect C. Emlen Urban, still graces Penn Square. In the early 2000s, when the building was redeveloped, developers preserved that four‑story buff‑brick frontage—adorned with terra cotta detailing, marble ornamentation, and the “Watt & Shand” name on its cornice—and raised a sleek, modern 12‑story hotel tower behind it. With the historic exterior of the building glowing golden in the night and the skyline backlit by a perfect summery orange sunset, it was the perfect close to a full day.

For our final morning in Lancaster, we made a beeline to Rachel’s Café & Crêperie, a beloved local spot known for its bright, cheerful vibe and artfully folded crêpes. The menu was a perfect reflection of Lancaster’s food-forward spirit with classic French technique perfectly blended with local flair. The crepes were both fluffy and hefty – a filling savory breakfast that was an excellent precursor to our walking snack and coffee tour of downtown Lancaster. 

From there, we embraced our Lancaster snack tour:

• Cafe One Eight, a cozy downtown spot on West Orange Street that feels like hanging out in your cool aunt’s kitchen. 
• Hammond Pretzel Bakery, the oldest continuously operating hard pretzel bakery in the country, where you can taste the crunch of history.
• A quick stop at Auntie Anne’s—because yes, even the mall pretzel empire started right here in Lancaster County. We’re still sad that they discontinued the jalapeno pretzel, but we’re trying to cope.
• And finally, a pilgrimage to the Corn Wagon, a roadside stand where you can dig through an open flatbed trailer and fill a bag with the freshest sweet corn we’ve ever tasted, picked just hours before we bought it.