1. Visit a cafe.
Lancaster is filled with quiet, little cafes perfect for a change of scenery or just a serene place to relax. One of my favorites is Cafe One Eight located on Orange Street. Some others include Prince Street Cafe, The Rabbit and the Dragonfly, Rachel's Creperie,and Commonwealth on Queen. There are a bunch of others too that I have yet to explore.
2. Catch a show at the Chameleon Club.
The Chameleon Club hosts many local and national musicians, comedians, etc. They're open every Monday through Saturday night so there's always something going on every week.
3. Be impulsive and get a tattoo or piercing.
Not the best idea, but there are a lot of trustworthy tattoo/piercing shops scattered throughout the city. Shout out to Tattooing by Mee for my first tattoo, definitely recommend going there if you are feeling spontaneous.
4. Visit the Central Market.
This is one of my favorite places to go in the city, despite the crowds of people. Aisles and aisles of locally grown food and plants fill the marketplace along with vendors selling their homemade products. It's a great place to go to just walk around and browse at the local culture. The market is closed Sunday, Monday, and Wednesday so make sure to check their hours before going.
5. Visit the sketchy Den.
I'll leave the research to you.
6. Browse the wide array of record shops throughout the city.
You may find some really great steals. Even if you don't have a record player, I find it so fun to go to the music stores and just flip through the selection for a while.
7. Play some tunes on the public pianos.
There are pianos out on the streets for anyone to play, so by all means, take advantage of them and fill the streets with some music. Even if that "music" is just Chopsticks over and over again.
8. Visit the thrift and consignment shops.
I can't tell you how many times I've found cool stuff in these stores. From antique shops to clothing thrift stores, Lancaster has a ton. My favorite is Building Character on Queen Street. They have secondhand clothes, antiques, and also local vendors who sell home goods and furniture. It is definitely a shop worth exploring.
9. Friday nights in the city.
Especially on First Fridays (the first Friday of every month), the city is filled with music and food trucks and strings of lights and it's a beautiful time. Stores throughout the city have sales and events going on, bands and performers are on nearly every street, and restaurants stay open later. Friday nights in the city are one of my favorite things to experience in Lancaster.
10. Keep up to date with the community events.
There are lots of other events happening in Lancaster all the time. Just check the community calendar and keep an eye out for things you'd be interested in.
11. Wander... responsively.
Some of the coolest things I've found in Lancaster weren't from a list article or from searching online, but from just wandering around. There are so many cool little nooks and malls hidden around. Just make sure you don't go down any sketchy alleys or wander into the bad part of town.
