Interesting and important things to do, see and experience in the area

 

Interesting and important things to do, see, and experience in the area. « means don’t miss!

 

Within a 5 minute walk

  • « Susquehanna River Trail – head 3 blocks west and you’ll be right along the eastern bank of the Susquehanna River. There is a paved hiking, biking trail that goes north and south for miles. Going south takes you towards downtown Harrisburg and City Island. Going north doesn’t.
  • « Little Amps Coffee 1936 Green St – probably one of the best local coffee shops in Harrisburg if not the entire region. Beans roasted in a garage right in the neighborhood! A coffee snob’s dream!
  • Alvaro’s Bread & Pastry Shop  236 Peffer St – great little Italian café where everything is homemade and made to order. Check their website as the menu changes daily.
  • Maclay Street Food Market 234 Macclay St – a locally owned and operated alternative to Rite Aid
  • Hamilton Food Store 224 Hamilton St – another locally owned and operated alternative to Rite Aid
  • Sunoco + 7-11 food mart 2053 N 2nd St – for fuel, obviously, and if you like gas station food
  • Pennsylvania National Fire Museum 1820 N 4th St – for those of you that yearned to be a fireman when you were little, this is the place for you.
  • Harrisburg Improv Theater 1633 N 3rd St – great little venue featuring improv shows

 

       
       

Within a 15 minute walk

  • Note. Bistro & winebar 1530 N 2nd St – popular little café serving dinner only
  • Zeroday Brewing Company 925 N 3rd St  – the pride of Harrisburg when it comes to local beer brewing
  • Midtown Cinema 250 Reily St – independent theature featuring independent films you won’t find anywhere else
  • LA Squared 304 Reily St – made to order Vietnamese in this family run establishment
  • Mad Moose Tavern 1101 N 2nd St - upscale bar food and great beer selection on tap
  • Yellow Bird Café 1320 N 3rd St – cozy coffee shop offering decent coffee and more extensive menu than Little Amps
  • Susquehanna Art Museum 1401 N 3rd St – super welcoming and unpretentious art museum with rotating exhibitions and events
  • Sayford Supermarket 1307 N 3rd St / (717) 238-2446 – not the nicest full grocery store but definitely the closest
  • Fine Wine & Good Spirits 1200 N 3rd St – if you don’t know, to buy wine and hard alcohol in PA, you need to hit up this place, known in PA as a “State Store”. And of course you need to be 21.
  • « Midtown Scholar Bookstore 1302 N 3rd St – this has to be the king of all independent book stores within PA. An amazing array of books covering every imaginable topic. Many live events featuring book signings and live speakers. Ask the friendly staff for a quick tour of the place!
  • « Broad Street Market 1233 N 3rd St – not to be missed if you’re in town on Thursday, Friday, or Saturday. 40+ vendors serving some of the best foods, drinks, produce in the area. Has been in continuous operation since 1860.
  • Millworks 340 Verbeke St – Excellent restaurant, brewery, biergarten featuring on-site artist studios and outdoor courtyard. Focus on hyperlocal (<50 miles) ingredients in their food and drink menu.
  • High Dive Cocktail Bar 1400 N 3rd St - great new place in 2025, focusing on cocktail drinks but a nice menu as well. Comfortable and not pretentious.

 

               
     
           
 

Within a 30 minute walk or 5 minute drive

  • City Island – large island in the middle of the Susquehanna River, connected by footbridge to downtown Harrisburg. Serves as the home of the minor league baseball team, Harrisburg Senators. Also on City Island there are other activities, most are warm weather based.
  • Capitol Complex – yep, Harrisburg PA is the capital of the Commonwealth of PA. And this large complex in downtown Harrisburg proves it. Tours available.
  • The State Museum of Pennsylvania – fairly impressive museum covering PA history and natural resources.
  • Restaurant Row – downtown Harrisburg has a nice selection of restaurants, most of which are situated along S 2nd St. A wide range of cuisines and price ranges are available.
  • Whitaker Center – excellent science center for kids and adults as well as a live performance space for notable musicians and other performers. Always offering new events and exhibits.
  • Pride of Susquehanna Riverboat tour – why just look at the Susquehanna River when you can be on it!
  • Amtrak & Greyhound Terminal – take the train or bus into and out of Harrisburg. Amtrak runs several trains per day to Lancaster, then Philadelphia, Newark, and finally New York’s Penn Station in Manhattan (about 3 hours total).
  • UPMC Pinnacle Harrisburg Hospital – hopefully you won’t have to be here involuntarily but if you need it, it’s here, right in downtown.

 

Drive outside of Harrisburg

  • « Hershey Park, Chocolate World, Zoo America – this is the big one, the sweetest place on earth. Huge amusement park and waterpark as well as a respectable zoo. Comes with a fairly steep price tag but this is the stuff memories are made of, right? The free option is to trip through Chocolate World which shows you how Hershey’s does what it does. Of course there are many of other ways they will hit you up: gift shop, food court, make your own chocolate, and more.
  • Giant Center – multi-purpose indoor arena which serves as home to the minor league Hershey Bears as well as a concert venue for many top performers that travel through the area.
  • PA Farm Show Complex – not just farm shows, whatever they are. Lots of other things. Check out their calendar for an update to date list.
  • National Civil War Museum – you would think this would be at Gettysburg, PA but it’s not! It’s located just east of Harrisburg and does an excellent job of covering all aspects of the US Civil War.
  • Lake Tobias Wildlife Park – if you like your zoos up close and personal this place is great. Excellent place to visit with kids.
  • Antique Automobile Club Museum – for car enthusiasts going back to the beginning of when cars became a thing.
  • Indian Echo Caverns – great little trip for the family and kids or if you’re really into being underground while alive.
  • Hollywood Casino  - yes, central PA has one of these and if you’re into slots, table games, and betting, this is the place for you. Decent restaurants too.
  • « Gettysburg PA Battlefield – the National Park Service maintained site of the historic battlefield that turned the tide of the US Civil War. About a 40 minute drive south of Harrisburg but not to be missed. Even if you’re not interested in bloody battles that took place 150+ years ago, the town of Gettysburg itself is a super cool little place.
  • Lancaster PA – the heart of Amish country which has an appeal on it’s own, downtown Lancaster is about the same size of Harrisburg and has many of its own attractions. About a 40 minute drive east of Harrisburg.

 

Generally interesting things around town and the area

Grocery stores – because, food.

  • GIANT food store 3301 E Trindle Rd, Camp Hill PA 17011
  • Trader Joe's 3545 Gettysburg Rd, Camp Hill PA 17011
  • GIANT food store 136 Kline Village, Harrisburg 17104
  • Wegmans 6416 Carlisle Pike Suite 2000, Mechanicsburg, PA 17050
  • ALDI 3437 Simpson Ferry Rd Camp Hill PA 17011
  • ALDI 4702 Jonestown Rd Colonial Park, PA 17109

Essentials shopping – because, things.

  • Target 4600 High Pointe Blvd Harrisburg PA 17111
  • Target 6416 Carlisle Pike, Mechanicsburg PA 17050
  • Capital City Mall 3506 Capital City Mall Drive, Camp Hill PA 17011
  • Colonial Park Mall 4600 Jonestown Rd, Harrisburg PA 17109

 

Last but not least:

 

 

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