Girls’ trip to Lancaster, PA

In our family, we love to celebrate birthdays with a trip- especially when we can bring other friends along! Somehow it’s much easier to recall an experience than it is to name what item was bought for us (even one year ago). Our trip was particularly memorable because Jane (my daughter) and I planned it with my childhood best friend and her daughter- who also was celebrating a birthday! It’s so rare to watch our daughters form such a special bond and grow up together, just like we did. 

We chose to do an overnight to Lancaster, PA- just an hour drive from our home in Dillsburg. We wanted to pick a spot close enough to really make the most of our two days of exploring. Jane and her friend had one major request: a hotel with a swimming pool! We stayed at The Double Tree in Lancaster… we had a great experience there and were even delighted to find that they give you cookies when you check in (and have a gluten free option!) 

We started our adventure with a few hours of thrifting at Fashion Cents Consignment in Strasburg, PA. This is their flagship location, with 5 locations across the region. This shop has over 11,000 square feet of finds! 

https://www.fashioncentsconsignment.com/ 

For dinner, we visited The Southern Market in Lancaster City. Originally opened in 1888 as a food market, in 2022 the market re-launched as a shared public space featuring the cuisine of 13 local chefs, each with their own speciality. Food stations line the perimeter of the building with a central bar and seating area. You can peruse each of the Chef’s stations to decide what you’d like to eat! The food hall is open Wednesday to Sunday. We all walked around and picked out different things to try. I had the Pad Thai from Lemongrass. Jane had the grilled cheese kid’s meal from Rockn Reuben. She also had a chocolate croissant and chai from the Barberet Coffee Shop. We came back to the hotel, had time for a swim before bed, and tucked in for the night. 

https://www.southernmarketlancaster.com

Sunday morning the girls were in the hotel pool as soon as it opened at 8 am before heading to Speckled Hen Coffee for breakfast. The founders are passionate about serving fresh, local, simple food and creating a welcoming space for all, to build community. I was impressed with their amount of gluten free options and their allergen-labeled menus. I had “The Ol’ Standby:” two eggs over medium, with potatoes, gluten free toast and bacon. To drink I picked an iced matcha with honey and oat milk– delicious! Jane had another Chai latte and a berry croissant. Because we were there on Sunday, their brunch menu was available with items from both the breakfast and lunch menus. So naturally we ordered a side of fries. 

https://www.speckledhencoffee.com/

After breakfast we explored Read Rose Books before heading home. The shop has an eclectic collection of used books… you truly never know what you might uncover.

While it can sometimes be hard to coordinate schedules to make a group trip come to life, we were absolutely so thankful it did! We can’t wait for next year’s birthday trip and I’d encourage you to think about this other way of celebrating too!