Latin America In Lancaster Pa.

If you’re a connoisseur of culture, and particularly Latin American culture, then you might have an interest in El Serrano, a Lancaster Pennsylvania restaurant. Located on Columbia Avenue in Lancaster, the restaurant features Peruvian architecture with elegance and style. And the menu isn’t bad either.

Besides the usual appetizers and salads, El Serrano also featurs a vegetarian menu. But if you don’t like eating sans meat then you’ll still love the entree menu items. This is traditional Latin American cuisine – fajitas, enchiladas, etc. – and is every bit of genuine Latin tasteful. And the atmosphere is simply glorious.

Designed by the owner, Manuel Torres, El Serrano features material imported from his home country, Peru. Hand-carved mahogany furniture create an exotic decor that should satisfy world travelers as well as domestic homebodies (but I’m guessing if you’re visiting Gettysburg and the surrounding area that you at least enjoy a vacation once in a while). Why not spend one meal of it in Latin America, right in the heart of Amish country?

Pennsylvania Grapes Are Ripe For Wine

PA Farm News says Adams County is one of three counties that have reaped the wine harvest this year.

Adams County, along with Lancaster and York counties, is a part of the Pennsylvania rich wine country. There are more than half a dozen good wineries in the area and this year was ripe for grape growing. The October harvest is upon us and it’s paying off big time.

The weather isn’t always good to us hear. There was some fallout and heavy rain due to the hurricanes along the East Coast this year. But despite the heavy weather there have been seasonal delights and one of the rewards for that are the healthy red and white grapes that will be turned into wine. In the last 10 years, Pennsylvania wine growing has been on the upswing. Thank God for grapes!

Does South Central Pa Need A Stock Exchange?

Yes, a local college professor is proposing a stock exchange for the local area and proposes Lancaster as the location of that stock exchange. Is it passable?

The proposed name of the stock exchange is Lancaster Sustainable Enterprise Stock Exchange, or as is the nature of the exchanges, an acronym: LanX. Sounds like an airport.

The stock market would cater to local businesses that want funding. The stated benefits would be that the money coming from the stock exchange would come from local money, which would allow for more banking oversight, ethical procedures, and money for those who need it. The stock exchange would serve a 7-county area. Proponents say it would give small- and medium-sized businesses in South Central Pennsylvania the same funding options of national competitive businesses. It’s not exactly a tourist attraction, though, is it?

Lancaster’s Quilt Museum Isn’t Just For Squares

Old-fashioned art is stitched in time. Quilts and textiles are on display in Lancaster at the Quilt Museum, located on Market Street right in the heart of Amish country.

The museum has a permanent exhibit that showcases 82 quilts rotated in 6-month cycles in what is called the Esprit Collection.

An upcoming exhibit called “Rags to Rugs: Pennsylvania Hooked and Hand Sewn Rugs” will start in November and run through December 31, 2008. Both contemporary and historical rugs will be on display.

The Quilt and Textile Museum exists in a Beaux Arts-style building constructed and erected in 1912. The building is owned by the Lancaster Trust Company, a failed bank from the depression era.

The works on display are done by local artists as well as some from far away. A Christmas exhibit will begin on November 7, 2008 and run through December 31, 2008.

The Lancaster Quilt and Textile Museum also offers education and a creamery and cafe on premises. The museum is operated by the Lancaster Heritage Center and is open year-round. Be sure to visit the museum on your next trip to Gettysburg. For more information about the Quilt and Textile Museum call (717) 299-6440.

Take A Trip Along The Civil War Trail

The Pennsylvania Department of Transportation recently installed 73 “wayfinding” signs along the Pennsylvania Civil War trail. The trail runs through York and Adams counties, Cumberland County, Dauphin County, Franklin and Lancaster counties.

If you see one of these signs you’ll know that you are following the civil war trail, the path of the civil war as it happened on the actual terrain of the events of that day. Along the civil war train in Pennsylvania, such sites as the battle of Gettysburg, the burning of Chambersburg, the place where the Union Army stopped the advance of the Confederate troops upon Harrisburg, the Old Carlisle Courthouse that was destroyed by Confederate artillery, the Harrisburg Cemetery where many Union and Confederate soldiers were buried, visit York (the largest northern town occupied by the Confederate Army), the site of the Battle of Hanover, which proved to be instrumental in the defeat of the Confederate Army, and various churches, museums, and other historic sites in the above-mentioned counties.

The Civil War Trail program is sponsored by the Pennsylvania Department of Community and Economic Development and the Pennsylvania Historical & Museum Commission.

Lancaster County: Amish Living Just A Carriage Ride Away

Just two counties east of Adams County, where Gettysburg is the seat, is Lancaster County. Only York County sites between them. And it’s only a short drive to see the Amish country of Lancaster County where horse and buggy are still primary modes of transportation.

The people in Lancaster County are friendly and the scenery is gorgeous. Landscaped with one-room schoolhouses and wooden bridges, a trip to Lancaster County, Pennsylvania is like a ride in the Wayback Machine. Pulling over to a roadside birch beer stand to make a trade with a local Amish girl – your monetary units for her homemade root beer – is one of the sweetest treats you’ll ever experience, both in taste and in breathing. It truly is a wonder.

But there is also more to the experience than merely enjoying a step back in time to a rural environment that still lives on in the culture of a people set apart. There is more fun in Lancaster County than you shake a cane at and you don’t have to go far to find it. For instance, the center of railroad history lies in Lancaster County as well and you can take a joy ride on one of several local locomotives. Or you can visit Eagle Falls Adventure Park and experience the thrill of a roller coaster ride.

The many shops offer true small town shopping at its best and the outlet malls are like none anywhere else on earth. Furniture, quilts, clothing, household furniture and other goods, and outdoor buildings are all manufactured in Lancaster County – by the Amish as well as local townspeople – and are available for purchase.

When you come to Pennsylvania, whether you stay in Gettysburg the whole time or you venture out two counties away, you are sure to have a grand old time. Whether you rent a car or traverse the countryside in your families SUV, South Central Pennsylvania is a treat for the whole family. But don’t leave without getting a glimpse from the inside of Lancaster County.