Midtown Scholar Bookstore: Read And Learn

The independent bookstore is a dying breed, but stalwarts like Harrisburg’s Midtown Scholar are bucking the tide. There are things you can get at a locally-owned business that you can’t from Amazon or Barnes & Noble – most importantly, customer service. The employees here know their literature, and are happy to offer recommendations that usually hit the mark. This is the largest academic used bookstore between New York and Chicago, with an unreal selection of over 100,000 volumes! The space is incredibly beautiful, illuminated with tons of light, and it’s easy to lose many hours browsing the stacks, finding rare treasures at great prices. A kids play area gives the little ones a place of their own to enjoy. The bookstore also hosts a café that serves up delicious free trade coffees and teas. Friday and Saturday night the Midtown Scholar Bookstore uses some space for free concerts by local musical acts.

Midtown Scholar Bookstore
1302 North Third Street
Harrisburg, PA 17102
(717) 236-1680
www.midtownscholar.com

John Harris-Simon Cameron Museum

If you’re interested in the rich history of the Dauphin County area, there’s no better place to learn about it than the John Harris-Simon Cameron Museum. Located in one of the oldest and most majestic buildings in Harrisburg (the Harris-Cameron Mansion) the Museum is an enormous building constructed from locally quarried limestone. Simon Cameron, the house’s second occupant, was best known as Secretary of War under Abraham Lincoln, and his family held onto the house until donating it to the Historical Society in 1941. Since then, the mansion has been carefully preserved and decorated to simulate 19th century life in the Harrisburg area, with each of the rooms arranged and decorated to provide insight into the lives of the families that lived there. The Museum also serves as the headquarters of the Dauphin County Historical Society, which presents a wide variety of educational programs, re-enactments and more. A visit here's sure to expand your mind.

John Harris-Simon Cameron Museum
219 South Front Street
Harrisburg, PA 17104
(717) 233-3462
www.dauphincountyhistory.org

Atomic Warehouse: It’s A Blast

If your interests lie in the art and design of the 20th century, Harrisburg’s Atomic Warehouse is going to feel like a paradise on Earth. Specializing in art deco, Mission, and mid-century modern design, the two gigantic floors are packed to the rafters with incredible merchandise plucked from the vault of history. Atomic Warehouse's owner is obsessed with his finds and will gladly regale you with the details of their provenance. Even if you’re not going to buy anything, Atomic Warehouse is still an incredible place to spend an afternoon digging through treasures. Of course, the staff would really prefer it if you bought something! From amazing furniture to vintage magazines, Atomic Warehouse has something for every interest. Some complain that prices are a little high, but it’s not like a factory can just make more of this stuff. There is literally no other store like this in the country, so visitors should be thankful that it even exists.

Atomic Warehouse
1021 Market Street
Harrisburg, PA 17101
(717) 236-1900
www.atomicwarehouse.com

Color Me Mine: Show Your Artistic Side

People looking to flex their creative muscle have been coming to Harrisburg’s Color Me Mine for years. The wide range of artistic activities on offer at Color Me Mine encourage repeat visits. Here’s how it works: first, you select from the literally hundreds of ceramic pieces available to paint on. This stuff runs the gamut from plates and tiles to more complicated pieces, and the prices are very reasonable. Second, pay an eight-dollar studio fee and then start painting. The fee covers everything you’ll use at Color Me Mine… and there’s a lot of stuff. The sheer number of paints and glazes available boggles the mind, and the staff is always available to help you with your artwork. Once it’s done, you leave it there to be fired in the kiln and come pick it up approximately five days later. It’s a great creative outlet for people of all ages, and Color Me Mine offers a number of special deals and packages throughout the week.

Color Me Mine
5110 Jonestown Road
Harrisburg, PA 17112
(717) 909-8170
www.harrisburg.colormemine.com

Midtown Cinema: Enjoy The Show

Most movie theaters left in America are fairly generic corporate-owned affairs, content to program the latest Hollywood blockbusters and leave everything else out. Not so with Harrisburg’s Midtown Cinema. This awesome indie theater was founded in 2001 by a pair of film lovers who wanted to bring the most cutting-edge cinema to the area, and they’ve programmed a regular slate of challenging, intriguing films for over a decade. Midtown Cinema has a fun, funky DIY feel, with comfortable couches in the waiting room and perfectly serviceable seating with good sightlines. They even have board games to play while you’re waiting for your screening to start. A semi-regular movie trivia night draws local cinephiles out of the woodwork as well to challenge themselves with increasingly difficult questions in exchange for prizes. This is a great example of what a community movie theater should be, and it’s well worth paying a visit.

Midtown Cinema
250 Reily Street
Harrisburg, PA 17102
(717) 909-6566
www.midtowncinema.com

The HodgePodgery: A Little Bit Of Everything

People are getting more and more interested in celebrating their local culture, and shops like Harrisburg’s HodgePodgery are helping that happen. This charming boutique selects its wares by one criteria: they must be handmade by artists and artisans residing less than a hundred miles from Harrisburg. Thankfully, the area has an incredibly wide variety of talented folks making all kinds of cool stuff. Over 150 artisans are represented, offering housewares, clothing, and even soaps. A real emphasis here is on reusing, recycling and repurposing materials, and a lot of the merchandise has a funky vibe. The owner and staff are all super friendly and very happy to help you shop for what you need. The HodgePodgery also hosts a number of classes taught by artists, including sewing, photography, soldering and more. Locals love this place because they know they’ll walk out the door with something unique that they couldn’t get anywhere else.

The HodgePodgery
1100 North 3rd Street
Harrisburg, PA 17102
(717) 236-0150
www.thehodgepodgery.com

Ride the Trails of Civil War Generals

Here’s a new way to take in the Gettysburg scenery: go horseback. Confederate Trails of Gettysburg premiered its first season in 2010.   Small groups of six guests are led along scenic equestrian trails behind the Virginia Monument to Spangler Farm where they can glimpse Peach Orchard and Little Round Top in the distance. A two-hour option continues along through Pitzer’s Woods to Longstreet Tower. Perhaps from there you can catch sight of the Eisenhower Farm.

The pace is comfortable for novice riders (only age 8 and above). The operators have accommodated individuals with a range of disabilities and they assure nervous prospects that, upon request, they’ll send a person to walk alongside the horse to ease their anxiety. This is not a historic tour, so riders seeking informative narratives might wish to get that background before setting out on this venture. However, when children are in the group, consider requesting in advance a living history re-enactor at no additional charge. Helmets (provided) are required for guests under age 18, and adults who decline must sign a waiver. Reservations go rain or shine. Military families receive a 10 percent discount. Check the website for additional details.

Confederate Trails of Gettysburg
www.confederatetrailsofgettysburg.com

Animal Kingdom Rules: ZooAmerica

ZooAmerica is just the right place for a short, sweet wildlife excursion. Accredited by the American Zoo and Aquarium Association, ZooAmerica’s origins date back to first decade of 1900, and is now part of Hershey Park—though it can be visited separately. Animals are organized according to their habitat—for instance, you’ll find alligators and crocodiles in the Southern Swamps and vampire bats, Gambel’s quail and Gila monsters as some of the representatives of the Great Southwest.

ZooAmerica has a number of conservation and breeding programs. The organization works with students and volunteers to create appropriate nesting boxes for American kestrels and peregrine falcons. These are then placed strategically in the wild where their natural nesting spots have been compromised or have disappeared. The zoo sponsors a variety of camp and educational outreach programs as well. After-hours events are exciting and informative. For more information, call (717) 534-3900, or visit: www.zooamerica.com.

Theatre Harrisburg: A Tried and True Local Theatre

Theatre Harrisburg was founded in 1926 during the height of the "Little Theatre Movement"—a nationwide surge in quality regional theater to meet local demands for passionate, detail-oriented productions. The company is still dominating the community's arts scene in its now decade-old home at the Whitaker Center for the Science and Arts, located on Market Street in downtown Harrisburg. For more than 80 years, Theatre Harrisburg is continuously dedicated to its patrons, which means every season offers more convenient times, family friendly productions, and diverse, high-quality performance opportunities. Yearly productions are performed either at the mainstage or in the Krevsky Center, both of which also play host to other unique performance and musical events. Check out the calendar or just stop by to get a taste of the artistic action.

Theatre Harrisburg
513 Hurlock St.
Harrisburg, PA 17110
(717) 232-5501 ‎
www.theatreharrisburg.com

Animal Kingdom Rules: ZooAmerica

ZooAmerica is just the right place for a short, sweet wildlife excursion. Accredited by the American Zoo and Aquarium Association, ZooAmerica’s origins date back to first decade of 1900, and is now part of Hershey Park—though it can be visited separately. Animals are organized according to their habitat—for instance, you’ll find alligators and crocodiles in the Southern Swamps and vampire bats, Gambel’s quail and Gila monsters as some of the representatives of the Great Southwest.

ZooAmerica has a number of conservation and breeding programs. The organization works with students and volunteers to create appropriate nesting boxes for American kestrels and peregrine falcons. These are then placed strategically in the wild where their natural nesting spots have been compromised or have disappeared. The zoo sponsors a variety of camp and educational outreach programs as well. After-hours events are exciting and informative. For more information, call (717) 534-3900, or visit: www.zooamerica.com.

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