You have to do it at least one time in your life. I've lived in Harrisburg 25 years, been to 7 or 8…read moreduring that span. If you have kids, they'll love it and you can kill an entire day. It will also kill you and your wallet a bit, too. Traffic, parking, crowds, pricy food, it's all there to love and hate. So much to see, do, and explore within the entire complex.

Living in Central PA most of my life, the Pennsylvania Farm Show is not new to me. Annual…read moreattendance is basically a personality trait around here. But this year? This year I beat the system. I cracked the Farm Show code on timing, eating, and crowd avoidance--and when that happens, it deserves a Yelp review. After a spectacularly unsuccessful attempt to attend on a rainy Saturday (hard no), we regrouped and tried again on Monday evening, right after work. The strategy: arrive before the after-school-pickup-then-dinner crowd descended. At 5:00pm on the dot, we exited the highway onto Cameron Street. The electronic signs were screaming "TURN LEFT FOR FARM SHOW PARKING," yet there was no traffic turning into the main lot. Reader, I tempted fate. Moments later--$15 poorer but spiritually richer--we were parked in the main lot, just steps from the back entrance. No shuttle bus. No herding. No screaming children pressed against my will. I was stunned. The Farm Show gods had smiled upon us. Riding the high of our parking miracle, we hustled inside with a very clear and disciplined plan: Go directly to food. Do not browse. Do not touch. Do not get distracted. If you need to pee, you wait until after we eat. We power-walked straight to the food court and were immediately suspicious...because it was EMPTY. No lines. No chaos. Tables everywhere. It felt like we had broken into the Farm Show after hours. We split up and conquered, grabbing everything our fried-food-loving hearts desired. The haul: fried mushrooms, stuffed mushrooms, a strawberry milkshake, potato donuts, a pit beef sandwich, an apple dumpling with vanilla ice cream, and maple candy (for balance, obviously). The longest wait time? Two minutes. And that was for pit beef--which felt totally reasonable and honestly luxurious by Farm Show standards. With full bellies and zero regrets, we strolled through vendors and animal exhibits in a calm, almost serene state--something I didn't think was possible at the Farm Show. This experience easily ranks above every other visit I can remember. Perfect timing. Perfect strategy. Perfect amount of fried food. If you've ever left the Farm Show sweaty, overstimulated, and questioning your life choices, just know: it is possible to win. Monday at 5pm. You're welcome.

Mannheim Township Library is definitely my favorite. I often use their study rooms, and they're…read morephenomenal. Good bit amount of room, and the sound barrier is pretty decent. Study rooms are first come, first serve, but there's generally plenty space and rooms for you to study in!

This library is absolutely beautiful, clean, nicely organized and we love the events they offer for…read morekids! We have taken our 6 month old daughter to a few of the Baby Mania days. This is a great way for her to be around other babies (and it's free!). They read stories, have group activities and end with free time/play. All of the staff I have encountered have been very helpful and friendly. I highly recommend visiting MTPL, especially for their kids events!

I went to the Lititz library for the first time last weekend and I must say it is one of the nicest…read morelibrary's I've ever been to. The building was very clean and had pretty landscaping out front even for it almost being winter, the inside was just as nice and organize! It was also great the day I went because they had Santa there to see all the kids and you could take your own picture of your child with Santa. They also had some crafts going on for the children of making lIttle reindeer and then Santa read the night before Christmas to the children. I was told this was a yearly thing they do in the month of December for the kids. Staff was also very friend I will defiantly be going back to this library.

Excellent library- from the friendly staff, to the various classes and options offered to the…read morecommunity, it is amazing. They have various clubs for all ages - they have a genealogy room - they offer DVD movies - they have books for sale as well as free magazine racks. The staff, well I truly can not praise them enough - very kind, compassionate and comforting. It is a remarkable environment. They also offer various museums to tour, just inquire at the front desk. The building is set up, very user friendly, with clearly marked signs. It is very clean & the restrooms are spotless. This is an incredible asset to the community.

Where are the PA history buffs? If you're interested in family lineage, the PA State Archives…read moreoffers extensive information and free access to Ancestry.com via www.PAStateArchives.com Today, Sunday, March 9, 2025, visitors can view a treasured copy of William Penn's land grant from the King of England, the 1681 Pennsylvania charter, which includes all four pages. The charter is displayed only once a year, usually on the second Sunday in March.

Indiana Jones actually filmed here for the movie Raiders Of The Lost Archives. No, I can't back…read morethat up. But I can back this up. (pulls down pants) The museum and the state archives are absolutely spectacular and huge and imposing and you can see this massive structure for 10 blocks in any direction - so it's definitely one of the main center points and centerpieces of Harrisburg - and is well worth the five star rating because of the grand old design, which stands the test of time and in fact looks timeless. Harrisburg is a splendid city with a gorgeous downtown and this is one of the reasons why.

I'm lucky that I live so close to the library. It might be small but it gives a punch of…read moreinformation for the community. They offer tons of events, activities and classes for all ages. But my favorite thing about this branch is that they have tons of non-book items for children that can be loaned out such as puzzles, games, theme backpacks, lacing cards, etc. I use them for the children I work with and these items have been a huge help to me. The only downside of this branch is that they have a small collection of books due to space. However, you can request books from other locations throughout Lancaster County.

I first visited this library over the summer with my granddaughter when we were looking for…read moresomething different to do. While it's smaller than the Manheim Township branch it has an excellent children's department complete with (at the time) a play store, bins of train sets, blocks, etc. and a few ride on toys. Noticeably less crowded and with a comfy chair for the caretaker, it's easily a place to linger while your child plays safely. In addition to the free play toys there's several computers for children (toddler aged up) with learning games and such. I tried to get her interested in some of the games but they didn't hold her interest and quite honestly they were pretty lame. At a recent visit we noticed the play store was gone and replaced with a play kitchen so I believe the larger toys are rotated. What I especially like about this children's area is the backpacks and clear bags full of themed activities that you can check out. Some contain books in addition to games and puzzles on that theme, while others are just games and toys. I haven't seen these elsewhere and while I believe they have a shorter check out period it's a nice change from the toys you might have at home. While I haven't explored the adult section of the library I have taken advantage of the magazines and newspapers you can read in house. Additionally they offer movies and new book releases for check out. In the lobby there are bargain paperbacks for sale and free magazines for the taking. Grab a calendar of events at the check-out counter as they also offer activities (reading related as well as crafts and fun events) for both children and adult alike. I'm excited to attend the Cat in the Hat green eggs and ham breakfast next month which required advance purchase as some of their events do. SIDENOTE: Closed Fridays. Very handicap accessible with a ramp at the entrance and everything on one floor.

I visited the Cornwall Iron Furnace for the first time during their 345th Charter Day celebration,…read moreand I'm so glad I finally made the trip. This historic site had been on my list for a while, and with the beautiful weather and special event happening that day, it felt like the perfect time to go. Interestingly, I had only learned about the iron furnace a few months ago. I've always been fascinated by history especially the processes behind how things were made so visiting a place like this was incredibly intriguing. Seeing such an important piece of industrial history still standing today really makes you appreciate the ingenuity and craftsmanship of the people who built and operated it centuries ago. My group tour started at 12:45 PM and lasted a little over an hour. One thing I really appreciated was that we got to hear from several different volunteer guides throughout the tour rather than just one person leading the entire time. Each guide shared their own knowledge and perspective about different parts of the furnace and its operation. They were all incredibly informative and made the history easy to understand, even if you're not familiar with iron production. By the end of the tour, I honestly felt like I had learned dozens of fascinating facts about early iron-making, the daily lives of the workers, and how complex the entire process was. Workers often had 12-hour shifts to keep the furnace operating, which really highlights the amount of labor and coordination required. Standing inside the furnace structure itself was a unique experience. Even though it was warm outside, it actually felt noticeably cooler inside the building, which was surprising. You could really see the age of the structure and imagine the incredible amount of work that went into building and maintaining it. A few helpful things to know before you visit: Parking: Because of the Charter Day event, we were able to park directly on the property near the furnace building. However, there is also additional parking across the street and slightly down a hill, which requires crossing the road to reach the site. Restrooms are located inside the Welcome Center, where the gift shop is located. These appeared to be the only bathrooms on the property. Visitor tips: *Wear comfortable shoes, as there are stairs involved during the tour. *No food or drinks are allowed during the tour. *Plan to spend about an hour or a little more if you take the guided tour. Overall, this was a really enjoyable and educational experience. It gave me a much deeper appreciation for the hard work, skill, and innovation that went into early American industry. If you enjoy history, learning how things are made, or exploring unique historic sites in Pennsylvania, visiting the Cornwall Iron Furnace is absolutely worth adding to your list. Highly recommend taking the guided tour you'll walk away learning far more than you expect.

Built in 1742 and in use until 1883, the Cornwall Iron Furnace is "the only surviving intact…read morecharcoal cold-blast furnace in the Western Hemisphere." I absolutely love history and history museums and loved everything about it. My girlfriend, 11-year-old son and I visited on a Saturday afternoon on a trip to Harrisburg and Hershey. We took the tour and definitely got our money's worth ($18 for the three of us which included a AAA discount)! Started with a 15 minute video, then a guided tour by Beth which lasted over an hour, during which we got to see the furnace from all angles. Beth was very knowledgeable and also very patient with my son's many questions. The property also boasts a small museum and gift shop in the building that formerly housed the operation's charcoal. The gift shop is excellent. Among other things they have a range of cast iron products, as well as many cookbooks with suggested uses. This was an excellently run museum that I can definitely recommend to others who enjoy American history.

The PA Coalition for Breast Cancer provides an excellent yearly reminder about the importance of…read moreearly detection with mammograms. The pink water is not only a reminder of awareness, but also a reminder of the survivors and those we lost to breast cancer.

This capitol building is by far the best one for artwork in the US that I have seen and I have seen…read morethe capitol in DC and Madison, for example. Absolutely stunning artwork throughout with mind blowing senate and house rooms! The detail blew me away! What a dream of a place to work! My group did the guided tour, had a fantastic time, and learned a lot. We walked up to the front desk a few minutes before 11 am on a Friday and asked if there were any tours going on, and within a few minutes, we had our own private tour. So cool! I recommend checking this place out for all that can. It will not disappoint!

My goal today is to visit PSP to dispose of outdated drugs properly…read more I regularly pass by this PSP location. Today, I learned that this PSP facility is an administrative facility, not a site to dispose of outdated drugs. When I buzzed the Visitor bell, I was instructed to go to the PSP location on Bretz Drive.