Loop Bike Route Ride Description

LENGTH: 38 miles. Difficulty: B

STARTING POINT: Landis Valley Farm Museum , 2451 Kissel Hill Road, Lancaster, PA 17601. See

DESCRIPTION: The Loop Bike Route was developed and planned by the Lancaster Bicycle Club and Manheim Township Recreation Commission with cooperation of six municipalities as a signed, Class III (shared roadway) bike route. In Manheim Township there are two sections of Class I (isolated path) bike path that offer bike riding that is separated from of motorized vehicles. These sections are especially attractive for families with young cyclists. The first Class I section is about a mile long and begins at the Starting Point. The second section is located a mile west of the Starting Point off Brookfield Road. It is nearly two miles long and ends at Manheim Township High School where The Loop continues as a Class III bike route. The Loop gives the cyclist an access to Lancaster City with its many points of interest. It provides a view of suburban areas and rural lands surrounding the city. Several community parks are located on the Loop at Landis Valley, Neffsville, East Petersburg, Horizon Drive, and Lancaster County Central Park (where a public swimming pool is located). The terrain is rolling with a few short, steep grades in the city and an 8% grade about a quarter-mile long cresting at Horizon Drive. A small restaurant offering good food is on The Loop in Silver Spring. Several restaurants and a motel are located within a mile of the Starting Point. The Loop Route provides access to the Maine to Florida Bicycle Route by heading northwest on Colebrook Road for three miles to Sporting Hill Road. For information and maps of the this route , write Adventure Cycling Association, PO Box 8308, Missoula, MT 59807, or phone (406)721-1776.

POINTS OF INTEREST:
Most of the Points of Interest are found in Lancaster City. These are located off The Loop but within easy cycling distance. For downtown sightseeing, the Duke Street Parking Garage, open 24 hours, 7 days a week, offers bicycle parking. Access to the garage is from North Duke or East Chestnut Streets.

A. Pennsylvania Farm Museum (717) 569-0401 Admission Charge. The Museum is a collection of over 30 original buildings and their contents assembled to represent small town life in the country from 1750 to 1900. Especially interesting are the spring and fall craft days when the entire museum is filled with craftspeople and demonstrators. Open: Year round, Tuesday through Saturday, 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Sunday 12 noon to 5 p.m. Location: 2451 Kissel Hill Road, Lancaster, PA 17601.

B. Lancaster County Central Park (717) 299-8215. No Admission Charge. More than 10 miles of hiking trails wander through this 565-acre park of open fields, woodlands and two waterways: Mill Creek and Conestoga Creek. A fitness trail, baseball diamonds, basketball, volleyball and tennis court, a swimming pool, pavilions and picnic tables provide additional recreation possibilities. Tent campsites and nature workshops are available. Open: Year round, daily. Location: Chesapeake St., Lancaster, PA 17602

C. Garden of the Five Senses (717) 392-7223. No Admission Charge. Designed with particular attention to the needs of the physically disabled, the garden encourages exploration of nature through all five senses. Raised plantings, hard-surfaced paths, guide ropes, pools, waterfalls, wildlife, numerous benches, picnic tables and restrooms are on hand. Open: Year round, daily. Reservations recommended for groups. Location: Lancaster County Central Park, Lancaster, PA 17602.

D. Rockford Plantation (717) 392-7223. Admission charge. Physician, soldier, politician Edward Hand, best known as General George Washington's Revolutionary War Adjutant General, built this home in Lancaster in 1792. Tours of this architecturally intact and well preserved home are given by costumed guides. The Kauffman collection of folk artifacts circa 1750-1870 is housed in the adjacent barn. Open: Year round, Tuesday through Sunday. Location: 881 Rock Ford Rd., P.O. Box 264, Lancaster, PA 17603.

E. Historic Lancaster Walking Tour (717) 392-1776 Admission Charge. Costumed guides conduct 2 hour walking tour of 20 sites in historic downtown Lancaster. The tour is preceded by introductory filmstrip. Open: April through October. Groups may be scheduled in advance at any time. Location: 100 South Queen Street, Lancaster, PA 17603.

F. Central Market (717) 291-4723. No Admission Charge. Originated in 1730 as a curb market where farmers sold produce from their wagons. Farm families still sell fresh meats, produce, baked goods, etc. from rows of indoor stands as they have since the current building was erected in 1889. Open: Year round. Tuesday, Friday and Saturday, 6 a.m. to 2 p.m. Location: Northwest quadrant of Penn Square in downtown Lancaster.

G. Fulton Opera House (717) 394-7133. Admission Charge. Believed to be the oldest building in the U. S. in continuous use as a theater, the Fulton features performances by the Lancaster Symphony, the Lancaster Opera Workshop, The Actors Company of Pennsylvania, and the Fulton's summer repertory group. Forty-five minute tours explaining theater history are available by advance reservation. Open: Tours by appointment. For performance schedule, call (717) 397-7425. Location: 12 North Prince Street, Lancaster, PA 17603.

H. Wheatland (717) 392-8721 Admission Charge. Built in 1828, this mansion served as the residence of James Buchanan, 15th president of the United States. Tours of the restored home, decorated in American Empire and Victorian style are given by costumed guides. Open: April through November, daily. Location: 1120 Marietta Avenue, Lancaster, PA 17603.

I. Lancaster County Historical Society (717) 392-4633 No Admission Charge. Exhibits an excellent collection of Lancaster County-produced fine arts and artifacts significant in local history. Included is the largest independent collection of Eicholtz portraits. A historical library is also operated on the premises. Allow 30 minutes for tour. Open: Year round, Tuesday through Saturday. Group reservations required. Location: 230 North President Avenue, Lancaster, PA 17603.

J. Franklin & Marshall College Steinman Center (717) 291-4087. No Admission Charge. Changing exhibits in the Dana Room include photography, drawings, prints, sculpture and other media. Some student and alumni work included, as well as special annual exhibits for Black Cultural Month, Lancaster Spinners and Weavers and PA Guild of Craftsmen. Open: Year round, Tuesday through Sunday. Groups by appointment. Location: College Avenue, Lancaster, PA 17603. Steinmann Center is the newest building on campus located on College Avenue between Mayser Center and Hensel Hall.

K. North Museum and Planetarium (717) 291-3941. No Admission Charge. The largest planetarium in Pennsylvania outside of Pittsburgh and Philadelphia it boasts a 40-foot dome and sits in the center of the North Museum of General Science and Natural History. Open: September to June, Wednesday - Sunday. July to August, Saturday and Sunday. Location: College and Buchanan Aves, Franklin & Marshall College, Lancaster, PA 17603.