You don’t need magic to disappear, all you need a destination.

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Will and I seem to have a knack for finding the most unique date ideas. We realized that almost all of our date nights or day dates revolved solely around food or watching a show/movie together. While we absolutely love meals out and watching awesome movies together, we wanted to mix it up. We also made a promise to ourselves when we moved here that we would explore as much of Lancaster and the surrounding areas as possible since there was just so much to do and see all year round.

Our newest discovery was rail biking. Both of us follow quite a few local Lancaster pages, Lancaster history accounts, etc and a rail biking adventure popped up one day. We had no idea what this was and immediately looked it up. That was followed by immediately booking with American Rail Bike Adventures in York, PA. They offered 3 different times and we opted for the 11AM this past Saturday.

Getting There

One thing I absolutely loved about the planning process was how much was communicated beforehand. They gave us the address, let us know to arrive 15 minutes early, informed us of where the parking was, bathroom information, to bring snacks, and to wear sunscreen. Thankfully, their rain information didn’t apply to us, but it was there as well.

The meetup was a local trailhead parking lot right by the tracks where the bikes were already set up. We drove 45 minutes to get there and it was a really simple and easy drive. We signed waivers, got the safety briefing, and then everyone made their way to their reserved bikes. We chose to ride just the two of us, but there were 4 seats to each bike with the option of tying several together if you came with a large group. There was even a basket for our stuff which was unexpected but very appreciated!

Rail Biking Views

Everyone leaves at once and we are supposed to stay about 5 bike lengths behind the bike in front of us since these bikes come to a gliding stop. This tour is meant to be a leisurely activity and it absolutely was. It was great to casually bike by old houses, streams, wooded areas, and more. The main attraction is the Howard Bridge Tunnel. This is the same tunnel Abraham Lincoln’s casket was brought through on its way to his final burial site.

The tour is an out and back situation. We ended right after the tunnel and waited less than 10 minutes for the carts to be turned around. That gave everyone plenty of time to take pictures with the tunnel and walk around. On the way back, we still had a great time looking at all of the scenery. All in all, the trip took about 2 hours and spanned 7 miles. We could’ve done this much faster, but you’re sort of at the mercy of the person in front of you. Regardless, we loved it.

Thoughts!

This was such a fun trip to take and gave us a really unique day out. Railroads were such an integral part of life up here throughout history that it was both a great scenic and historic way to spend the day. I’ve never experienced anything like it. There are a few states that do these tours, but I believe this is the only one anywhere near our area.

There are a few ideas I had that if we were to do this again would make the trip even better. This is NOT a criticism. We had a fantastic time. It’s just something my brain went hey this could be cool to do or have.

• Having a companion app to let us know what we were seeing and give us some local history would be next level awesome
• This is also kid friendly, so having something like bingo or scavenger hunts just for kids would be fun
• Adult bingo and scavenger hunts are always appreciated!
• An event where you go for speed and there are prizes or rankings for teams!

Maybe it’s my brain and maybe it’s just the nature of me being a producer, but thinking of things like this is always so fun for me. Anyone else ever daydream or brainstorm ways an experience could be even more special after completing one?

I’d really recommend this tour for anyone. It’s great for all fitness levels, ages, couples, friends, families, etc. It was a fantastic way to spend the day. The tour operators could not have been nicer or more helpful. If you’re in the area, be sure to check them out!

It’s Lunch Time!

Since we’d never gone to a restaurant in York before, we wanted to try a local favorite. We discovered Gather 256 the night before and loved the menu so we planned on grabbing lunch there. Excuse my language but holy shit this place was the most aesthetically pleasing coffee shop/art cafe/lunch spot I’ve ever been to. I was not expecting this level of cute and amazing.

When you walk in it looks like a super cute coffee shop with lots of tables and local art on the walls. As you keep exploring, you see dog-friendly seating outside with tons of plants, comfy chairs and sofas by large windows, and even a plant room. There was also a little free plant wall where you could take a plant cutting and leave one. On top of all that, the food was ridiculously delicious. This put an exclamation point on an already amazing day.