Staying in the conference hotel is most convenient, especially if you want to take a break or freshen up between sessions or be close to “home” after socializing at the conference and after-hours events. However, there are alternatives.

Official Overflow/Alternate Hotel

Holiday Inn (formerly Hotel Lancaster) – (completely renovated in winter 2018) – we have secured a block of rooms at the Holiday Inn, about two city blocks from the conference venue.

Must call to get room rate: 717-394-0900

HippoCamp Rate for Single/Double Occupancy:

• $124 Thursday night (plus taxes)
• $144 Friday and Saturday night (plus taxes)

Others:

• Lancaster Arts Hotel – a boutique hotel one mile from the conference venue (a 20-minute walk or 4-minute drive) is a gem, and it has an on-site bar/restaurant, John J. Jeffries.
• The Cork Factory Hotel – it’s literally an old cork factory and 1.3 miles from the venue ( about a 5-minute drive), and has an on-site bar/restaurant. (Same building as Lancaster Science Factory!)

Other local alternatives:

• AirBnb: Downtown Lancaster and the surrounding area offers a wide array of AirBnBs! Many of our past attendees had great experiences with local hosts. (If you’ve never used AirBnB, this referral link will save you $20 off your first stay.)
• If you’re looking for a roommate, we suggest posting in the conference Facebook group.
• If you will have a vehicle or are willing to take public transportation, there are several locally owned as well as many familiar chain lodging options outside of the immediate downtown area and on the outskirts of the city that can fit any budget.

Note that if you are commuting to the conference either because you live locally or are staying in another hotel, you can take advantage of a discounted Penn Square garage rate for HippoCamp attendees: $11 per day. (Reg. $18)

The Lancaster Marriott/Lancaster County Convention Center will be home to most of the conference events, but with break time and dinner-on-your-owns, you will have time to explore downtown’s dining options.

• The Convention Center is bright, spacious, colorful and comfortable; the staff is friendly and attentive.
• Most of the conference events — and all of the breakout sessions — are on the same level and section of the hotel, making for easy moving around.
• The session rooms will be set up theater-style, meaning rows of chairs; session rooms are large with tall ceilings — meaning AC is often on high. We suggest you bring a sweater.
• The hotel restaurant offers to-go coffee all day if you need a pick-me up between meals.

Lots of New Things

By the time HippoCamp rolls around, the Marriott’s $39.4M renovations — 18 months in the making — will be complete, most of which can be enjoyed even if you’re not staying in the hotel:

• A new 12-story tower, called the East Tower, offering 110+ additional rooms
• A redesigned and expanded restaurant and bar (Penn Square Grille) – including a new circular bar and outdoor, courtyard dining
• A new breakfast eatery on the ground level with seating for 50
• A rooftop bar and lounge seating 90
• A new M Club in the East Tower (for rewards members)

(See floor plans and press materials here, if interested!)

Fun Facts

The Convention Center not only is attached to a hotel that is part of the former Watt and Shand department store, but it also is home to a few other historic gems, including (at press time) an active archaeological site: the convention center was built around the home and law offices of Thaddeus Stevens–evidence shows that his home was a stop on the Underground Railroad. In fact, on the premises is The Thaddeus Stevens & Lydia Hamilton Smith Historic Site.

DRIVING TO LANCASTER

If you live in the Mid-Atlantic region, getting to Lancaster by car is manageable and, we think, a pretty nice drive! We’re not too far from these major cities:

• 65 miles – Philadelphia
• 70 miles – Baltimore
• 106 miles – Washington, D.C.
• 160 miles – New York City

Parking

• Conference commuters (those who live locally or are staying at a different hotel) will get a discounted daily rate at Penn Square Garage.

Ground Transportation

Official conference activities will be within a few blocks of the Convention Center, but but if you need to get around once you get here:

• Bus: Lancaster Red Rose Transit
• There also are local taxi services and rental car options
• Uber and Lyft are now available in Lancaster

TAKING THE TRAIN HERE

Lancaster Amtrak Station: 1.5 miles from conference center

Lancaster is a stop on Amtrak’s Pennsylvanian and Keystone routes.

• The Keystone route offers frequent daily service between New York City and Harrisburg by way of Philadelphia.
• The Pennsylvanian route travels daily between New York City and Pittsburgh. This line also connects in Pittsburgh to Capitol Limited trains 29 and 30, which offer service to Cleveland, Toledo, Chicago and other points.
• A transfer in Philadelphia also makes the Northeastern Regional Line and the Acela Express a possibility; these lines runs from Boston to Virginia. The Northeastern line has more options.

FLYING HERE

Lancaster is closest to the Harrisburg International Airport (MDT), which is actually located in between Lancaster and Harrisburg. Lancaster also is not too far from Baltimore/Washington and Philadelphia.

• Sun Air at Lancaster Airport (LNS): <5 miles (limited service to BWI)
• Harrisburg International Airport (MDT): 27 miles
• Philadelphia International Airport (PHL): 71 miles
• Baltimore/Washington International Thurgood Marshall Airport (BWI): 90 miles

MDT Information

Being a midsize city in farm country means we’re not big or busy enough of a metropolitan area to attract shuttle companies like Super Shuttle, and downtown Lancaster hotels do not offer their own shuttle service. The estimated taxi fare according to the Marriott website, is $65 per trip from MDT to downtown Lancaster. We suggest other options, listed below.

• You can find six car rental services in the Harrisburg International Airport terminal: Alamo, Avis, Budget, Enterprise Rent-A-Car, Hertz and National Car Rental.
• MDT is about two miles from the Middletown Amtrak stop, which is on the Keystone Line. (An airport taxi could take you to the train station.)
• You can find a sharable document on our attendee Facebook group where you can share flight arrival and departure times to help encourage carpooling and sharing costs. More on that to come!

BWI and PHL

Depending on where are you flying from and/or which airlines you prefer, one of these major airports might make sense. Both are less than two hours from downtown Lancaster, and also offer rental car options and are close to train stations that hook up with the Keystone Line, which runs right to downtown Lancaster.

Here are a few links to regional tourism sites, as well as some regional and national press on our city, to help you get an idea of what to expect from our region. There’s plenty to enjoy and, perhaps, the attractions in our area will inspire you to extend your trip! Your conference packet will have details on our recommendations, too!

Travel articles – what others are saying about Lancaster

• “The Heart of It: Lancaster, Pennsylvania” – city profile from the American Craft Council, January 2019
• “Best Places to Visit on the East Coast for 2019” – OffMetro, January 2019
• “Where to Go Next: The Best 14 Place to Visit in the United States in 2019” – Forbes, December 2018
• “The 10 Coolest US Cities to Visit in 2019” – Forbes, December 2017
• “The 14 Coolest Things to Do in Lancaster, PA” – Thrillist, May 2017
• “Lancaster, Pennsylvania is Much Cooler Than You Think” – NY Post, March 2017
• “Live Like a Local: Where Innovation and Heritage Coexist” – TravelMag, October 2016 — by HippoCamp’er Wendy Fontaine, inspired by her first visit!

Local guides & directories – get it from the experts

• Visit Lancaster – official visitor’s guide to the city
• Discover Lancaster – county and regional tourism bureau
• Central Market Lancaster – one of the top attractions in our area
• 300 Block of North Queen – cooperative of businesses in one of the coolest sections of town

PLUS: Lotsa New Downtown Eateries and Attractions

Since we last saw our HippoCamp’ers there has been a serious, serious surge in development, mostly on the restaurant and cafe end! We’ll tell you more in August, but here’s a newspaper story that talks about a lot of the changes!