Harrisburg, Pennsylvania

By rail

Amtrak (HAR) is located at 4th and Chestnut Streets, with frequent trains to Philadelphia and beyond. 1-800-USA-RAIL.

By bus

Capitol Area Transit (CAT), is the regional bus service for greater Harrisburg area. Travelers to Harrisburg from Cumberland and Dauphin Counties can travel via CAT. CAT is also a convenient means of transportation from Harrisburg International Airport (HIA)

• Greyhound
• Capitol Trailways is a regional bus line that offers services to the following cities:
  • Harrisburg - Hummelstown - Hershey - Palmyra - Lebanon - Myerstown - Womelsdorf - Wernersville - Reading
  • Harrisburg - York - Lancaster - King of Prussia - Willow Grove - New York
  • Pottsville - Penn State Schuylkill - Hamburg - Reading - Pottstown - King of Prussia - Philadelphia

By car

Being the state capital, there are many freeways that lead into the city. Some of these form the "Capital Beltway": I-81 (to the north), I-83 (to the east and south), and PA Rt. 581 (to the west). Interchanges serving the city most directly are on 81 and 83 north of their crossings with the Susquehanna River to their junction. The Pennsylvania Turnpike, I-76 also has two Harrisburg exits just south of the city.

Parking

Weekdays, between the hours of 8am and 5pm, meter parking is enforced. The typical cost is 10 minutes for 25¢. Parking garages are typically the same rate, $3 for up to 2 hours and then escalating beyond that. Many of the garages are run by the Harrisburg Parking Authority.

Park for $5.00 from 5pm to 5am at River St, Walnut St and Chestnut St garages.

Get around

Taxi

• American Taxi (717) 901-8294.

Activities

• Capitol Tours and Welcome Center, East Wing Entrance, (800) 868-7672 (tournpa@os.pasen.gov), 8:30am-4pm. Advanced reservations are suggested and required for groups of 10 or more. Group size is limited to 80. FREE.

• National Civil War Museum, 1 Lincoln Circle, (717) 260-1861 (info@nationalcivilwarmuseum.org, fax: (717) 260-9599). Wed-Sat: 10am-5pm | Sun: 12pm-5pm. The only museum in The United States that portrays the entire story of the American Civil War. Equally balanced presentations are humanistic in nature without bias to Union or Confederate causes. Open 7 days a week April 1 through Labor Day. Adults $8 | Seniors $7 | Students $6 | *Family Pass $30.

• Whitaker Center / IMAX, 222 Market St, (717) 214-ARTS (2787) (info@whitakercenter.org). The mission of Whitaker Center for Science and the Arts is to serve as the center for scientific, artistic, cultural and educational activities to enhance the region's quality of life and economic vitality.

• Pennsylvania National Fire Museum, 1820 N 4th St, (717) 232-8915 (fax: (717) 232-8916). Tue-Fri: 10am-4pm | Sat: 10am-4pm | Sun: 1pm-4pm. The Sights, sounds and history of firefighting come to life at The Pennsylvania National Fire Museum. Housed in the 1899 Victorian firehouse Reily Hose Company No. 10, the museum houses an outstanding collection of artifacts from the hand-drawn equipment of yesterday to the modern tools of today. Adult $5 | Senior $4 | Student $3 | Family $15.

Eat

Harrisburg has a vibrant night life for those who enjoy good food, good company, and good drinks.

• Cragin's Brick Haus Restaurant, 229 N 2nd St, (717) 233-4287. The Brick Haus offers authentic German and American cusine including goulasch, sausages, seafood, and steaks.

• Ceoltas Irish Pub, 310 N 2nd St, (717) 233-3202 (ceoltasirishpub@yahoo.com). Ceoltas provides an authentic taste of Ireland. Ceoltas also attracts bands from all around to play at their venue.

• The Firehouse Restaurant, 606 N 2nd St, (717) 234-6064 (mrpyrite@aol.com, fax: (717) 234-6155). 11:30am-10pm (Mon-Thu) | 11:30am-11pm (Fri-Sat) | 4pm-9pm (Sun). The Firehouse is the oldest standing firehouse in Harrisburg. It operated as a firehouse until 1980. It has kept most of the original architecture and made some modifications, including a fire hydrant beer tap.

• Da'Pits Chicago Grill, 2101 N 2nd St, (717) 233-7487. Da'Pits is a Chicago-style grill is known for their delicious ribs. Everything is cooked over an open flame.

• Appalachian Brewing Company, 50 N Cameron St. 11am-11pm (Sun-Thu) | 11am-12am (Fri-Sat). ABC serves fresh innovative cuisine to match their handcrafted ales and lagers. Brewery tours every Saturday at 1pm.

• Passage To India, 525 South Front St, (717) 233-1202. Passage to India serves excellent Indian cuisine, open seven days a week, with a great view of the river while dining

Sleep

Accommodations in the Harrisburg area give you plenty of options at reasonable prices compared to larger metropolitan areas. More expensive hotels are located in closer proximity to Hershey and Baltimore.

• Wyndham Garden Hotel, 765 Eisenhower Blvd, (717) 558-9500 (fax: (717) 558-8956).

• Wyndham Harrisburg-Hershey, 4650 Lindle Rd, (717) 564-5511.

• Hilton Harrisburg, 1 N 2nd St, (717) 233-6000 (fax: (717) 233-6830). Check in: 4pm; Check out: 11am.

• Crowne Plaza Hotel, 22 S 2nd St, (717) 234-5021 (fax: (717) 234-6797). Check in: 4pm; Check out: 11am.

Get out

Harrisburg's downtown atmosphere dynamically changes throughout the day. During the day, you can explore the coffee shops and quickly prepared meals designed to accommodate the government and downtown workforce. Early evening you can hop between restaurants during their happy hour specials (typically 5-7pm). Stay downtown for dinner and you can enjoy a nice sit-down meal.

During the week, you should have no problem finding a place to eat without much wait, but the weekends (especially in the summer) may require a bit of a wait at the popular restaurants during their prime time dinner crowd.