Pennsylvania vacations in Lancaster County and the town of Ephrata offer an endless array of attractions that the whole family can enjoy.

This area is bustling with events, festivals, and fairs year-round. Here are just a few of the Lancaster, PA events and activities you can enjoy while staying at the Smithton Inn, listed by season:

Winter Special Events:

 

New Holland Quilt Auction:  (Tuesday, January 15)  Held every-other month, this is a fantastic way to buy a special, hand-sewn quilt at wholesale prices.  Or, it's fun to just go and watch the action.  http://www.hometownequiltauction.com/index.php


John Gorka at the Ephrata Main Theater:  (Friday, January 18)  World-renowned folk singer-songwriter John Gorka will make his first appearence at the Ephrata Main Theater - the perfect venue for this kind of performer.  Click here for tickets:  http://www.brownpapertickets.com/event/304413


Have I got a Girl for You at the Rainbow Dinner Theater:  (January 25 - March 13)  A gorgeous sister and drop-dead honey of a husband decide to find a perfect match for a not-so-perfect little sister. The results are hilarious but, in the end, beauty is more than skin deep and true love triumphs. Don’t miss it!  January 25 - March 13
http://www.rainbowdinnertheatre.com/prices-showtimes.php


Annie Jr. at the Sharadin Bigler Theatre (Ephrata): (Feb 1 -3 & 8-10)  The feisty “Little Orphan Annie” of comic book fame comes to glorious life in this beloved family musical about an abandoned child whose “Hard Knock Life” is transformed by the billionaire Daddy Warbucks. Tailored to the talents of EPAC’s perennially pleasing young artists, this annual Kids 4 Kids production is traditionally a sold-out, singular attraction. February 1 - 10.  http://www.ephrataplayhouseinthepark.org


Good People at the Fulton Theatre: (January 29 - February 17)  Nominated for the 2011 Tony Award for Best Play, Good People presents us with a riotous and contemplative mix of characters and situations that asks us to consider the dangerous consequence of holding on the past versus leaving it behind. January 29 - Feburary 17
http://www.thefulton.org/shows/goodpeople/ 


Run for Your Wife at the Dutch Apple Dinner Theater:  (February 14 - March 23)  A London Cab driver lives a pretty ordinary life... except for the fact that he has two wives. He has managed to juggle both marriages without getting caught for awhile, well that is until he gets mugged and winds up in the hospital.  February 14 - March 23
http://www.dutchapple.com/content/Runwife.asp


Lititz Fire and Ice Festival:  (February 15 - February 17)  The festival combines ice sculputures with a Chili Cookoff to create some serious winter fun in the charming town of Lititz.  Now in its 7th year, this festival is always a blast.  http://www.whereandwhen.com/Articles/Lititz+Fire+%26+Ice+Festival/

 

Snow Geese Migration at the Middle Creek Wildlife Preserve:  (mid-Feburary to late-March)  This annual migration pretty much defines "awesome".  Think about tens of thousands of geese, swooping through the cold winter sky in what looks like a sychnorized dance performed for the many onlookers who come to observe the spectacle.

 


Noah at the Sight & Sound Theater  (March 9 - November 2)  Join the millions of people from all over the world who have seen this one of a kind, awe-inspiring, family experience. Embark on a journey with Noah and his family as they uphold the call of God to build a boat in a land that has never seen rain!  March 9 - November 2
http://www.sight-sound.com/WebSiteSS/getshowdetails.do?eventCD=NOA


A Chorus Line at the Fulton Theatre:  (March 12 - 30)  "It's the same script, the same characters and the same story, but told in a whole new way" March 12 - 30 
http://www.thefulton.org/shows/chorusline/


New Holland Quilt Auction:  (Tuesday, March 12)  Held every-other month, this is a fantastic way to buy a special, hand-sewn quilt at wholesale prices.  Or, it's fun to just go and watch the action.  http://www.hometownequiltauction.com/index.php


Angels in America Part 1:”Millennium Approaches”  at the Ephrata Performing Arts Center (March 7-9 and 13-16)

Angels in America Part 2: “Perestroika”  at the Ephrata Performing Arts Center (March 28-30 and April 3-6)

A freewheeling epic of American life in the 1980s, focusing on love, betrayal, AIDS, the Reagan Revolution, religion, Valium, sexual identity and bigotry. This multi-award-winning modern classic mixes real people from American history with fictional characters (and angels) in a dizzying and often comic fantasia that moves us from New York to Antarctica, Utah, the Kremlin, Heaven and other places, real and imaginary. Angels in America is a not-to-be missed event.  http://www.ephrataplayhouseinthepark.org


Fun between the Covers at the Rainbow Dinner Theater  (March 21 - May 25)  A small town bookstore is about to blow the cover off America’s most secretive health food guru. She is hiding much more than anyone bargained for, and this little bookstore will never be the same. One of the funniest shows you’ll ever see.  March 21 - May 25
http://www.rainbowdinnertheatre.com/prices-showtimes.php


Brigadoon at the Dutch Apple Dinner Theater  (March 28 - May 11)  A mysterious Scottish village appears out of the mist for only one day every 100 years. Two American tourists stumble upon the village and Tommy soon falls in love with the village lass, Fiona. This Lerner and Loewe score includes Almost Like Being in Love, The Heather on the Hill and Go Home with Bonnie Jean.  March 28 - May 11
http://www.dutchapple.com/content/Brigadoon.asp