To break up the drive back to NC we spent the night in Lancaster, Pennsylvania, with friends from college. Per usual, they drove us around to a couple breweries and made reservations at a lovely Italian place for dinner.

Bespoke Brewing, Ronks
We started out with some fried snacks and then we ordered our drinks. Eric got the Tepache sour (pineapple, cinnamon) and I got the Winter Porter which had a lot of spices to it. Our friends opted for cocktails here.

Rainey Cellars Brewing, Millersville
We all had beer, Eric choosing the Cherry Limeade Tart (lovely tartness) and I chose one of their bottles, a Belgian Dark, as the draft options didn’t appeal. Thankfully, the bartender offered to put the leftovers into a crowler can for me! We sat outside on the shaded deck and enjoyed the nice breeze.

Beccafico, Lititz
Thank goodness for reservations as this large restaurant was packed and bustling when we arrived on a Saturday night. We split a bottle of sparkling Bricco Carlina Aivè Rosato Frizzante which was great. For dinner, Eric chose the Pesto and Pea Casarecce and I had the Rabbit Ragu. Food was delicious and the service was attentive too. Would recommend!

Hershey Gardens
Located about 40 minutes from our friend’s place, we visited on Sunday morning, taking advantage of our reciprocal Airlie Gardens membership. To get here we drove past a bunch of shopping and a large amusement park. The rides of which you could see (and hear) from the gardens.

We started in the butterfly atrium, which had a dense collection of butterflies floating about. I think we all thought this was the highlight.

Once outside, we started to the right. There were lots of roses in bloom along with colorful annual beds. Many of the distinct areas were separated by grass instead of the hardscaping seen in many other gardens we’ve visited. We stayed for about two hours, leaving as it started to get warm and humid.