Lewistown (Pennsylvania) - borough in Pennsylvania, United States

Lewistown is a city in Mifflin County, Pennsylvania.

Get in

By car

Lewistown is 3 hours west of Philadelphia and 3 hours east of Pittsburgh.

Lewistown is 60 miles west of Harrisburg on Highway 322. On Highway 522, it's 45 miles west of Selinsgrove and 35 miles east of Huntingdon.

By train

Amtrak provides train service from its station at 150 Helen Street. There are two trains a day, one from the west, and one from the east. +1-800-USA-RAIL.

The Lewistown Train Station, built in 1849, is the oldest surviving structure known to have been built by the Pennsylvania Railroad (PRR). It is also thought to be the oldest station in continuous use in the United States.

By air

• Mifflin County Airport (IATA: RED), 547 Airport Road, Reedsville (5 mi (8 km) NW of the town), +1 717-667-6829. Private airplanes only. 2020-02-20

Get around

There is no public no bus service, but taxi service is available. The downtown area is walkable and has several shops and restaurants.

See

There are cannons and statues that are in memory of veterans.

The main landmark in Downtown Lewistown is Monument Square. At the center is a 64-ft marble monument built in 1906. The figures on each side of the base represent the four branches of the military at that time - Navy, Infantry, Cavalry and Artillery. On the south side of the base is a stone that was taken from the tomb of Abraham Lincoln (the only stone that has ever been removed) in Springfield, Illinois. It was donated in honor of Mifflin County's volunteer soldiers (the Logan Guards), who were the first to answer Lincoln's call for troops at the start of the Civil War.

There is a mural and plaque can be found on the side of the Subway restaurant building.

• McCoy House Museum, 1 W Market St, Lewistown, +1 717-242-1022. Local history museum. 2020-02-20
• Big Valley - A picturesque drive along Route 655 through Central Pennsylvania farmland. It is also home to many sects in the Amish religion. The Amish here seek to live quiet lives — please respect their privacy. You can buy something from them — fresh produce, home-baked goods, or a hand-sewn quilt. Look for their roadside stands and booths at farmers and flea markets.

Do

There are few things to do in Lewistown. Bowling, roller skating at the rink, going out to eat, shopping, and relaxing in parks or other areas are the main things to do. There isn't much that stays open after 10PM, even on the weekends, so most of the fun has to happens before then.

There is a movie theater (6 screens), community swimming pool, miniature golf, and a public country club. There is a drive-in theater 10 miles east at the Arch Rock Exit off Rt. 322.

Buy

• Amish products

• Common Ground Magazine

• Rich Coast Coffee

• Hartley's Potato Chips

• Mifflin County Huskies t-shirt

• Shade Mountain Naturals soap

• Then & Now photo book by the Mifflin County Historical Society

• locally made wine.

• Asher's Chocolates, 19 Susquehanna Ave., +1 717-248-8613. This plant makes many of the hand-finished chocolates that Ashers sells. Factory tours are given when the plant is open. 2020-02-20

Eat

There are a lot of little restaurants in and around the Lewistown area. The two most popular are Downtown OIP and Grille and JP Edwards. The same man, John Pannizzo, owns them. There is a diner, Red's Diner, in Lewistown that has been around for a very long time. It used to be 24/7 but now it closes at 10PM except on the weekends. There are numerous OIP's around the area, all with some similarities, since they started out as a family owned chain. There are also Chinese restaurants throughout town.

• Whoopie Pies - these are like small cake sandwiches with the icing in the middle. Flavors vary from pumpkin to spice to vanilla to red velvet. The traditional pie is chocolate cake with white icing.

Drink

There are several member wineries, breweries and distilleries:

• Brookmere Winery & Vineyard Inn,
• Burnt Timbers Winery,
• Hawstone Hollow Winery,
• Hazard's Distillery,
• Hungry Run Wine Cellars,
• Hungry Run Distillery,
• Juniata Valley Winery & Wilson House B&B,
• Olivero's Vineyard,
• Seven Mountains Wine Cellar,
• Shade Mountain Winery,
• Short Bus Brew House,
• Shy Bear Brewing.

Sleep

• Holiday inn Express & Suites in Reedsville,
• The Quality Inn and Super 8 in Burnham,
• The Best Western in Milroy.

There are many Bed & Breakfasts in Lewistown and surrounding countryside: "Chestnut Manor B&B is within 2 blocks of Downtown Lewistown.

• the Hill Store Guest Cottage in Belleville
• the Weiler Mansion B&B on Front Mtn Road.

Stay safe

Go next