Lancaster is a great hub for visiting PA Dutch country and taking in the charms of a slower-paced Central Pennsylvania historic town. (Incidentally, did you know that the PA Dutch are not Dutch, but of German heritage? Somewhere down the line the word "deutsch" got mangled).

But aside from all that stuff, a weekend visitor can take advantage of museums, parks, lovely historic downtown neighborhoods, markets, and a slowly blossoming arts & culture community. Of course, there are also many opportunities to observe old order Amish and Mennonite communities in the countryside of Lancaster County -- and even in the city.

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On the cafe lunch menu, the grilled garden vegetable sandwich, though sounding a bit dull by menu description, was an amazing unusual combination of ingredients and flavors that one usually doesnt experience in a sandwich: lightly cooked haricot vert, baby asparagus, and carrots with a chive mayo, with melted provolone cheese on a savory homemade roasted red pepper bread. Yum. Try it.

Though a sushi menu was offered for lunch I was suspect of the absent sushi bar and sushi chef -- in my experience, for a sushi bar, the bar isn't tucked away with the chef in some corner of a hidden kitchen, so I opted to nix the sushi. The martini menu included a sake martini, a favorite, and all sorts of variations including chocolate and other weird stuff.

Lunch at the upstairs cafe at Carr's is definitely worth a try -- particularly if, while browsing the Market you're not appetized by any offerings there. With views of the busy Market-side alley, its a great perch to watch people, and is probably very cool in the evening for a drink. I'll go back again.

The Fulton hosts theatrical productions including Actors Company of Pennsylvania (Actor's Equity Association productions), musical performances by Lancaster Symphony Orchestra and the Lancaster Opera Company, and ballet theatre. My recent, and first-time visit to the Fulton was to see "Inherit the Wind," about the Scopes monkey trial. To be quite honest, I was more intrigued by looking at the theatre architecture than watching the drama on-stage, in which the actors were "overacting" a bit. I suspect that other performances are of higher-caliber, as the theatre has a fine reputation for quality shows.

The season schedule is on the Fulton's website,www.fultontheatre.org

The theatre is also used for live music performances and has pre-showtime in-house coffee bar which serves gourmet treats to enjoy during the film. To describe in words the ambiance of the theatre does do a bit of injustice, as it could seem a little too kitschy. But the designers and owners of the space did a remarkable job, which radiates a sense of love and appreciation for independent film.

Films are shown nightly at 7pm and 930pm with the exception of Mondays. Call ahead to find out the weekly performance and film showing: (717) 392-2795.

www.longspark.org

A bit reminiscent of Boston's Hatch Shell events in the summer, The Ampitheatre at Long's Park hosts a great outdoor summer concert series each year with an eclectic performance schedule. Most events start around dusk at 7:30pm on Sunday evenings. The grounds at Long's Park --about 70 acres-- off of Route 30 have lots of wide open green lawns, paths, pavilions, tennis courts, a natural pond, and places for barbecuing. (There's also a mini-zoo tucked in there somewhere, as I recall). The stage faces a gently sloping lawn abutted by trees, and if you sit in the middle, the sound is great for being outdoors.

The concert lineup this summer includes bluegrass, folk, celtic, zydeco, jazz, latin, r&b, and classical. Musicians are top notch, and largely national artists. Bring a blanket or chairs and relax as the sun goes down. GREAT for families, lots of happy kids around. A few concession stands are around to indulge in an ice cream if you are so inclined, but the overall mood is very relaxed and low-key -- no carnival atmosphere here.

A recent visit was to see celtic fusion artist Eileen Ivers (a Sony Classical label artist) with her band -- a strange mix of traditional irish music mixed in with blues, salsa (?!), and caribbean music here and there. A good performance.

THE BEST PART: Free admission. Free parking. Picnics and dogs welcome!

www.psad.edu, 717-396-7833

The painter Charles Demuth, one of Lancaster's most famous natives, is said to have brought the Cubist influence to the U.S. as well as perhaps the very initial hints of pop art, evidenced by his 1928 work, "The Figure 5 in Gold" (whose home is The Met). What is most striking is the clear influence of the Lancaster city landscape on the artist's work -- grain elevators, city life, city buildings etc. One of Demuth's most well-known paintings is "My Egypt." Though the original is part of the Whitney collection, a print is on display here. Other original works are exhibited in the museum, including a self portait. Most interesting is the artist's studio on the second-floor which overlooked the garden.

Entrance to the museum is from the street through a brick arched walkway that leads you into a small Victorian garden, in keeping with the one Demuth's mother tended while his family lived there from 1890s onward. The small museum has a rotating exhibit on the second floor, which this summer featured his early watercolor pieces, which too were inspired by his trips in Lancaster county, outdoors and to the theatre.

This quaint historic landmark is quite intriguing to those with an interest in the history of important American painters.

Hours: Tuesday-Saturday 10-4, Sunday 1-4. Closed holidays and Mondays.

Located one block east of Penn Square in downtown Lancaster. www.demuth.org, tel 717 299-9940