About 40 minutes from Harrisburg, Mt. Gretna is a taste of a New England artist colony closer to Lancaster than it is to the Berkshires, and just a stone’s throw away from the Mt. Hope estate where the Pennsylvania Renaissance Fair takes place. In many ways, Mt. Gretna is a living renaissance, still in action. At least, during the weekend of the art show. A secret hideaway on any other day, Mt. Gretna is the perfect place for romance, an evening-long getaway guaranteed to have you walking hand-in-hand as you explore quaint businesses nestled like an Ewok village “under the trees of old Chautauqua.” There’s the Jigger Shop, an old-fashioned ice cream parlor with an outdoor deck. Eat ice-cream out under the forested canopy and you can easily imagine yourself in the hundred-acre woods with Pooh bear and friends. A hop, skip or jump takes you to any number of casual evening choices — play a round at Mt. Gretna Miniature Golf, refresh the spirit at Mt. Gretna Lake, or watch a show at the famed Playhouse. When we were there, “Always…Patsy Cline” just started a two-week run (August 21-Sept. 1) featuring Sally Struthers from “All In The Family.” Alternately, you could enjoy a play while having dinner at the Timbers Restaurant and Dinner Theatre. There are plenty of other food options as well, all walking distance or a short drive. By short, I mean short. Part of Mt. Gretna’s charm is its petite size. It’s like an inside pocket of enchantment, amidst farmland and forest. And usually it creeps along at just the right pace for a stroll.

But not the weekend we were there. We went on the weekend of the annual Mt. Gretna Outdoor Art Show, an event that singularly put Mt. Gretna on the map. We walked, with a predicted 20,000 others, along the closed off streets of town, where over 300 artists from all over the country (and one from Europe) have come to display and sell their handmade arts and crafts.

The Mt. Gretna Outdoor Art Show started in 1975 as a way of showcasing local talent. The artists had to be regional, and all 50 of them used a common snow fence, or brought wash lines, to hang their work from. While the spirit has stayed relatively the same, as the show grew, the show evolved. Today, the show is complimented by a Children’s Art Show, an Emerging Artists Show, a makeshift gourmet food court (featuring upscale food from regional restaurants), and an outdoor haystack-seat theater with live music performances throughout the weekend (the Andrew Roberts Quartet was playing disciplined jazz when we sat down.) But perhaps what really makes the show is the landscape — the artists, who have upgraded from snow fence to show booths, line the closed-off streets of Pennsylvania Avenue and cross streets, filling in the wooded land between as patrons walk past the charming homes of local residences, which are tucked away like baby kangaroos in the pouch of woods.

The Art Show has grown so much that parking is required on nearby satellite lots with free shuttle busses taking you in and out of town. Admission for the show is $5, which, after expenses, goes back into the local community to benefit various non-profit projects and associations, including both the library and the fire company. The Craft Show, across the street, runs simultaneously with free admission.

Another well-attended attraction at Mt. Gretna is the Gretna Theatre at the Playhouse. Offering a summer series of shows, musicals and concerts, some of the runs this year included “A Chorus Line,” “Neil Simon’s Plaza Suite,” and The Cab Calloway Orchestra.

Music At Gretna also makes use of the Playhouse as well as other outdoor, and indoor, venues throughout the year for famed jazz and chamber music concerts. Time Magazine has called the Music At Gretna chamber series “one of six of the best” in the country and jazz artists have included Lionel Hampton, Count Basie, and Sonny Rollins.

The Mt. Gretna Cicada Festival offers a variety of family-oriented “wholesome yet stimulating entertainment” throughout the summer. In July, they sponsor weekly “old-time movies” at the Mt. Gretna Camp-Meeting Tabernacle and in August they run staged readings and new play previews at the Mt. Gretna Chautauqua Community Building. They also have low-cost, high-return family entertainment at the shared Playhouse on various nights in August.

Mt. Gretna Lake and Beach is open from 11:30 a.m. to 6:30 p.m. where, for a small fee, you can enjoy all the amenities of a land-and-water park. For more information about the lake, and/or Mt. Gretna Miniature Golf (open from 2:00 p.m. to 9:00 p.m.), call 964-3130.

Something to look forward to: The Mt. Gretna Design Center, opening in the Spring of 2002, will showcase creative talents and offer studio space to local artists. Housed in a historic Gretna building, remodeling plans include wrapping the building in bright, vibrant fabric from Southern France.

Summer is winding down and while you missed the art show (mark your calendars for next year) or the Playhouse season, there’s still much to do in Mt. Gretna. Or rather, not much to do, which is why you’d want to go. Get an early escape from your third-quarter strife – the trees come alive in autumn. There are trails for cross-country skiing in snow season, and mountain biking the rest of the year. To take you back to the days of high school sweethearts, visit the Mt. Gretna Roller Rink (964-3631). And if you really want to impress a date, rather than dinner-and-a-movie, offer her dinner-and-a-musical and an enchanted, cozy surrounding. She might not want to go home. If that’s the case, then call the Mt. Gretna Inn and request a room with a private bath, porch and fireplace. The rest is up to you. (If additional assistance is needed, try calling Mt. Gretna Massage at: 964-2292).

Mt. Gretna
Mt. Gretna, PA

Directions
• From Harrisburg, take the Pennsylvania Turnpike (I-76 East) to Exit 20 (Lancaster/Lebanon). Turn left onto Rt. 72 North for about 2 miles. Turn left onto Rt. 117 North at the Mt. Gretna exit. Mt. Gretna is about two and a half miles down the road. Allow for up to 50 minutes driving time.

Food
• Mt. Gretna Hide-A-Way Café
Outdoor deck, bar, lunch/dinner
Call 964-3170 for reservations.
• Porch and Pantry Café
Breakfast, lunch and private dinners in an art gallery.
964-3771
• The Jigger Shop
Ice Cream Parlor
964-9686
• Timbers Restaurant and Dinner Theatre
Dinner Reservations Wed. – Sat.
964-3601
• Mt. Gretna Corner Deli
964-3182

Lodging
• Mt. Gretna Inn: 964-3234

On The Web
• You can find links to most of the Mt. Gretna attractions, organizations and businesses at mtgretna.com

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