Things to Do in Lancaster, Texas

Lancaster's historic town square is the heart of the city — red-brick buildings around a traditional square, shaded by old trees, that served as the center of town life for over a century. A 1994 tornado demolished many of the original late-1800s and early-1900s buildings, and a revival has been underway ever since, with new restaurants and shops filling in.

The adjacent Heritage Park with its gazebo sits just north of the square.

Lancaster Regional Airport is home to an aviation museum that is the town's most distinctive attraction. The DFW Wing of the Commemorative Air Force keeps a collection of World War II vintage aircraft in flying condition; its hangar museum is free to visit on weekends.

For aviation and military-history buffs, the hangar is a real find — vintage warbirds you can see up close, some of them still airworthy, right at a small-town airport.

For time outside, Lancaster's Community Park has trails, a pond, ballfields, and an indoor recreation center with an aquatics center, and Bear Creek Nature Park adds hiking, walking and equestrian trails through natural terrain. Dallas College's Cedar Valley Campus, set on more than 300 acres, is also in town.

And because Lancaster sits just south of Dallas, the full range of the city's attractions is a short drive north — but the square, the museums, and the parks fill a day on their own.