Things to Do in Lancaster, Texas
Lancaster has an unusual pair of draws for a small southern-Dallas-County town: a red-brick historic square rebuilt after a 1994 tornado, and two aviation museums full of flying vintage aircraft at its airport. Add good parks and a reviving downtown, and there's more here than you'd expect.
Here's what to do in and around Lancaster.
The Historic Town Square
Lancaster's historic town square is the heart of the city — red-brick buildings in a distinctive circular layout, 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, shops, and a co-working space filling in.
The square hosts the 2nd Saturday on the Square events, with live entertainment and arts-and-crafts vendors, and the adjacent Heritage Park lights up in December for the Lancaster Lights and Christmas in Olde Towne festivities.
Aviation Museums
Lancaster Regional Airport is home to two aviation museums that are 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, and the Cold War Air Museum displays both fixed-wing and rotor-wing aircraft from the Cold War era.
For aviation and military-history buffs, the pair is a real find — vintage warbirds you can see up close, some of them still airworthy, right at a small-town airport.
Parks and Cedar Valley College
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 and biking trails through natural terrain. Cedar Valley College brings a public arboretum and horticulture center to 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.
FAQ: Things to Do in Lancaster
Lancaster's main draws are its historic red-brick town square, with 2nd Saturday events and the Lancaster Lights holiday festivities, and the two aviation museums at Lancaster Regional Airport — the DFW Wing of the Commemorative Air Force and the Cold War Air Museum. The city also has good parks and the Cedar Valley College arboretum.
Lancaster Regional Airport hosts the DFW Wing of the Commemorative Air Force, with WWII vintage aircraft in flying condition, and the Cold War Air Museum, which displays fixed-wing and rotor-wing aircraft from the Cold War era.
Lancaster's historic town square is a distinctive circular arrangement of red-brick buildings that was the center of town for over a century. Many original late-1800s and early-1900s buildings were lost to a 1994 tornado, and the square has been reviving with new restaurants and shops and events like 2nd Saturday on the Square.
Business Owner?
Want Your Business Featured in Lancaster?
People are searching for businesses like yours in Lancaster. Get listed in our city guide and local directory so they can find you.