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HARRISBURG , Pennsylvania's capital,
lies on the Susquehanna River thirty or so miles northwest of
Lancaster City. It's a surprisingly attractive small city, lined
with shuttered colonial buildings and well complemented by its
kitsch Chocolatetown neighbor Hershey . Harrisburg
is also known as the site of the Three Mile Island
nuclear facility, which stands along the river on the east side
of town, and suffered a famous meltdown in the 1970s.
The ornate capitol at Third and
State is undeniably beautiful; at its dedication in 1906, Theodore
Roosevelt called it "the handsomest building I ever saw."
Italian Renaissance in style, it has a dome modeled after St Peter's
in Rome (Mon-Sat 9am-4pm; free). The complex includes the archeological
and military artifacts, decorative arts, tools and machinery exhibited
in the free four-floor State Museum of Pennsylvania
, a cylindrical building that holds a planetarium, at Third and
North (Tues-Sat 9am-5pm, Sun noon-5pm; free). But undoubtedly
the real attraction here is the excellent new National
Civil War Museum , at Lincoln Circle off Market Street
(Mon-Fri 9am-5pm, Sat & Sun 10am-5pm; $7; tel 717/260-1861).
Almost 730,000 Americans were killed in the Civil War - more than
in all other conflicts since the Revolution combined - and the
museum offers an intelligent analysis of the reasons for, and
results of, the war. Especially evocative are the fictionalized
monologues, playing on video screens in every gallery, that focus
on the human cost of the conflict. There's also a good terrace
caf? with great views across the city.
One of the best ways to spend a Harrisburg afternoon
is to cross the Susquehanna along the Walnut Street footbridge
and stroll through City Island , a waterfront
development with vast sports facilities (including a family-filled
concrete beach, a baseball stadium and a football ground), shady
picnic areas, regular festivals and concerts and paddlewheeler
rides (May-Oct; call 717/234-6500 for schedule; $5).
