A Day in Lititz, PA: History, Pretzels, Chocolate & Small-Town Charm

Some towns are made for wandering. Lititz, Pennsylvania, is one of them.

Located about nine miles north of Lancaster, Lititz is a quaint historic town filled with locally owned shops, restaurants and cafés, along with a fascinating Moravian history and two Lancaster County food traditions that deserve stops of their own: Julius Sturgis Pretzel Bakery and Wilbur Chocolate.

Most of the historic downtown is easy to explore on foot, stretching for several blocks along East Main Street and North and South Broad Streets. Lititz Springs Park sits right in the middle of it all, giving you a green space to slow down between stops.

Lititz works especially well as a day trip. Add it to a Lancaster County weekend or drive in from Harrisburg, York, Philadelphia or elsewhere in southeastern Pennsylvania.

Only an hour from my home, I visit Lititz rather frequently. With my grandkids, we often pair a nearby hike with a trip into town for a fresh soft pretzel, time feeding the ducks and playing in Lititz Springs Park, followed by a late lunch—either packed or picked up from one of the restaurants.

My adult visits tend to move at a different pace. There is more time to browse the shops, linger over dinner and perhaps finish the day with a local beer or cocktail.

Same town. Different adventures. Both are reasons I keep coming back.

Where to Start in Lititz

There isn’t one large parking area for downtown Lititz. Parking is available along various streets, with additional small lots scattered throughout town.

We generally start at one of two ends of the historic district.

One option is Lititz Springs Park along Broad Street. This puts you right beside the park and near the Welcome Center, housed in a replica of the town’s 1884 Victorian Gothic passenger depot.

Or start toward the eastern end of the historic district near Julius Sturgis Pretzel Bakery. We often use the public parking area near a green space off North Lane behind the bakery.

Either way, once the car is parked, I prefer to explore Lititz on foot.

If you begin at the park, stop at the Welcome Center before heading into town. In addition to visitor information, the train station is a cute stop on its own, with a small display sharing some of the railroad history of Lititz.

For a deeper dive into local history, head to the Lititz Historical Foundation on East Main Street. The Lititz Museum is housed in the 1793 Christian Schropp House, with the 1792 Johannes Mueller House next door.

Knowing a little of its history only adds to the charm of this old Lancaster County town.

A Little History of Lititz

Lititz was established as a Moravian community in the 18th century. Count Nicholas Ludwig von Zinzendorf, a leader of the renewed Moravian Church, visited the area in 1742. The Moravians established a closed congregational settlement in Lititz in 1756.

The Moravians are a Protestant Christian denomination with roots in what is now the Czech Republic, historically known for their missionary work and close-knit religious communities.

And this is where its history gets especially interesting.

One of my favorite things I learned on a historical walking tour was just how carefully this closed community operated. Our guide explained that the Moravians avoided competition among trades, allowing only one master craftsman for each trade needed by the community. There was one tanner, one doctor, one apothecary and so forth.

If a family arrived in Lititz and the man’s trade was already represented, our guide explained that the community would care for his family while he traveled to another city to learn a different trade. That could mean being away for one to three years before returning to Lititz with a skill the community needed.

Think about how different that is from the way we approach business today.

Instead of opening another shop and competing with your neighbor, each person filled a particular need within the community. Work supported not only individual families but the Moravian community and its larger mission.

Lititz remained an exclusive church settlement until 1855, when non-Moravians were permitted to live and work in the town.

But much of that early history is still visible in the buildings along Main Street and around Moravian Church Square. And without taking the tour, I would have walked right past some of it without knowing the stories behind what I was seeing. Which is exactly why I think one of the best ways to begin a first visit to Lititz is with a historical tour.

Take a Tour & Learn the Stories Behind Lititz

You can certainly walk through Lititz, admire the architecture and read a few historic markers. But you will understand the town much better after hearing some of its stories.

The Lititz Historical Foundation offers a 45-minute tour of the 1792 Johannes Mueller House, where a costumed docent shares what everyday life was like for a tradesman and his family living in the closed Moravian community. They also offer a walking tour that begins at the historic Lititz Springs Inn and ends at the Julius Sturgis Pretzel Bakery (convenient to enjoy a tour of the historic bakery).

Either tour provides just enough history to give you a completely different perspective as you continue exploring town.

Tours are also available through the Lititz Moravian Church, offering another opportunity to learn about the faith and community that shaped early Lititz.

Choose one or choose several tours if history is your thing. Then it is time for a different kind of Lititz history. The edible kind.

Julius Sturgis Pretzel Bakery: A Lititz Must

If you are going to Lititz, take the pretzel tour. Really.

Julius Sturgis Pretzel Bakery opened in 1861 and is recognized as America’s first commercial pretzel bakery. It is still located in the historic stone house at 219 East Main Street where Julius Sturgis began his business.

The short tour is easy to add to a day in town. You learn about the Sturgis family, the history of pretzel baking in America and how the process has changed since 1861.

Best of all, it is a hands-on tour. Guests step up to the old-fashioned pretzel-twisting tables and try their best to master the twist themselves.

It is wonderfully child-friendly, and my grandkids especially enjoy getting to try the twisting themselves. And by the end of the tour, everyone is ready for the important part: a sample pack of hard pretzels.

At the end of the tour, everyone gets a small pack of mini pretzels to take along. But don’t leave just yet. Stop in the gift shop and buy one of the freshly baked soft pretzels. Super yum.

Wander Through the Shops

Pretzel in hand—or perhaps already eaten—start wandering.

Downtown Lititz is filled with independent shops selling clothing, jewelry, specialty foods, home décor, gifts, pet products and plenty of things you probably didn’t know you needed until you walked through the door.

This part of Lititz tends to get more attention when I’m visiting with adults. With the grandkids, we are usually moving toward the next snack or the park. Without them, I can actually browse.

One of my favorite stops is Purple Robin Reserve. The shop features jewelry, art and home décor created by artists and makers, but be sure to look around the building itself, too. Inside is an original wall mural remaining from the days when the building served as the town theater.

That is one of the things I enjoy about Lititz. History doesn’t always announce itself with a plaque. Sometimes you find it while shopping.

Grab Lunch or Something Sweet

You will not have trouble finding somewhere to eat in Lititz.

Tomato Pie Cafe is one of the town’s best-known choices for a casual lunch. Its namesake tomato pie is an obvious place to start, but there are sandwiches, salads, baked goods and plenty of other choices.

Slate Cafe is a good stop for coffee, breakfast or lunch, and downtown offers everything from Brazilian food and pizza to ice cream, bakeries and specialty cafés. There is even a dedicated gluten-free bakery with vegan options: Erika Joy’s.

With the grandkids, lunch sometimes looks a little different. After hiking and pretzels, we might pick something up to go or bring a packed lunch and eat outside.

That is one of the nice things about having Lititz Springs Park right downtown.

Slow Down at Lititz Springs Park

A day in Lititz isn’t complete without spending some time in Lititz Springs Park.

Lititz Run flows through this beautiful green space right in town, with walking paths, bridges, benches, playgrounds and plenty of places to sit near the water.

And, perhaps most importantly when I am visiting with my grandkids, ducks.

Duck food is available at the Welcome Center or from a coin-operated dispenser in the park. Skip the human food, please—it isn’t healthy for the ducks.

We feed the ducks, wander along the water, play on the large playground or find a bench and take a break. After a morning hike and time walking through town, no one objects to slowing down.

The park works just as well without children. Grab coffee or lunch, find a spot near the water fountain and simply enjoy having nowhere you need to be for a while.

But don’t get too comfortable.

There is chocolate across the street.

Wilbur Chocolate: The Bud Came First

Cross North Broad Street from the park and stop at Wilbur Chocolate. Even if you have never heard of a Wilbur Bud, you will probably think it looks familiar. There is a reason for that.

H.O. Wilbur introduced the Wilbur Bud in 1894, more than a decade before Hershey introduced its similarly shaped Kiss.

Yes. The Wilbur Bud came first!

The Lititz store offers plenty of opportunities to stock up on chocolate, along with a viewing window where you may catch a glimpse of some chocolate production. Admittedly, it can be a little difficult to see what is happening when the workers have their backs to the window.

But it is enough to get us excited about eating chocolate. Not that I need much encouragement. Wilbur Chocolate is more than a Lititz attraction for me. It tastes like my childhood.

During my weekly visits to my Grandma’s house, two large cylindrical jars sat in her kitchen. One was filled with dark chocolate Wilbur Buds. The other held milk chocolate.

So while visitors may walk into Wilbur because it is a famous Lititz chocolate company, I walk in carrying a few generations of memories with me. And then I buy chocolate.

Stay for Dinner & Drinks

If you are making a full day of Lititz, don’t hurry home.

Bull’s Head Public House is one of my favorite choices for dinner. The traditional pub atmosphere is modeled after an English public house, right down to ordering at the bar. And it has the approval of my British son-in-law—food, décor and all.

On a nice day, outdoor dining adds another option.

If you are staying overnight, or simply have more time, continue the evening with a local beer at Collusion Tap Works or Appalachian Brewing Company, or locally distilled spirits at Stoll & Wolfe Distillery.

Visit Lititz All Year Round

There really isn’t a bad season to visit Lititz. This is a town that enjoys a celebration, and some of its traditions have been going strong for generations.

Lititz is home to the second-oldest consecutive Independence Day celebration in the United States. Held in Lititz Springs Park, the celebration includes the Candle Illumination, a tradition dating to 1843, when thousands of candles transform the park into the Fairyland of Candles before the fireworks.

And then there is Christmas.

If Lititz is charming during the rest of the year, wait until the lights and greenery go up! Downtown can rival a Hallmark movie, with Christmas in the Park, caroling, the community tree lighting and other holiday traditions throughout the season.

Spring and fall are equally nice for wandering Main Street, enjoying the park or pairing your visit with a nearby hike.

I’ve visited Lititz throughout the year, and the town offers a slightly different experience with every season.

Where to Stay in Lititz

Most visitors can easily experience Lititz as a day trip, but staying overnight lets you slow everything down.

The Lititz Springs Inn sits right in the historic downtown, making it easy to park the car and continue exploring on foot. For a traditional bed-and-breakfast experience, The Alden House B&B is another downtown option on East Main Street.

There are additional accommodations around Lititz, but for this particular trip, I would stay within walking distance of Main Street if possible. Part of the fun is being able to step outside and wander.

Is Lititz, PA Worth Visiting?

Absolutely.

If I were planning a first visit to Lititz, I would include a historical tour, time to stroll the streets and browse the shops, a little relaxation in the park and, of course, plenty of great food along the way.

Start near Lititz Springs Park and take a historical tour to learn the stories behind the buildings you will see throughout town. Make your way along Main Street to Julius Sturgis for the pretzel tour and a fresh soft pretzel, then spend the afternoon browsing the shops, enjoying the park and stopping for some Wilbur Chocolate.

If you are making a full day of it, finish with dinner and a drink at one of the local restaurants, pubs or breweries.

Lititz has that combination I love in a small town: interesting history, a walkable downtown, local food traditions and enough little discoveries to make wandering worthwhile.

That’s a pretty great day in Lititz.

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