MIDTOWN HARRISBURG

Locals and seasoned visitors alike know about the eclectic culture vibes exuding from Midtown Harrisburg. From its independent businesses, craft breweries, and farm-fresh culinary creations, you’ll find nothing short of memorable and unique experiences each time you visit. Here’s a sample of what Midtown has to offer on your next visit!  

The Millworks 

We can’t talk about Midtown Harrisburg without mentioning The Millworks. It’s a restaurant…meets brewery…meets art gallery that pays homage to its historic core while acknowledging the here and now. Its local, sustainable menu sources our region’s freshest produce and meats to deliver the best of what’s in season! It also fires up the flavor in their wood stove and sidewalk smoker. Just like its food, The Millworks’ on-site brewery uses local ingredients to develop refreshing craft beers. After your meal, grab a stout and get inspired as you browse the art galleries and shops for a taste of Harrisburg culture. When the weather's clear, find a seat in the cozy outdoor courtyard or the expansive rooftop biergarten. The rooftop offers aerial views of Midtown Harrisburg and welcomes a casual crowd for craft beer and wine, good food, and good fun.  

 Broad Street Market 

Next door to The Millworks, you’ll find more flavor at the oldest continuously operating farmers market in the nation — Broad Street Market—which has a place on the National Register of Historic Places and has been offering phenomenal food since before the start of the Civil War. Vendors are serving up culturally-inspired dishes, offering fresh pours of local craft beers, and boxing up sweet treats.  The Broad Street Market is open Thursday through Saturday, so be sure to work a visit into your weekend excursion. 

*In summer 2023, one of the Market’s two historic structures suffered a devastating fire. A temporary tent across from the site offers displaced vendors a place to continue operations (along with continued operations at the market’s unaffected Stone Building.) These small businesses appreciate your support now more than ever as work continues at the historic market.  

Broad Street Market Exterior

Midtown Scholar Bookstore Café 

Literary lovers from near and far visit and shop the Midtown Scholar Bookstore, Harrisburg’s best independent bookstore for 20 years running. One could get lost browsing the shop that’s packed with more than 200,000 new, used, and rare texts. The smell of the binding and pages coupled with the scent of organic and fair-trade coffee and tea at its in-store café make this cultural hub so inviting. The Midtown Scholar often hosts intimate gatherings for musical performances, poetry readings, and standing-room-only discussion events featuring best-selling authors.   

Susquehanna Art Museum 

Just down the block, you’ll find the exquisite, world-class Susquehanna Art Museum (SAM), Harrisburg’s only dedicated art museum featuring a rotating collection of works from local, national and international artists. Its curators choose their exhibit pieces to represent a variety of techniques, styles, themes, and cultures to make admiring art accessible to everyone! One of the first things visitors see when they enter the museum, opposite its entrance, is the humungous vault door, original to the building which was once a bank. Because the SAM doesn’t have a permanent collection of art, there is always something new to admire each time you visit! 

Nyeusi Gallery 

Continuing with the art theme, Nyeusi Gallery in Midtown offers an impressive collection of local and global art from places like Ghana, Haiti and the Dominican Republic. The exhibits focus on Black artists, with the space also decorated with images of historic African American and African activists and philosophers, as well as other Black history artifacts. The gallery invites featured artists for events and also hosts paint nights and other opportunities for the community and visitors to come together in unique ways to celebrate Black art and culture.  

Zeroday Brewing Company 

What’s a Zeroday, you ask? It’s a term familiar to through-hikers who spend weeks on the trails. A Zeroday is when they relax and recover, logging 0 miles on their trek. Aptly named, Zeroday Brewing Company wants to be that place where you kick back with friends in their tasting room and sip some truly interesting craft beers! From their famous flagship beers like the spicy and refreshing Mango Hab to their limited releases and one-offs like the one where they put a 6-foot Douglas Fir tree right into the kettle. Find Zeroday brews in 4 locations: the Zeroday Taproom and restaurant on Third Street, The Zeroday Outpost at Broad Street Market, the Zeroday Outpost at Midtown Cinema, and the new Zeroday outpost at Fresh Market at Hershey Towne Square.  

Did you know? The original Midtown taproom is now a full brewery production facility, so the Zeroday roots in Midtown are strong! 

Midtown Cinema 

Midtown Cinema is Harrisburg's Independent Arthouse Theatre. Blockbuster movies are nice, but Midtown Cinema specializes in enriching and educating the community on the art of film and shows only most innovative limited release and foreign films plus a dose of nostalgia especially around the holidays. Its intimate three-screen space is a callback to the oft-forgotten experience of watching moving art! (Remember, this is also Zeroday Outpost location!) 

Shopping  

Looking to take home a gift while you’re exploring Midtown? Most of the locations previously mentioned offer retail options, and you can browse other unique retail spots like Nyianga Store – offering authentic African clothes and accessories, or Paper Moon and Flowers – offering plants, floral arrangements and specialty gifts.  

The Harrisburg Arts District 

Midtown’s common core is its commitment to community – a community that thrives with creativity! Arts & culture flow from galleries onto the muraled streetscapes. History is preserved in architecture and museums. The Harrisburg Arts District – a walkable section of Harrisburg’s Capital City – extends (roughly) from the Midtown Neighborhood to the towering dome of the state’s Capitol Complex.   

Each month, many Midtown businesses participate in special or extended hours for 3rd in the Burg – a Friday afternoon & evening event showcasing the neighborhood’s galleries, flavors, and sounds.   

A walk through Midtown is full of pops of color thanks to diverse mural projects. Murals were installed by both local artists and world-renowned muralists. From abstract creations to brilliantly brushed blooms, you’ll find scenes that inspire. 

Experience Midtown Harrisburg – the historical, yet hip part of town!