RV Rental for Long’s Park Art Festival in Lancaster, PA

Every August, the same thing happens: I get calls from people who waited too long to book a hotel for the Long’s Park Art Festival and are suddenly looking at a 45-minute drive each way from wherever they could find a room. My honest answer is always the same — rent an RV, stay at a campground ten minutes away on US-30 or PA-72, and you’ll actually enjoy the festival weekend instead of fighting traffic on your way back to some generic highway motel in York or Harrisburg. An RV rental for Long’s Park Art Festival isn’t a novelty. For a lot of regulars, it’s the only way they do it.

Why Long’s Park Makes RV Travel the Right Call

Long’s Park itself is a day-use venue — there’s no overnight camping on-site, and I want to be upfront about that. What the park does offer is one of the best festival footprints in Pennsylvania Dutch Country: shaded lawn space, easy access off Harrisburg Pike, and a layout that rewards people who arrive relaxed rather than road-worn. When your base camp is a campground like Old Mill Stream or Pinch Pond Family Campground — both within a short run of the park — you park the tow vehicle once on Friday and walk the festival grounds both days without the commute overhead. That’s the setup I recommend to first-timers every year.

The festival typically runs over Labor Day weekend, which means late August into early September in Lancaster. August nights here can still be warm and humid — the kind of humidity that rolls in off the Susquehanna corridor and doesn’t quit until after dark. A properly aired-out travel trailer with climate control beats a tent by a wide margin that time of year, and it means your group actually wants to spend two full days at the festival instead of bailing early because someone slept badly.

Where to Camp for the Long’s Park Art Festival

Since Long’s Park doesn’t allow overnight stays, the play is a campground close enough to make the drive a non-issue. Here are the spots I steer renters toward:

• Old Mill Stream Campground — Sits right along the US-30 corridor in Lancaster. It’s one of the closest full-hookup options to the park, and the access off US-30 is straightforward enough that I don’t have to give first-time drivers a lengthy warning about the turn-in. I’ve dropped rigs here multiple times and the pull-through sites take the stress out of backing in after a long drive.
• Pinch Pond Family Campground — A little further southeast near Manheim, but well-run and popular with festival-goers who want a quieter setting. PA-72 connects you back toward Lancaster without putting you on US-30 the whole time.
• Country Acres Campground — Out toward Gordonville in the heart of Amish Country. If your group wants to pair the festival with a morning drive through Bird-in-Hand or a stop at Kitchen Kettle Village, this location makes that an easy add-on.
• Spring Gulch Resort Campground — A larger resort-style park near New Holland. Families especially appreciate the amenities here when the kids need something to do outside of festival hours.
• Lancaster County KOA Holiday (Narvon) — Further east toward Berks County, but a solid full-service option if the others are booked up over Labor Day weekend.

One thing I tell everyone renting for a holiday weekend event: Labor Day is not the time to assume availability. Call the campground directly the moment you know your festival dates. I’ve had renters pick up their trailer on a Thursday and spend two hours scrambling for a site because they assumed they’d figure it out. Book the campground first, then reserve the RV.

RV Delivery to Lancaster — How It Works From Our End

If you’re flying into Lancaster Airport (LNS) or driving up from the Philadelphia corridor on I-76, towing an RV yourself may not be in the picture. That’s where our RV delivery service comes in. We bring the unit directly to your campground, level it, connect it, and walk you through everything before we leave. You arrive at your site to a rig that’s ready to go — no hitching, no towing on PA-283 during holiday traffic, no trying to back a trailer into a tight site after dark.

When I deliver to a campground like Old Mill Stream, I’m already familiar with which loops handle longer units and which sites run short. That local knowledge matters more than people expect. It means I can match the right rig from our fleet to your specific site before I ever load the truck, rather than discovering on delivery day that a 30-foot trailer doesn’t fit the loop you reserved. If you tell me your campground and site number when you book, I’ll flag anything I already know about that location.

For festival weekend deliveries, I’d suggest aiming for a Thursday drop if your schedule allows. It gives you Friday to settle in, stock the fridge, maybe explore Strasburg or Central Market before the festival crowds build on Saturday morning.

Beyond the Festival: Making the Most of Lancaster County

The Long’s Park Art Festival sits in one of the most rewarding regions in the mid-Atlantic for a long-weekend RV trip. Once the Saturday and Sunday festival sessions wrap up, you have an entire county worth exploring from your campground base. A few things my renters consistently come back raving about:

• Amish Country back roads — Take PA-340 east out of Lancaster toward Bird-in-Hand and Intercourse on a weekday morning. The farm stands are out, and the road is quiet enough to actually enjoy it.
• Strasburg Rail Road — A genuine 19th-century steam excursion, not a theme park version of one. It’s ten miles from Lancaster on PA-896 and worth the detour, especially if you have kids.
• Chickies Rock County Park — On the Susquehanna River near Columbia, off PA-441. The overlook is one of the better views in Lancaster County, and it’s never crowded the way the tourist corridor gets on a summer weekend.
• Central Market in Lancaster City — One of the oldest farmers markets in the country, and it’s walkable from downtown. Go early on a Saturday before the festival opens.

Booking Your RV Rental for Long’s Park Art Festival

Labor Day weekend books fast — both campground sites and rental units. I typically see our availability for late August and early September tighten up well before the summer is over. If you’re planning to use an RV for the festival, the time to reach out is now, not in July when options have narrowed. Contact us to talk through which unit fits your group size, whether delivery makes sense for your situation, and which campgrounds still have sites open for your dates.

Browse our available units at lancaster.firesidervrental.com, or reach out directly — I’m happy to talk through the specifics for your trip before you commit to anything.

Frequently Asked Questions

Can I camp inside Long’s Park during the Art Festival?

No — Long’s Park is a day-use venue and does not allow overnight camping. You’ll want to secure a site at one of the nearby Lancaster County campgrounds listed above. Old Mill Stream Campground on US-30 is my most common recommendation for its proximity to the park and straightforward access for RV drivers.

Do you deliver RVs to Lancaster campgrounds?

Yes. Our RV delivery service covers Lancaster County and the surrounding region. We deliver, set up, and level the unit at your campground site. If you’re coming in from out of the area — whether through Philadelphia International (PHL), Harrisburg International (MDT), or Lancaster Airport (LNS) — delivery is often the most practical option. Just let me know your campground and site details when you book.

How far in advance should I book for Labor Day weekend?

As early as you can. Campground sites and rental units both go quickly for Labor Day weekend in Lancaster County. I’d aim to have both locked in by June or July at the latest. If you’re reading this in August, call us directly — we’ll tell you honestly what’s still available.

What’s the weather like in Lancaster during the festival?

Late August and early September in Lancaster can be warm and humid — daytime highs often in the mid-to-upper 80s, with nights that stay muggy until a front pushes through. An RV with working climate control is a genuine comfort upgrade over tent camping this time of year, not just a luxury. I always remind renters to run the unit the night before arrival to make sure everything’s dialed in before the heat of the day hits.

What’s included with the rental?

Inclusions vary by unit and location — reach out directly and I’ll walk you through exactly what comes with the specific rig we’d match to your group. Call 717-429-6102 or email [email protected].