Page 94 - 2023-2024 Travel Guide to California

LANCASTER
Where Los Angeles County meets the High Desert
TOUR, DINE,
HIKE, RELAX
Lancaster Visitor
Information
destinationlancasterca.org
POPPY FIELDS, above; Saddleback Butte State
Park, below
Lancaster traditionally has enjoyed two
claims to fame: the annual California
Poppy Festival in April, and its status as
an aviation mecca where Chuck Yeager first
broke the sound barrier. But this high-desert
city of 160,000, in the northeast corner of
Los Angeles County, is also a vibrant urban
area with increasingly sophisticated food,
arts and entertainment offerings.
Outdoor Attractions
Lancaster, 61 miles from LA in the Antelope
Valley, is a proud portal to the Mojave
Desert’s wide-open spaces. The Antelope
Valley California Poppy Reserve blazes with
1,500 acres of the orange-gold state flowers
between February and May. Other state parks
such as Red Rock Canyon, Arthur B. Ripley
Desert Woodland and Saddleback Butte offer
spectacular rock colors and formations,
Joshua trees and lofty desert views. And who
could resist the Cat House, a conservation
center that houses and breeds endangered
wild felines, from sand cats to tigers?
Other popular outdoor pursuits include
hot-air ballooning and picking cherries
at local farms. For spectators, the Willow
Springs International Raceway is the
nation’s oldest permanent road course.
Aviation buffs must visit the Joe Davies
Heritage Airpark to get up and personal
with a collection of aircraft flown, tested,
designed, produced or modified in the
Antelope Valley—including 21 retired mil-
itary aircraft, a scale model of the B-2 Spirit,
an AGM-28 Hound Dog Missile, a B-52, and
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B Y C H R I S T I N E D E L S O L
a C-46. Make plans to see the ultimate air
show at Edwards Air Force Base (EAFB) in
October; watch all the newest fighters and
bombers the Air Force uses.
Fine Dining & Cultural District
The Antelope Valley has become the new
focus of LA County, bringing trendy restau-
rants, fashionable shops, entertainment,
museums and blooming art. The California
Arts Council recognized the BLVD (Lancaster
Boulevard) among the 14 California Cul-
tural Districts. Looking to sip a little wine
or sample some great craft brews? Lancaster
won’t disappoint with six wineries and
three breweries.
In addition to the Performing Arts Cen-
ter and the Museum of Art and History,
Lancaster has been a site for the biannual
AV Walls. The global week-long art event,
which has bestowed murals honoring local
flora and fauna, space, pop culture and fan-
tasy throughout downtown, is expanding
into residential neighborhoods this year.
Other cultural repositories include the Ante-
lope Valley Rural Museum, Antelope Valley
Indian Museum and Western Hotel Museum.
Still a Small-Town Appeal
Despite the increasing urban ambience, you
can still count on small-town attractions like
the Musical Road (it plays the William Tell
Overture when you drive over it), the nearby
Quail Run Ostrich Farm, and the strangely
compelling San Andreas Fault whose cracks
are exposed on Highway 14.
DESTINATION LANCASTER