The Pennsylvania Brewery That Lets You Dine Underground
Have you ever sat in one of those big, fancy restaurants with giant windows that fill the room with light? Have you ever thought: "Boy, I wonder how this meal would be if I were 43-feet underground in a vault surrounded by big wooden casks and coffins?" If so, and you've held a fascination with brewing beer, medieval shows, ghosts, and underground architecture, then there's one place in Lancaster, Pennsylvania, that will give you the experience you're looking for (except the coffins, you're on your own with that one).
According to Atlas Obscura, Bube's Brewery is a 19th-century brewery in Mount Joy, Pennsylvania, offering guests a chance to dine in the ancient stone basement built directly underneath the complex. Far from being a dingy, rat-infested dungeon, the underground restaurant — appropriately known as the Catacombs — is lit with string lights lining the impressive masonry, candlelit tables, and enormous wooden barrels. Travel Awaits reports that before you descend into the massive cellar, you are led on a tour through the sprawling brewing complex, weaving through antique brewing equipment until going down into the Catacombs below.
But it's not just the unique environment that draws people into the Catacombs. As Tom Waits once wrote, "there's a world going on underground," and the variety of events and shows in the brewery will prove that saying true.
Enjoy themed dinners and ghost tours at Bube's Brewery
When we mentioned medieval shows and ghosts earlier, we weren't trying to imply that the basement is haunted or dungeon-like. On the contrary, Bube's Brewery holds a wide variety of "theatrical feasts" in the Catacombs, ones that involve "pirates, vampires, Christmas elves and knights" on certain occasions (via Bube's Brewery). The unique location and atmosphere of the Catacombs help to immerse customers in the show and get them more involved in the production.
The Catacombs in Bube's Brewery isn't the only place to offer dining options to guests, nor is it the only place to have events. Three other establishments — the Bottling Works, the Biergarten, and Cooper's Shed — offer an impressive selection of entertainment, from elaborate "Murder Mystery" dinners to local jazz bands, per Lancaster York Heritage Region and Bube's Brewery. Even ghost tours are held every first and third Friday of the month, led by Jean Ellis, a descendant of the original brewery owner, Alois Bube (via Lancaster Online).
Of course, a brewery isn't a brewery without beer. The century-old brewery has been updated to become a microbrewery, allowing patrons to sample an impressive selection of craft beers and lagers while touring the impressive art galleries and the restored on-site hotel (via Hershey-Harrisburg Beer).
While Bube's Brewery and its underground dining scene warrant a visit, it's one of many interesting breweries here in the U.S. that showcase America's love affair with beer.