The Heritage Center of Lancaster operates and maintains two museums, the Lancaster Cultural History Museum and the Lancaster Quilt & Textile Museum. Both Museums are located in historic downtown Lancaster adjacent to the Lancaster Central Market.

Lancaster Cultural History Museum
The Lancaster Cultural History Museum collects, preserves and interprets Lancaster County's history and decorative arts through its permanent collection, annual exhibitions and education programs.

From folk art to elegant portraits, see the visual works that decorated the homes and reflected the lives of the people who have called Lancaster County home through the years. At the Lancaster Cultural History Museum, each artifact is a lasting reminder of the people who created what is now Lancaster County history.

The Lancaster Cultural History Museum is housed in two historic buildings: the former City Hall of Lancaster and the Masonic Lodge No. 43, both built in the 1790s. City Hall held county and state offices over the years and even served as Pennsylvania's capitol building from 1799-1812, when Lancaster was the state capital.

At the Lancaster Cultural History Museum, each artifact is more than just an object. It is a lasting reminder of the many people who have created what is now Lancaster County history.

Lancaster Quilt & Textile Museum
A visit to Lancaster County is not complete without a self-guided tour of the Lancaster Quilt & Textile Museum. The stunning array of colors and patterns in these artifacts provides a window through which to view the people who created them.

The Lancaster Quilt & Textile Museum includes the finest collection of authentic 18th through 20th century Amish quilts, decorative needlework, clothing and other textile arts all indigenous to this region. The hallmark of this, Lancaster's newest museum, is the famed Esprit Quilt Collection.

Explore the rich and diverse textile traditions of Lancaster County and south-central Pennsylvania through this rich and diverse collection that celebrates the role of textiles in the past, present, and future.