Date of Visit: August 10, 2024
Mt. Gretna has recently become one of our favorite “nearby” destinations. It’s less than an hour from our home, but the community tucked away on a hillside in Lebanon County feels farther away.
And one of the pillars of the community is the Mt. Gretna Playhouse, home of the Gretna Theatre, which is billed as the longest-running summer theater in the United States.
Gretna Theatre’s summer season this year featured six mainstage shows and four children’s theater performances. The Playhouse also hosts Gretna Music, a summer concert series that featured 16 shows in 2024 plus additional kids concerts.
I brought my two boys – ages six and one – for a children’s theater performance on a Saturday morning in August.
Located adjacent to the borough’s public parking lot along Route 117, the Playhouse emerges from the hillside, its yellow exterior impossible to miss.
The box office and entrance are located around the side of the building. There is also a small snack bar offering popcorn, candy, drinks and other light fare.
I bought a cup of popcorn and two bottles of water for a few dollars at the snack bar before we headed inside. We had purchased tickets ahead of time, and I only needed to provide my name to the usher with the iPad at the entrance.
Once checked in, we had our pick of seats. We walked toward the front right, maybe row 10 or so, though the view would have been pretty good from any of the 700 seats.
The Playhouse stage and seats are covered, but it’s an open-air amphitheater with large openings to let in the breeze.
We were here for a performance of The Cat in the Hat, the last of four children’s theater productions. The shows are designed to be kid-friendly in price ($10 per person) and duration (an hour or less) and each started at 11 a.m. on Saturdays.
It was a very well-done production that had all the kids in the audience laughing as Thing 1 and Thing 2 ran amok throughout the theater. After 30 minutes, the show was over. Thanks to the sponsorship of the Hershey Company, every child in attendance got to choose a book to take home.
While short, we enjoyed our time and would certainly return for more shows in the future.
When You Go
- Mt. Gretna has a public parking lot but it fills up quickly. On our visit, there were cars parked in the grass and alonge Route 117.
- Gretna Theatre is a summer theater program with a schedule that runs roughly from Memorial Day through Labor Day.
- Snacks are available at the Playhouse, but there are also plenty of places to eat in town – including the Jigger Shop (burgers and ice cream) and Porch & Pantry (breakfast and brunch) which share a parking lot with the Playhouse.
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