Lancaster
Where Los Angeles County meets the Mojave Desert
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, rock collecting and picking cherries at local farms. Adventurers can try the Sierra Highway Bike Trail or the Antelope Valley BMX course. For spectators, the Willow Springs International Raceway is the nation’s oldest permanent road course, while aviation buffs have the Los
Angeles County Aerospace Valley Air Shows in March and October, respectively.
Fine Dining & Cultural District
Since the county’s never-ending expansion filled up the San Fernando Valley, the Antelope Valley has become the new focus, bringing trendy restaurants, up-tothe-minute shops and entertainment, museums and blooming art—even a Metro Link rail station—to Lancaster. In 2017, the California Arts Council recognized the BLVD (Lancaster Boulevard) among the first 14 California Cultural Districts.
In addition to the Performing Arts Center and the Museum of Art and History, Lancaster has been a site for the annual POW! WOW! The global weeklong art event, which has bestowed murals honoring local flora and fauna, space, pop culture and fantasy throughout downtown, will expand into residential neighborhoods this year. Other cultural repositories include the Antelope 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.