Travel with Rebecca

Philadelphia is a great city. It is conveniently located within 2 hours of our home in NJ. We usually take a weekend trip there at least once per year. It is alway doable to take a day trip. There is tons to do and lots of awesome restaurants. 

Things To Do

-The Liberty Bell- 

The Liberty Bell is free to see. You can easily view it from the exterior of the building. If you have more time, you can wait in line to get a closer look. There’s an exhibit inside the building which provides interesting history about the bell. 

-Independence Hall- 

Tickets to the hall are free. You can pick up timed tickets at the visitor center. You will get a tour and learn about the drafting of the Declaration of Independence.

-Old City- 

There’s a lot of interesting things to see by just exploring the Old City area. Elfreth’s Alley is a well preserved street of colonial houses. There’s a few more areas of similar streets in the city. 

-The Philadelphia Museum of Art- 

The museum is a great location with various types of art. Similar to the Met in NYC, there is an exhibit for everyone. Don’t forget to run up the front steps like Rocky! There is a statue of Rocky at the base of the steps.

-The Barnes Foundation- 

The Barnes Foundation is a person art collection of Albert C. Barnes. Originally the collection was located in the collector’s mansion. Since then, it has been relocated to a new building near the Museum of art and Rodin museum. 

-Philadelphia Magic Garden-

The Philadelphia Magic garden is a space created by artist, Isaiah Zagar. The garden is created with mosaics from a bunch of found objects including bicycles and glass. This instagrammable sculpture garden is a quick stop for visitors. The artist’s work can be seen throughout the neighborhood. 

-Attend a sporting event- 

Philadelphia takes sports seriously. I’ve been to a baseball game at Citizen Bank Park. The stadium was easy to get to by the Septa train system. You can also plan to catch a football or hockey game in town.

-Philadelphia Zoo-

The Philadelphia Zoo is a great activity for kids. The zoo is relatively small with lots of exhibits. It is slightly out of the center city area so it is easiest to get there by car.

-Seasonal activities

The City Hall has a large market with crafts, food and ice skating during the holidays. It is the perfect spot for holiday shopping. They also have a light show projected on the side of the building. It is fun to stop by the City Hall Christmas tree and take a look at their Philly themed ornaments. Nearby, the love sign is a large light up Christmas present. 

In the spring, the Philadelphia Flower Show should not be missed. The show is located in the convention center. The show has a portion of floral installations and floral competitions. There is also a section devoted to home gardening. The show is massive and can get very crowded. We went on a weekend. If you can, it would be worth going during the week to skip the crowds.

Restaurants

Reading Terminal Market- 

The Reading Terminal Market has many food stalls. The main stall that I go to is DiNico’s. The roast pork sandwich is a Philadelphia classic that’s always worth the wait. There’s also stalls with baked goods and other local specialties. 

The Dandelion- 

The Dandelion is an English style pub with elevated takes on classic dishes. The interior makes you feel like you are in England with its warm atmosphere and decor.

The Olde Bar- 

The Olde Bar is a great spot for oyster happy hour. In addition to oysters, they have a bunch of great cocktails and wines. The bar is located in Old City at the restaurant formerly called Bookbinders. 

Hiroki – 

Hiroki is a sushi omasake restaurant for a special occasion. They offer a price fixed menu with an optional sake pairing. We each got the sake pairing. I am still pretty unfamiliar with sake but it helped to be given options that pair nicely with the meal. 

Cry Baby Pasta- 

Cry Baby Pasta is a handmade pasta restaurant in South Philly. We loved that they used fresh ingredients. In addition to pasta, they have a bunch of seasonal sides and unique cocktails.

Federal Donuts- 

This donut shop is a must stop for breakfast. They have multiple locations but I have been to the one in Rittenhouse Square. It’s fun to watch them make the fresh donuts while you wait. In addition to donuts, they have great breakfast sandwiches. 

Pat’s or Geno’s- 

It wouldn’t be a Philly guide without a mention of cheesesteaks. I’m sure you have heard of the rivalry between Pat’s and Geno’s. If you haven’t, they are two Philly cheesesteak stands that are directly across from each other. They are located in South Philly so you likely won’t have much else to see in the area. I recommend stopping on your way into the city or on your way out. 

Bars and Breweries 

Independence Beer Garden- 

The Independence Beer Garden is a fun stop near Independence hall. The outdoor beer garden has picnic style tables with an online ordering system. It can get packed on the weekends. As a bonus, the Hall has a selection of outdoor games to play with friends. 

Yards Brewing Company- 

Yards is one of the larger breweries in the city. They offer tours and have a full service restaurant. I took the tour at their previous location and had a lot of fun. 

Evil Genius Brewing Company- 

Evil Genius is a great brewery to hang out with friends. They have a bunch of card games and a pun style food menu. Some of their beers have edible glitter added which is always fun to try.

Old City Beer Garden- 

If you go to Philly in the summer, this place is a good stop for a drink. It is outdoors. They have a variety of local beers to choose from. They also have a limited food menu with tacos, nachos, etc. 

Transportation 

We typically drive into the city and park our car at the hotel. We normally don’t touch our car again until we leave. Most of the time, we do a lot of walking. I’ve only taken the subway from center city to Citizen Bank Park.  Otherwise, I walk or take an Uber. We really only Uber to the Fishtown area because it’s a long walk from Center city. It is possible to take the subway there too. Based on my limited experience, the subway is similar to NYC. It is dirty and costs about the same but fairly reliable.  

Hotels

We have only stayed in the Center City, Rittenhouse and Old City areas. In general, most of the major hotels are in those areas anyway. We have stayed at 4 different hotels in Philly. There were two clear winners of those 4. We liked the Sonseta because it had onsite parking and was close to City Hall and Rittenhouse Square. As an added bonus, it has a rooftop pool. We also stayed at the Kimpton Monaco in Old City once. This hotel has flamboyant decor. It’s conveniently located a few steps away from Independence Hall. The only downside is that the parking is offsite. It was only a few blocks away and they did offer valet service if you needed it. The Kimpton Monaco was a bit more expensive than the Sonseta