How I Explored Philadelphia During My 8-Hour Layover

Have you ever had a long layover somewhere and wanted to leave the airport? And by long, I mean over six hours of free time between flights. In the past, I have opted for long layovers in my international travels but never before in the U.S. While the international layovers were planned, the one I had with three kids in tow (my two kids and my son's best friend) in Philadelphia was, well, a bit of an oversight on my part when I booked our tickets back home to Phoenix. But it worked out and we were able to explore a city we hadn't been to yet! With great public transport and plenty of sites to explore, I was able to take the kids to a few hot spots in Philly during a long layover in recent months. Here are all of the Philadelphia things to do that we were able to experience during our long layover.

First, we had to find the train and buy tickets to the city which wasn't hard to do as there were signs pointing the way throughout the airport terminal. We did try to buy tickets at a kiosk before the train arrived, however they weren't working and a train attendant told us we could purchase tickets on the train. That was a relief!

Once we boarded the train and the attendant came by to sell us tickets, we also asked him about how to get to certain sites around town. I was amazed at how passionately he spoke about his city, and he told us how to get to our first stop — Reading Terminal for lunch.

When we arrived at Reading Terminal & Market, it was like entering another world. I couldn't believe how many people were there! It was wall-to-wall packed with locals and tourists trying to grab lunch at one of the dozens of food vendors.

Since I really wanted one of us to get a Philly cheesesteak, I did a Google search before we arrived and the search results suggested Molly Malloy's at Reading Market. We made our way through the crowd, arrived at Molly Malloy's, and were seated right away. While I was hoping one of the kids would order a cheesesteak (I don't really eat meat), we were all tempted to get something off the all-day breakfast menu instead. Everything was delicious, the portions were huge, and our server was incredibly nice and attentive. So far, so good in the City of Brotherly Love!

After lunch, our next stop was Independence Hall, where the Declaration of Independence was signed in 1776, and our nation was born. It was pretty amazing to see the birthplace of our nation. The Liberty Bell is also located here, however, tickets were sold out for the day when we arrived. Instead, we perused the gift shop and saw the Pennsylvania Supreme Court Chamber of Independence Hall.

Now, one non-negotiable I had during our time in Philadelphia was to run up the same stairs Rocky Balboa (Sylvester Stallone) ran in the iconic movie Rocky. So, off to our last stop at the Philadelphhia Musem of Art. We took a long walk along a portion of the Schuylkill River Trail where we could stop and sit when we got tired or needed a water break. I also love taking long walks in new-to-me places I travel to as it gives me a better feel for the city than if I just take public transportation.

I have to say, running up the stairs of the Philadelphia Art Museum was the highlight of our few hours in Philadelphia. Before leaving this area, we went to the Rocky Shop which sells nothing but Rocky Balboa-related merch!

After exploring the city for several hours and seeing some key sites, it was time to walk back to the train station, take the 20-minute train ride back to the Philadelphia airport (PHL), and go through security. All in all, I was so impressed with the city of Philadelphia, especially because it was our first time visiting. What a beautiful city with so many iconic sites and wonderful people. I will definitely be back!

Have you ever explored the City of Brotherly Love? What did you do when you were there? If you have a favorite place in Philly, please nominate it by filling out our nomination form.

One thing I wish we had done when we were in Philadelphia was to take the Hop-On, Hop-Off City Tour or the Revolution and the Founders: History Tour of Philadelphia. These are tours to consider when you visit this stunning and historic city in Pennsylvania!