Experience Philadelphia With Us For The First Time On This Family-Friendly Weekend Getaway
Megan Shute
Author
No matter where you live in the Northeast United States, a trip to the City of Brotherly Love is undoubtedly on your bucket list — whether you checked off this destination long ago or are still waiting for the right time. When my family relocated to the east coast last year, we created an extensive bucket list of all the places we wanted to see while living in Maryland – from day trips into Baltimore, D.C., and Annapolis to longer trips to New River Gorge National Park, New York City, and Boston. One of the places that found a place of prominence on this list was Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. So, when a long weekend presented itself to us, we quickly jumped at the chance to experience this quirky city. I’ll be honest; I didn’t know much about Philadelphia before visiting. Of course, I knew about cheesesteaks, Rocky, the Liberty Bell, its surrounding revolutionary war history, and anecdotes about its more unique residents, like Gritty, the official mascot for the Philadelphia Flyers National Hockey League team. But I didn’t know what there was actually to do in Philadelphia – especially with a toddler. So, I enlisted the guidance of a dear friend and, with her robust knowledge of the city, had an incredible weekend trip to Philadelphia I can’t wait to share with you.
The historic site features a hill and pond garden complete with a tiered waterfall, island, and koi fish – you could purchase food to feed the koi fish, and our daughter was absolutely thrilled to partake. Inside the home, you will discover a traditional tea house and bathhouse. No shoes are allowed within the home, and stockings are provided for bare feet – but we suggest bringing your own socks. Timed entry tickets are required, and while we didn’t know that when we arrived, we were quickly able to book online for that very time slot.
After finishing up in Fairmount Park, it was into the city we went to check into our nondescript Holiday Inn Express downtown.
Philadelphia’s City Hall is quite the sight to behold, too. While we didn’t get to go inside due to timing issues, the building was incredibly impressive from the outside – made of brick, white marble, limestone, and granite, did you know that it’s the world’s largest masonry building?
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We followed up lunch with more walking, and even more play time at Dilworth Park for our toddler and relaxation for mom and dad.
So, there you have it: a first-timer’s experience in the weird and wonderful city of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. I’m sure locals will have their opinions, but for a first visit, we had an incredible time, and I wouldn’t have changed a thing, though a little more advanced planning might have been a good idea. Tell us, what do you think about Philadelphia? Where should we go on our next trip to the city?
To discover more incredible boots-on-the-ground adventures across America from our team of local travel experts, check out all of the articles in OnlyInYourState’s Everyday Explorers series. What destinations would you like to see featured next on OnlyInYourState’s Everyday Explorers? Tell us where we should go on our nominations page.
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