Since my sister and her family moved to Philadelphia 1.5 years ago, I’ve visited five times (including my most recent visit) and have explored all sorts of family-friendly activities. There are our favorites like the zoo and aquarium that we visit almost every time; there are also places like the Liberty Bell that we’ve only visited once.
Adventure Aquarium
Adventure Aquarium isn’t technically in Philadelphia; it isn’t even in Pennsylvania. It’s across the river in Camden, New Jersey. However, Adventure Aquarium is easily accessible from Philly. There’s an array of undersea animals to see, but my favorite is the hippos. They have a neat enclosure that allows visitors to see the hippos under the water as well as above. I love being able to see them running on the bottom and observing their behavior in an element I don’t usually see.
Hippos at Adventure Aquarium
Chinatown
I’ve also taken a brief visit to Philly’s Chinatown. Since I mostly saw Chinatown from the car, I would definitely like to explore this part of town more (and not on an empty stomach). After driving around in search of a parking spot during dinner time (not a bright idea), we didn’t wander beyond the two or three blocks between the restaurant and the car. I don’t remember the name of the restaurant, but the food tasted good (I think I had Chicken Lo Mein). I do remember ogling at this intricate archway though and wishing I could read what it says.
Archway in Chinatown
Franklin Institute
The Franklin Institute is a phenomenal museum that I could easily spend an entire day taking in all the information. Exhibits range from outer space and an actual train to beating hearts and electricity. We’ve only been once, but I certainly wouldn’t object to going again; there’s so much to see 🙂
Haverford College
Philadelphia and its metro area contain a plethora of colleges and universities. One of these—Haverford College—has beautiful nature trails that pass a large pond with a fountain where we fed geese and ducks. While feeding the ducks, we watched turtles and fish swimming about and even encountered a momma duck with her seven babies 🙂
Momma Duck and Her Babies
“Indoor Park”
Thus far, my favorite place in all of Philadelphia and the metro area is Kehler’s Gymnastics Center, better known in my family as “the indoor park” courtesy of my 3-year-old niece. The indoor park allows me to express my inner monkey and climb around in a network of tunnels/tubes, play in a ball pit, slide down great slides, and more! Both of my nieces love this place; my older sister and I are also in love with this place 🙂
Jumpers
A similar place to the indoor park is Jumpers; again this isn’t in the city, but in the outer suburbs. There are four blow-up moon bounces with slides of varying heights and steepness as well as a network of tunnels/tubes, slides, and more. My sister and I had enjoyed bouncing around, but climbing around in the labyrinth of tunnels was a bit tough. These aren’t designed for adults to climb through like those at the indoor park; there were a few spots I had a hard time navigating due to my not child-like size. Thus I preferred to hang out in the moon bounces.
Liberty Bell/Independence Hall
You can’t go to Philadelphia without experiencing some United States history. This was a great experience, visiting places that were so influential in shaping this nation. I was surprised by the amount of security for entering both Independence Hall and the Liberty Hall; I was expecting basic entrance similar to a museum, but there was a fair amount more security than that. These were both great stops and there’s plenty more history in Philadelphia to experience.
Independence Hall
Libraries
It’s no secret I (and my family) love libraries. However, the libraries in the Philly area are less than impressive—especially compared to libraries in the Milwaukee area. Philadelphia libraries are underfunded and consequently there isn’t much to do for kids, unlike libraries in Milwaukee. We still find good Philly libraries to play at.
Local Parks
There are lots of great parks (with and without playgrounds) across the Philadelphia area. My sister, nieces, and I will walk to nearby parks for hours of fun. There are also parks (such Wissahickon Valley Park) that are fun for hiking, or Fairmont Park near the heart of Philly that is an open green space full of surprises. There’s also Sister Cities Park that I’m in love with 🙂 This section of land in downtown has a marvelous fountain in the middle and is simply a great place to sit, perhaps chatting or eating lunch.
Philadelphia Zoo
The Philadelphia Zoo is the U.S.’s first zoo. This is another favorite place; we visit the zoo almost every time I’m in Philadelphia. There’s the usual array of animals: big cats, African savannah animals, primates, reptiles, amphibians, birds, farm animals, etc. However, this zoo also has a carousel, pony and camel rides, and a hot air balloon. Actually, the balloon popped from too much heavy snow this past winter 😦 It’s the first and only hot air balloon I’ve ridden in; even though this balloon is tethered, so it goes up and back down. The zoo is great and could take a day to walk through without hurrying.
Philadelphia Zoo: America’s First Zoo
Please Touch Museum
Philadelphia’s Please Touch Museum is a great place for kids as it’s a children’s museum. There’s a range of exhibits including Wonderland (see the Cheshire Cat picture below), a carousel, a city (including a hospital and a bus), cars to work on (including removable tires), a water area where you can get quiet wet, and others. Personally, I enjoyed wandering through Wonderland and finding the Cheshire Cat, but my niece’s favorite was probably the hospital. She enjoyed playing doctor and giving us check-ups.
Cheshire Cat at Please Touch Museum
Reading Terminal Market
FOOD! Food everywhere 🙂 Reading Terminal Market is filled with delicious food options which makes it crowded, especially during lunchtime. (Navigating a large stroller isn’t recommended.) There are merchants with fresh produce, deli items, and cheese as well as restaurants with prepared meal options. Sadly, I’ve only been there once (but will hopefully go again). The cuisine and food options are astronomical; there are approximately 80 vendors. If you’re in the city and want a meal, I highly recommend Reading Terminal Market.
Smith Playhouse
The Smith Playhouse, located in Fairmont Park, is a life-size dollhouse with various themed rooms to play in. Some rooms have various blocks to build with while others have crayons to color with; the entire basement is a mini city laid out with riding toys. There’s also an outdoor playground. Overall, not as much fun for adults, but it’s a great place for kids.
I think that highlights everything I’ve done in Philadelphia thus far. We don’t do a ton of touristy stuff because 1) it’s expensive and 2) it’s hard with small children. But now I leave you with Philly’s skyline.
Philadelphia’s Skyline
Bethany Blount 