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Philadelphia Attractions
Boat Tours
RiverLink Ferry offers ferry service from Penn's Landing to the Adventure Aquarium in Camden, N.J.. The ferry departs Penn's Landing daily on the hour 10-6 (weather permitting) and departs Camden on the half-hour 9:30-5:30 (weather permitting), May through September. Hours may vary during special events; phone ahead. Fare $6, senior citizens and children $5. Phone (215) 925-5465.
The Spirit of Philadelphia offers narrated lunch sightseeing cruises on the Delaware River. Cruises depart from Columbus Boulevard and Lombard Circle at Penn's Landing; phone (215) 923-1419 or (866) 211-3808.
Bus, Carriage and Trolley Tours
Philadelphia Trolley Works and 76 Carriage Co. stops at 20 downtown locations and provides horse-drawn carriage rides; phone (215) 389-8687.
Walking Tours
The heart of historic Philadelphia lends itself to a walking tour. A stroll through the narrow cobblestone streets among restored Georgian and Colonial buildings is the best way to discover the essence of the city and to assimilate its 18th-century atmosphere. A good way to see historic Philadelphia is to combine the walking tour with stops at the attractions along the way. The names of sites listed in detail in the What to See section are printed in bold type. Even if you do not tour a listed site, reading the attraction listing when you reach that point will make the tour more interesting. This tour takes approximately 5 hours, which allows for a leisurely pace.
Start at City Hall at Penn Square. Walking east on Market Street, you pass Lord & Taylor department store on the right. A few blocks farther on Market Street at 9th Street is a major shopping mall, the Gallery at Market East, which includes Old Navy and Macy's.
Continue east on Market Street to 7th Street, where you will find the shops and restaurants of Market Place East and the Declaration House.
Cross 7th Street to the Atwater Kent Museum of Philadelphia. Upon leaving the museum, take the walkway to the right east to 6th Street for a stop at the Liberty Bell Center, which houses the famous symbol of American freedom. From there, walk across Chestnut Street to Independence Hall.
Within the next 3 blocks of Chestnut are numerous historical buildings that are part of the Independence National Historical Park. They include Congress Hall and Old City Hall, which flank Independence Hall; Second Bank of United States Portrait Gallery; the New Hall Military Museum; Carpenters' Hall; Todd House; and the Bishop White House.
Facing Independence Hall is the renovated Philadelphia Bourse. The historic merchants' exchange now houses shops, restaurants and an information center on the first floor.
Just east on Chestnut Street is a path leading to Franklin Court, where a steel frame suggests the shape of Franklin's home, destroyed in 1812. Traces of the original foundation are visible.
From Franklin Court, exit onto Market Street and walk east to 2nd Street. Take 2nd Street north to Christ Church, on the left. Continue north 1.5 blocks, then stroll through Elfreth's Alley on the right. The 6-foot-wide alley is lined with a number of quaint, modest houses from the early 1700s. Farther north on 2nd Street is Fireman's Hall--National Fire House and Museum of Philadelphia, a museum depicting the history of fire fighting in America with memorabilia, graphics, films and antique equipment.
From this point turn around and return to Arch Street. Turn right on Arch Street and walk a half-block to the Betsy Ross House, on your right. After a visit, proceed west and cross 3rd Street toward Arch Street Meeting House, a Quaker gathering place since the early 1800s, which is on the left. The next block is occupied by the United States Mint, where pennies, dimes, nickels and quarters are made.
To end the tour, walk south to Market Street on 5th Street. You will pass the 1783 Free Quaker Meeting House on the right. Once on Market Street you can walk back to the Gallery at Market East to do some shopping or perhaps rest your feet, relax and refresh at one of the many restaurants in the area. At City Tavern, tucked away at 2nd and Walnut, diners experience a taste of the Colonial past. The 1792 building was once an unofficial meeting place for the First Continental Congress.
Another excellent area for the visitor on foot is Penn's Landing, which hosts concerts and events during summer. Catch a glimpse of Philadelphia's nautical past at the Independence Seaport Museum. Explore the World War II submarine Becuna and the 1892 cruiser Olympia, the last remaining vessel from the Spanish American War. The Philadelphia Vietnam Veterans Memorial, Columbus Boulevard and Spruce Street, and A World Sculpture Garden, with sculpture given to the city during the Bicentennial, also are at Penn's Landing.
Joining Chef Joe Poon's narrated Walk & Wok Tour is a good way to see Philadelphia's Chinatown. Tours, which depart daily from 1002 Arch St. in Chinatown, include a meal. Reservations are required; phone (215) 928-9333.
Another option for touring the sites is offered by Audiowalk & Tour of Historic Philadelphia. These narrated 72-minute audiotapes are available for purchase or rental at the Independence Visitor Center, or by phoning (215) 272-5886.
Sports and Recreation
Fairmount Park caters to nearly everyone's recreational appetite, with archery, bicycling, canoeing, fishing, golf, hiking, horseback riding, lawn bowling and tennis. Maps showing good routes for running and walking are available at downtown hotels.
Philadelphia, with a representative in every major sports league--baseball, football, hockey, basketball and soccer--is a paradise for spectator sports fans. The NFL's Eagles play at Philadelphia's Lincoln Financial Field at S. Broad and Pattison streets; and the Phillies of baseball's National League suit up at Citizens Bank Park, 10th Street and Pattison Avenue. The Wachovia Complex, consisting of the Wachovia Spectrum and the Wachovia Center, also at S. Broad and Pattison streets, plays host to the NHL's Flyers and the NBA's 76ers. For ticket information, phone (215) 463-1000 for the Phillies; (215) 463-5500 for the Eagles; (215) 339-7676 for the 76ers; and (215) 755-9700 for the Flyers.
The Philadelphia Phantoms of the American Hockey League and the Philadelphia Kixx, affiliated with the National Soccer League, play at the Wachovia Spectrum. For information phone (215) 465-4522 for the Phantoms, or (888) 888-5499 for the Kixx.
Rowing is popular on the Schuylkill River; skulls are often seen skimming the water. Periodic races and spectacular annual rowing regattas can be seen from Fairmount Park.
Polo is played by the suburban Brandywine Polo Club, which has games on Sunday afternoons May through September; phone (610) 268-8692. Cricket matches are held in Fairmount Park on weekends in the summer.
If you want to play the ponies, Philadelphia Park in Bensalem offers Thoroughbred racing all year; phone (215) 639-9000. Delaware Park, near Wilmington, Del., offers Thoroughbred races spring through fall; phone (302) 994-2521.
Note: Policies concerning admittance of children to pari-mutuel betting facilities vary. Phone for information.
Shopping
"Meet me at the eagle" is a time-honored phrase in Philadelphia, where the baroque bronze bird at Lord & Taylor department store has long marked a gathering spot for friends and visitors. The store's magnificent pipe organ, which soars several stories above the ground floor, booms in daily concerts.
The downtown shopping district extends roughly from 8th to 18th streets on Market, Chestnut and Walnut streets. Besides Lord & Taylor, Philadelphia has Macy's, which can be found at the Gallery at Market East, the four-level shopping mall at Market East, between 8th, 11th and Market streets. Along South Street from 2nd to 8th streets are numerous avant-garde shops, galleries and restaurants.
Another renovated historic shopping area is the Philadelphia Bourse, opposite Independence Mall on 5th Street between Chestnut and Market streets. When it opened in 1895, the Bourse housed a grain and stock exchange, industrial exhibition halls, business offices and banks. Specialty shops and restaurants now open onto a food court, which serves as an oasis for shoppers; its 10-story atrium containing live trees and plants is impressive.
The Asia Supermarket, 143 N. 11th St., has Oriental food, products and goods. At the Italian Market, along 9th Street from Christian Street to Dickinson Avenue, vendors sell a variety of wares, including fresh produce, homemade pasta, clothing and spices.
The Shops at Liberty Place, between 16th and 17th streets on Chestnut Street, comprise one of Philadelphia's most elegant malls. Market Place East, 701 Market St., occupies an entire city block. Built 1859-1907, this renovated building now houses fine shopping and dining establishments.
Those who like to snack while shopping should visit the Reading Terminal Market, 12th and Filbert streets. In this renovated 19th-century farmers market, shoppers can find about 80 stalls selling everything from double-yolk eggs to fresh meats to organic vegetables. Ready-to-eat dishes from snapper soup to fried falafel meet the needs of hungry shoppers; phone (215) 922-2317.
The upscale shopper will enjoy the Shops at Bellevue, along Broad and Walnut streets. Stores include Nicole Miller, Polo, Ralph Lauren, Tiffany & Co. and Williams-Sonoma.
In terms of both quantity and quality, Philadelphia has one of the richest antiques markets in the country. You can pick up an unusual $4 china plate or a $40,000 Chippendale highboy, barter for a mustache cup or negotiate for a priceless silver service. Bargains are found mainly in the wholesale/retail district known as Antique Row, the section of Pine Street east of Broad Street between 9th and 12th streets.
Rittenhouse Row, between Broad and 19th streets, features fine dining and fashionable retail shops including Burberrys, Brooks Brothers, Banana Republic and Jones New York.
A short drive outside the Philadelphia city limits will take you to one of the area's most extensive malls, the King of Prussia Mall, said to be the largest on the East Coast. At the intersection of US 202 and N. Gulph Road, the mall features several major stores--Bloomingdale's, JCPenney, Macy's and Sears. Plymouth Meeting Mall, on SR 422 in Plymouth Meeting, is another suburban mall featuring Boscov's and Macy's.
Franklin Mills, at the Woodhaven Road exit of I-95, is about 16 miles from the center of Philadelphia. The single-level, mile-long concourse boasts includes Boscov's, JCPenney Outlet Store, Marshalls, OFF 5th Saks Fifth Avenue Outlet and about 225 smaller outlet and discount shops as well as six restaurants, two food courts and a 14-screen movie theater.
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