Things To Do

Bartram’s Gardens: A Botanical Tour Through Pennsylvania History

February 12, 2015 by greystar

A National Historic Landmark built along the Schuylkill Riverfront in West Philadelphia, Bartram's Gardens is a 102-acre oasis in the heart of the city. Formerly the private residence of botanist John Bartram, a third-generation Pennsylvania Quaker, Bartram's Gardens is home to a comprehensive collection of North American plants. The gardens can be traced all the way back to 1728!

Open year-round, Bartram's Gardens offers visitors an opportunity to traverse the same gardens that Bartram, himself, enjoyed back in the 18th century. The collection includes shrubs, herbaceous plants, and the country's oldest ginkgo and Franklinia alatamaha trees! The gardens are open for tours April through October, and the site also hosts a playground, ball fields, picnic tables, and a dock. The gift shop abounds with local products, honey harvested on-site, books, seeds, bulbs, and other unusual distinct items.

The facilities are also available to host your special event, so call or check the website for additional information!

Bartram's Gardens
5400 Lindbergh Boulevard
Philadelphia, PA 19143
(215) 729-5281
www,bartramsgarden.org
www.yelp.com/biz/bartrams-garden-philadelphia

CC-BY-2.0/Flickr/Rosewoman

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Kimmel Center for the Performing Arts: World-Class Concerts in Center City

February 5, 2015 by greystar

Walk through the doors and experience the grandeur of the Kimmel Center for the Performing Arts, located along the Avenue of the Arts in Center City. Home to the Philadelphia Orchestra, a number of performances are presented almost nightly here and might include the Pennsylvania Ballet, Peter Nero and the Philly Pops, French Circus, a jazz quartet, or family-friendly events.

The main stage in Verizon Hall features 2,500 elegant red mahogany seats with adjustable acoustical panels and is shaped like a cello. The Center also features the smaller 650-seat Perelman Theater with a rotating stage—ideal for chamber music, dance, and drama. The Center's acoustics are state-of-the-art, and the top floors of the building offer breathtaking views of the city. The PECO Cafe, tucked inside the Commonwealth Plaza (which surrounds the performances stages), offers coffee and light snacks.

Kimmel Center for the Performing Arts
Broad and Spruce Streets
Philadelphia, PA 19102
www.kimmelcenter.org
www.yelp.com

CC-BY-SA-3.0/Flickr/audiolucistore

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Please Touch Museum: A Fun Philadelphia Museum

January 15, 2015 by greystar

While most major cities have a children’s museum, none are quite like the Please Touch Museum. Philadelphia’s most hands-on museum targets creativity in children ages seven and younger, and it uses kids’ inherent desire to touch and explore to create a truly unique learning experience.

Exhibits like the Flight Fantasy and Rainforest Rhythm enable visitors and their families to run, jump, crawl, and feel in order to learn about the world around them. Kids will race miniature sailboats and blow bubbles to discover how water moves, play hopscotch in a cloud, create their own rockets, and even make music during every visit to the Please Touch Museum. The museum also offers a number of different youth programs and story hours for children of all ages.

The Please Touch Museum is open 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Mondays through Saturdays and 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. Sundays.

Please Touch Museum
4231 Avenue of the Republic
Philadelphia, PA 19131
(215) 581-3181
www.pleasetouchmuseum.org
www.yelp.com/biz/please-touch-museum-philadelphia

CC-BY-2.0/Flickr/supernico26

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Boyds: Unparalleled Quality in Apparel and Service

January 8, 2015 by greystar

This posh Center City mini department store offers designer fashions for men and women with top-notch service. Women’s shoes and handbags are on the first floor; men’s shoes are on the mezzanine; men’s clothing including suits, dress shirts, ties, coats, sportswear, and formalwear are on the second floor; women’s clothing is on the third floor; and men’s big and tall clothing are on the fourth floor.

Boyds has a staff of on-site European tailors who can customize the fit of anything found in the store, from denim to designer suits and dresses. Valet parking is available, as well as interpreters who speak Russian, Italian, Spanish, Portuguese, Greek, Chinese and Korean.

Hours are 9:30 a.m. to 6 p.m. on Mondays, Tuesdays, Thursdays, and Saturdays; 9:30 a.m. to 8 p.m. on Wednesdays; and 12 p.m. to 5 p.m. on Sunday.

Boyds
1818 Chestnut Street
Philadelphia, PA 19103
(215) 564-9000
http://boydsphila.com
http://www.yelp.com/biz/boyds-philadelphia-philadelphia

CC-BY-2.0/Flickr/erink photography

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Strike! Check Out These Popular Bowling Alleys in Philadelphia

December 11, 2014 by greystar

Whether you’re a part of a league or you just do it for fun, bowling is an all-American pastime beloved by people of all ages. Lace up your bowling shoes, pack up your ball and get ready for some old-fashioned fun at these two great alleys in the City of Brotherly Love.

PEP Bowl
South Philadelphia’s PEP Bowl is located just minutes away from Center City, making it a convenient bowling alley for residents all over the city. The vintage-style alley dates back to the 1950s, but it’s been updated over the years to create a state-of-the-art experience. It’s also very popular for large parties. Best of all, PEP Bowl donates its proceeds to help people with developmental disabilities find employment and necessary services in the Philadelphia area.

North Bowl
North Bowl is an upscale, stylish bowling alley with a food menu that would rival most hip restaurants. Each dish is made with local meats and produce, and the bar serves 12 rotating draft beer selections, handcrafted cocktails, and an impressive wine list. North Bowl also offers vintage arcade games, pool tables, and a lounge area if you want to hang out after your game is over. Service industry professionals love North Bowl’s Monday night Industry Night, and the bowling alley also has daily happy hours on weekdays from 5 to 7 p.m.

CC-BY-SA-2.0/Flickr/Ginny

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Top Philadelphia Coffeeshops

November 13, 2014 by greystar

Though it may be easy to pop into that large chain coffee shop on your way to work each morning, where’s the fun in that? Philadelphia is home to a wide variety of great independent coffee houses with a much more personality, and these are just a few.

La Colombe Coffee
The thought process behind La Colombe Coffee is that if you remove the food menu, the merchandise and the other unnecessary features, the coffee will have to speak for itself. That’s exactly what the founders did with their Rittenhouse Square and Dilworth Plaza locations, and the results are beautifully minimal coffee shops that brew fair-trade classic and reserve coffee blends from around the world.

One Shot Coffee & Cafe
Located on the corner of George and American Streets, One Shot is a warm, eclectic coffee house furnished with rustic wood, vintage furniture and bookshelves from floor to ceiling. The cafe proudly brews Portland’s Stumptown Coffee, which has been hailed as the best coffee in the world by numerous media sources, as well as pour-overs from local roasters ReAnimator and Rival Bros Coffee.

Old City Coffee
Old City Coffee brews only high-grown Arabica beans in very small batches, and the prices are kept extremely low by not using a commercial roaster. The cafe is traditionally furnished with wooden tables and bright pops of red, and true to coffee house form, there are often live music performances in the evenings.

CC-BY-2.0/Flickr/Pen Waggener

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Smith Memorial Playground and Playhouse: Inspiring Creative Play for More Than 100 Years

October 9, 2014 by greystar

Built specifically to inspire creative and imaginative play for the 10 and under set, Smith Memorial Playground and Playhouse in East Fairmount Park has delighted children for more than 100 years. Here, little ones can blow off steam by climbing, running, and swinging their way through six acres of playground equipment. The equipment runs the gamut from swings and jungle gyms to the 100-year-old Ann Newman Giant Wooden Slide, arguably the venue's pièce de résistance. A 16,000-square-foot playhouse is another draw here. Open to the public since 1899, the playhouse hosts play equipment over multiple levels and is a popular destination for families on a rainy day.

Smith Memorial Playground and Playhouse is open April 1 through September 30. Admission is free, but donations are appreciated. The Playground also offers many volunteer opportunities, adults-only fundraisers, and is available to rent for your special event.

Smith Memorial Playground and Playhouse
3500 Reservoir Drive
Philadelphia, PA 19121
(215) 765-4325
www.smithplayground.org
www.yelp.com/biz/smith-memorial-playground-and-playhouse-philadelphia

CC-BY-2.0/Flickr/Steven Depolo

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Science Is Fun at the Franklin Institute

September 15, 2014 by greystar

The Franklin Institute holds a special place in the hearts of many Philadelphians. This kid-friendly museum has fun and interactive exhibits, like the giant heart that invites little ones to crawl inside to explore its physiology from the inside out. At the electricity exhibit, you can use your own body to complete an electrical circuit! Kids will enjoy trying their hands at traditional papermaking methods and using levers and pulleys to hoist themselves up in Sir Isaac's Loft.

Of course, no trip to the Franklin Institute is complete without a stop at the Fels Planetarium to experience the magic of the night sky in cutting-edge astronomical shows. There's so much to do at the Franklin Institute that it's easy to spend an entire day wandering from room to room and exploring all the interactive exhibits!

The Franklin Institute
222 N. 20th Street
Philadelphia, PA 19103
(215) 448-1200
www.fi.edu
www.yelp.com/biz/the-franklin-institute-science-museum-philadelphia

CC-BY-2.0/Flickr/fdecomite

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Schuylkill River Park: A Great Urban Green Space

September 4, 2014 by greystar

The Schuylkill River Park is a true urban gem, stretching along the bank of the Schuylkill River as it passes through Philadelphia’s Center City. The creation and maintenance of this park represent a true community effort, and while the park is a favorite destination for everyone in the neighborhood, it is particularly popular with dog owners, as it has two separate dog park areas: one for larger dogs and another for smaller pets.

Sports enthusiasts will appreciate the tennis and basketball courts, and kids will enjoy the modern, colorful playground equipment. Everyone will like the shady tree-lined paths and benches that are perfect for relaxing in the sun and reading a book or chatting with friends. The riverside path for biking and running gives access to the Fairmount network of riverside paths, too. Vegetables and flowers bloom throughout the summer in the park's community garden, while festivals and other special events regularly enliven the park's open plaza spaces.

Schuylkill River Park
2500 Lombard Street
Philadelphia, PA 19103
www.fsrp.org
www.yelp.com/biz/schuylkill-river-park-philadelphia

CC-BY-2.0/Flickr/Rachel Kramer

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Philadelphia Zoo: Lions and Tigers and Bears (and More)

August 14, 2014 by greystar

Whether you’re looking for an afternoon activity for the kids or a fun daytime date idea, the Philadelphia Zoo has something for all ages. This impressive wild animal zoo is the first zoo in the country, dating back to 1859. Today, the zoo is home to more than 1,300 animals, birds, reptiles, and aquatic creatures, many of which are on the endangered species list.

This zoo is unique because of how open the animals’ areas are, with spacious walkways that enable the larger animals to have space to roam while still maintaining a safe distance from visitors. Large, sprawling areas emulating the animals’ natural habitats house exotic creatures like gorillas, elephants, polar bears, and everyone’s favorite big cats, including the endangered Amur leopard.

The Philadelphia Zoo also offers a kids’ zoo, a variety of food options, and a gift shop to take home a souvenir. The zoo is open 9:30 a.m. to 5 p.m. daily.

Philadelphia Zoo
3400 W. Girard Avenue
Philadelphia, PA 19104
(215) 243-1100
www.philadelphiazoo.org
www.yelp.com/biz/philadelphia-zoo-philadelphia

CC-BY-2.0/Flickr/Martin Pettitt

Filed Under: Things To Do Tagged With: Philadelphia Attractions, Philadelphia Zoo, Things to Do in Philadelphia