The holidays are behind us, and the winter is a great time for nearby weekend jaunts and bucket list destinations to get through the long winter haul. There are also some fantastic deals to be had with local winter travel.
Philadelphia is home to a million sports fans, Wawa, Tastykake, the cheesesteak and is the city of brotherly love. Rifled with colonial and revolution-era history, national historic landmarks, and home of the nation’s first library. It is also a national cultural center. Dubbed “Philly” by many, it is currently undergoing a renaissance in many of its neighborhoods, like Manayunk and Fishtown.
You are missing out if you have never taken a family trip to Philadelphia. It is a hop, skip, and jump away by car or train from Fairfield County. There is enough activity to keep a crew entertained for days. I have honed in below on a few top picks to enjoy on an abbreviated 36-hour visit.
Saturday Morning
Grab a delicious and innovative breakfast at High Street on Market. Try the Salmon Toast or the Scrambled Eggs Forager (with swiss, kale, and pickled mushrooms) – heaven.
With a full stomach, start your day at Philadelphia’s Magic Gardens, an interactive mosaic art installation. They offer scavenger hunts for the littles and special family event days.
Saturday Afternoon
From there, take a trip to the African American Museum. Visit the Children’s Corner or a Family Fun Day on the second Saturday of every month.
Not sure if you’ll have room for lunch, but grab some of the city’s hippest pizza at Pizzeria Beddia.Venture to Shane Candies, where you can check out an old-fashioned confectionary shop. Buy some toys at Minnow Lane, then burn off some energy at the RiverRink. The local ice-skating rink hosts warming cabins, fire pit stations, and boardwalk games until early March in the winter and roller skating and mini golf during the summer months. This is all overlooking the Delaware River and Benjamin Franklin Bridge. Next, take a trip to the Philadelphia Museum of Art and get a picture of the famed “Rocky” steps.
Move over to the Fairmont Park area. From there, you can take an easy trip to check out an exhibit or the carousel at the Please Touch Museum (an interactive museum that encourages the power of learning through play) and the historical giant wooden slide at the Smith Memorial Playground and Playhouse (a 16,000 sq ft playhouse!).
Saturday Evening
Try your hardest to find the energy to grab dinner at Vedge for artful and sensational vegan food before heading to your hotel.
There are many posh yet family-friendly digs in the Rittenhouse Square area. Choose between the Kimpton Hotel Monaco (offering an Ultimate Pillow Fort package for the kiddos), The Study with their famous chocolate chip cookies, or the Roost Rittenhouse, which caters to families with its spacious apartment-style rooms.
Sunday Morning
Start your morning with a big breakfast at Sabrina’s Café or Talulah’s Daily in Society Hill.
Sunday Afternoon
Before heading home, try to find time to get to Harriet’s Bookshop (named after Harriet Tubman), a quaint bookstore celebrating female authors, artists, and activists in Manayunk (a revitalized and walkable district) and Longwood Gardens in Kennett Square (in the suburban area of Chester County) to visit their impressive open-air theatre, indoor children’s garden, and the lookout loft treehouse before venturing home.
