A weekend in Philadelphia traveling with the whole family was quite an adventure. A mix of history, Philly food, fine art, and kid’s attractions, the City of Brotherly Love provided all of us with a memorable vacation. We hopped into the rented minivan and we were on our way down 95.
Independence National Historical Park/Washington Square/Liberty Bell
For any first-time visitor to Philadelphia, visiting the historic sites of Independence National Historical Park is a must. Independence Hall, the location of the Constitutional Convention, and the Liberty Bell are highlights of this park. Prior to Covid, I distinctly remember being able to walk in to see both the Liberty Hall and Independence Hall without much fanfare. Currently, the line for both was incredibly long. My kids and my wife were fine with glancing at the bell through the glass window and roaming around the outside of Independence Hall.
Other areas that we were able to explore around Independence Hall included the serene Washington Square with a fountain in the middle and a statue of Washington. We also ducked into the Second Bank which featured interesting exhibits including portraits of each signer of the Declaration of Independence.
Independence Beer Garden
With all this history, beer and dinner was the next item on the docket. At the outdoor Independence Beer Garden, which is located right across the street from the Liberty Bell, we were able to satisfy both needs. For a beverage, I chose the Daisy Cutter pale ale from Half Acre Brewing, along with al pastor tacos. With our first evening on the books, it was time to head back to the hotel to get ready for our trip to Sesame Place in the morning.
Sesame Place
The focal point (other than seeing my family) on this trip was to take the kids to Sesame Place. At five and two, they are both great ages to enjoy this amusement park. In a short time, Danny will feel like he’s too old to enjoy the Sesame Street characters. Not at five though; he was in awe meeting Elmo.
The kids had an absolute blast at the park. Sesame Place is more of a traditional amusement park with a Sesame Street theme, like a ride in Oscar’s trash can or Cookie Monster’s cookie jars instead of a traditional Ferris wheel car. The rides (similar to Story Land) were actually more thrilling than I imagined. With some roller coasters and big kid waterslides, this park is suited for kids of any age, even if they are out of the age range of Sesame Street.
One of the biggest hits was Big Bird’s tube ride. Once Danny was situated on the inner tube, he thoroughly enjoyed floating down the waterway. The parade hit the jackpot too. Being able to see the characters made the kids’ day. Prior to that, they met Elmo which was also a highlight. Unlike Disneyworld, the characters are not walking around through the park. Sesame Place was definitely a highlight for the crew.
Reading Terminal Market
Even though I have been to Reading Terminal Market numerous times in the past, this I looked forward to tremendously. Reading Terminal Market has superb food from loads of different restaurants. Get your “phil” of Philly food from cheesesteaks to Amish soft pretzels. Reading Terminal Market will not disappoint.
Some of my favorite choices include the doughnuts at Beiler’s Donuts. The dough is just amazing. You’ve never had a soft pretzel as good as those from Miller’s Twist; the buttery, salty goodness of these is making me salivate as I write the article. Also, Termini Brothers is my favorite for Italian sweets, namely cannoli.
City Hall/Dilworth Park/Love Park
Staying at the Residence Inn in Center City, it is literally in the shadow of City Hall. The ornate design of City Hall rivals state capitals in sheer grandiosity. Of course, my kids thought the building was cool, kind of like a castle. But they didn’t appreciate it for its architecture. What they did appreciate were the fountains. They spent almost an hour playing in the fountains in Dilworth Park, the plaza on the western side of City hall. They were soaked and having a complete blast.
Love Park, known for the iconic Love sculpture designed by artist Robert Indiana, is located diagonally from City Hall. Here were more fountains so they could continue the trend of getting absolutely drenched in (and loving every minute of it). We also witnessed larger-than-life dominoes nearby. It was neat seeing a city from the eyes of my kids, where everything seemed exciting.
Federal Donuts
Looking up the best doughnut shops in Philly, many articles led to Federal Donuts. With a few outposts around town, I found my way to the closest one to city center. These donuts can literally be made to order. I asked what to try. A blueberry lemon specialty is what was suggested. Warm, right out of the oven, this was truly superb. For more of the best donuts, check out this post.
Mitchell and Ness
Being a sports jersey fanatic, especially retro ones, I almost cried tears of joy when I realized the Mitchell and Ness flagship store was only a few blocks from the hotel. Mitchell and Ness designs throwback jerseys for baseball, football, and basketball. Lately, I have been collecting their batting practice collection. Pieces in my collection include a Wade Boggs Devil Rays, a Chris Sabo Reds, and a Lenny Dykstra Phillies jersey. This place is jersey heaven! After much deliberation, I walked away with a Rickey Henderson Athletics batting practice number.
Barnes Foundation
After exploring fountains, eating donuts, and shopping, it was time for the main attractions. My cousin Emmi used to run events at the Barnes Foundation, so she was excited to give us a tour of the museum. The Barnes Foundation’s roots are that of the private collection of Albert C. Barnes, a wealthy businessman. Barnes collected art of all periods from ancient to modern. An emphasis of the collection is that of 19th and early 20th-century European artists including Renoir, Matisse, and Picasso.
Although the museum moved a few years ago from the tony Merion suburb to a modern building in the museum district of Philadelphia, the collection is displayed as it was in his mansion. Not only is the artwork spellbinding but the placement is as well. The way the art is displayed is part of Barnes’s vision. On the same wall with several Renoirs might be items from his collection of antique metal door hinges or spoons that are also part of the exhibition.
Eastern State Penitentiary
After dinner at the excellent brewpub, Bar Hygge, it was time to head into the most anticipated part of the trip for me, Eastern State Penitentiary. Eastern State is an imposing prison located right in the midst of busy Fairmount Avenue. We were able to explore the preserved ruin via a Steve Buschemi led audio tour and then on our own after sunset. With a refueling from the Triple Bottom beer garden on site, our Eastern State trip was tremendous, so tremendous that a whole separate Backyard Road Trip is dedicated to it. Check out that article here.
Philadelphia Zoo
Other than Sesame Place, the kids’ most anticipated part of the journey was the Philadelphia Zoo. The zoo did not disappoint since they were able to see animals such as gorillas, lions, and tigers which are not at the zoo we frequent, the Roger Williams Zoo in Providence, Rhode Island. The Philly Zoo has all the animals you’d expect presented in a conservation-forward, natural habitat for the animals’ pens.
Wissahickon Brewing Company
For the last stop, it was lunch and drinks at Wissahickon Brewing Company. Good thing Wissahickon was rated one of BYRT’s top family-friendly breweries because our group numbered eight adults, three children and two dogs. Emmi and her husband, Gabe, both work at Wissahickon part-time. Her inner event planner came through when she reserved a spot for the family reunion of sorts here.
While Wissahickon serves some top-notch beer such as their Hail Mary IPA, a collection of fruited sours, and Devil’s Pool double IPA, they do not serve food. This was solved by Emmi leaving the zoo early and picking up cheesesteaks at D’Ellansandro’s Steaks. For my Philly family, these cheesesteaks are better than Pat’s, Jim’s, or Geno’s. True to form, the cheesesteak was absolutely awesome and incredibly huge. Being a glutton, I polished mine off in one sitting, although most of the crew only ate half. For the beer, I enjoyed two Hail Mary IPAs and took a four-pack home. Wissahickon is located in East Falls, one of Philly’s most western neighborhoods. The taproom is comfortable with plenty of outdoor and indoor seating.
A Weekend in Philadelphia Comes to an End
For our weekend in Philadelphia, we jammed our time with family fun at the zoo and Sesame Place but were able to experience more grown-up-oriented attractions such as Eastern State Penitentiary and the Barnes Foundation as well. We enjoyed great cheesesteaks, soft pretzels, doughnuts, and Tasty Kake crumpets from Wawa. And drank Philly pride with beer from Triple Bottom, Wissahickon, and Bar Hygge’s Brewery Techne. I’d be happy to go back to Philly time and again to explore the City of Brotherly Love further.
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My oldest daughter keeps telling me that I need to take a trip down to Philly one of these days (she has friends down that way and hopes to move there eventually) but having been a few times when I was stationed at nearby McGuire AFB in New Jersey, I couldn’t become too enthusiastic about it. Now that I’ve read about your trip, I’m going to have rethink that lack of enthusiasm and possibly head down that way later in the year when things warm up a bit. It might be the call of those donuts or it might be Eastern State Penitentiary but either way, I think a return trip is in order!
To me it’s not immediately striking as Boston is to me but there are certainly many attractions to see and very cool things to do. I already have a new itinerary for my next trip!