Brad and I love when visitors come from out of town and we get a chance to do all the “touristy” things in the city. About a month ago we had one of these great opportunities when our friends Brooke and Justin came for a quick visit. We spent a wonderful day wandering around the city and taking in the sites without breaking the bank to do so.
Our day started with a visit to the Philadelphia Museum of Art and the “Rocky steps.” We took some fun pictures at the Rocky statue and even took a run up the stairs. I think the highlight of this trip was that we got to see a Rocky enthusiast videotaping his own version of the run up the stairs. This guy alone was completely worth the trip to the art museum. We were all cracking up!
Watching a Rocky Reenactment
The art museum could be a great day trip on its own, but it was a beautiful day out so we decided to walk from the museum down to Boathouse Row in Fairmount Park. Prior to this day I had only seen Boathouse Row while driving along the Skuylkill Expressway. Spending some time on the other side of the Boathouses I am certain that this is another area that we could spend an entire day. The park is home to running and biking trails, botanical gardens, an Azalea Garden, recreation centers, reservoirs, and countless statues and pieces of art. The entire area is absolutely beautiful and almost makes you forget you are in the middle of a city.
Boathouse Row from the Schuylkill Expressway at night and from Kelly Drive during the day.
After our walk along the Schuylkill River, we headed over to JFK Plaza (also known as Love Park). I have to admit, while the Love sculptures are certainly famous around the world, I was almost disappointed by the sculpture at JFK Plaza being that the first time I saw one of the Love sculptures was in NYC which is HUGE!
Our next stop was to the Liberty Bell and Independence Hall. I feel as though this is the most popular and well known tourist spot in Philadelphia, but it is definitely worth the trip. Anyone who has even a minor interest in America’s history can feel just how special Old City is from the cobblestone streets to the historic buildings.
After our walk through Independence Mall, we walked down to Penn’s Landing and along the water in route to South Street. Here we found a bunch of war memorials and looked over the Delaware River to New Jersey. Last, we made it to South Street where we took advantage of all the dive bars that line South Street for a late afternoon bar crawl which was certainly needed after all the walking we did!
The great thing about Philadelphia is that there are so many places to spend a day that won’t cost a lot of money. This is especially true if you are looking to enjoy a beautiful day outdoors!
Speak Your Mind
You must be logged in to post a comment.