Philadelphia is such an underrated gem in the Northeast of the United States. It has quite possibly the best selection of food at all price points, with dive bars and greasy roadside stands serving up food that’s every bit as delicious as the dozens of 5 star restaurants in the city. Regardless of how much money you have in your pocket you’ll get one of the best meals of your life. It also has some great museums, awesome bars, a bunch of cool things to do and see, more history than just about anywhere in the United States, and some of the most beautiful neighborhoods of any city on Earth.

Old City

Old City is, as the name would suggest, Philadelphia’s old historical city center. This colonial style town, surrounded by the modern city of Philadelphia appears much like it did 250 years ago. Cobblestone streets, colonial style homes, horse drawn carriages and even Benjamin Franklin look-a-likes dressed up in period garb are the norm. This area of Philadelphia is by far its most charming, historical and beautiful area, and, ultimately where you should plan on starting your exploration of this great city.

Old City encompasses an area from the Delaware River in the East (Front Street), to 6th Street which runs parallel to the river. And, from approximately Race Street in the North (which runs approximately in line with the Ben Franklin Bridge) to South Street in the South. In between these imaginary boarders exists a simple grid of parallel and perpendicular streets crisscrossing through the entirety of the city.

Running North/South, parallel to the river, the closest street along the river is Front street, followed by 2nd street and then 3rd Street and so on as you move westwardly towards Broad Street (which would be 14th Street if it were not named Broad). An interesting side note on Broad Street…it is the longest, continuously straight main city thoroughfare in the United States, running perfectly North/South for 13 miles.

Anyways, the grid is super easy to figure out, from East to West you go from Front Street to 13th and then Broad Street followed by 15th street and so on. And, from North to South you have named streets starting with Race, then Arch, then Market Street. After Market Street (the city’s main East/West thoroughfare, you have a series of streets named after trees, Chestnut, Walnut, Locust, Spruce, Pine, then Lombard and South Street. At the intersection of Market and Broad you’ll find Philadelphia’s famous city hall.

Take a look at a map before you go and get the general layout straight in your head. Once you do you’ll be able to spend the afternoon casually walking around this area and enjoying its stunning, charming beauty and the city’s incredible history. Philadelphia gets a bad rap like a lot of major US cities, particularly in the Northeast, as being dangerous. And, while there are certainly parts of the city far from the city center that live up to this reputation, this section of Philadelphia is as safe an inner city area as you’ll find anywhere in the world. Unlike cities such as DC where there exists a checkerboard of bad areas where you can easily wonder into the wrong part of town, Philadelphia’s “bad” areas seem to be cordoned off and entirely separated from the main areas of the city that you will be walking around. You literally cannot get to a bad area of town from Old City without walking several miles or crossing major highways. So, walk around relaxed in the knowledge that you can explore all of this central part of the city without unwittingly ending up where you shouldn’t be. From Race in the North, to South Street in the South, and from Front street to the East and as far West as 25th Street and Philly’s other main river, The Schuylkill River (pronounced Skoo Kill), you will be hard pressed to find anywhere in that large square area that isn’t really nice and completely safe to walk around.

For starters, let’s begin our exploration of Old City at the Race Street Pier. If you walk down Race Street towards the Delaware River you will find the Race Street Pier that extends out from the corner of Race and Front Streets, in the shadow of the Ben Franklin Bridge, offering stunning views of the bridge and a great place to enjoy a morning cup of coffee or a picnic if you have time. After taking in the scene from the pier you can walk West down Race Street for one block and make a left on 2nd Street. Within the first block, as you head South on 2nd Street, you’ll stumble upon two small alleyways. The second alley on the left is called Elfreth’s Alley.

Elfreth’s Alley is America’s oldest, continuously inhabited residential street. The street, as well as the houses on the street, have remained exactly as they were since they were originally built, starting in 1720. Real Philadelphian residents own and live in these homes to this day. Nearly all of them continuing to preserve the insides of their homes in a manner consistent with their original construction and style. Multiple times a year the residents put on a small festival where they invite the local community to come down and walk through their homes and enjoy live music and drinks in their backyards.

After walking through Elfreth’s Alley you’ll continue South just one more half block until you reach Arch Street, at which point you will make a right. If you continue down Arch Street, moving West towards the center of the city, you’ll pass Betsy Ross’s House on your right, where you can stop in and briefly learn about the birthplace of America’s flag. Continue on westwardly down Arch Street until you reach 5th Street.

On the corner of Arch and 5th, on the left side of the street, is Christ Church Burial Ground, the burial site of Benjamin Franklin as well as some of the other leaders of the Revolutionary era. You can see Franklin’s grave stone from the street, in fact. If you happen to see visitors tossing pennies on Franklin’s grave, this is a tradition that is supposed to give the penny tosser good luck, a nod to Franklin’s old adage, “a penny saved, is a penny earned.” If you choose to engage in this ritual, just make sure not to throw the pennies at the marble grave stone. Years of pennies being lobbed at it has lead to significant damage that required a large restoration in 2017.

Between 5th and 6th and Arch, you’ll find the prominent National Constitution Center. Here you will find original drafts of the United States Constitution, some interesting interactive exhibits and Signers’ Hall which consists of 42 life-sized bronze statues of our Founding Fathers that signed the Constitution in 1787. The one truly can’t miss, though, is a 360-degree live theatrical production celebrating the story of the US Constitution, called Freedom Rising. The production only takes approximately 20 min and is included with General Admission. 15 shows are put on at regular intervals throughout the day, so whenever you show up, you won’t be that far from the next production. If you want to start your day off with some history and feeling honestly moved by a sense of pride in your country make sure to see this show, it’s incredibly well done.

After stopping at the Constitution Center it’s time to cross back over Arch Street, walk across the grounds of the Independence Visitor Center (stop in here to get tickets to enter Independence Hall if that’s something you plan on doing), and then cross Market Street where you can enter the small glass building in front of you for a chance to see the Liberty Bell. (Click HERE for the full story of the Liberty Bell)

After taking your photos with the Liberty Bell, cross over to the West side of 6th Street, directly across from the Liberty Bell and go grab a beer at Philadelphia’s favorite pop-up beer garden, Independence Beer Garden. This fully outdoor beer garden, which is open from the end of April through September most years, has over 40 beers on tap and a bunch of delicious bar style food. It’s the perfect place to grab a drink and wait for your tour to start at Independence Hall which is just across the street at the corner of 6th and Chestnut.

Even if you don’t take a tour of Independence Hall make sure to take some time to walk around its grounds and the surrounding parks as they are simply beautiful. At the Corner of 6th and Walnut is Washington Square, one of Philly’s many beautiful intercity parks. Across the street in the Curtis Center lobby, a cool thing to check out is the Tiffany Glass Mural “The Dream Garden” which is a humongous and beautiful glass mosaic.

From 6th and Walnut to 5th and Walnut is the park surrounding Independence Hall. Between Walnut and Chestnut on 5th, 4th and 3rd Streets are a series of colonial style parks. Walk through these parks along Chestnut Street, past Jefferson’s Garden, Carpenter’s Hall, a colonial meeting place, and a host of other well preserved colonial buildings until you reach 3rd Street. On the Corner of 3rd and Chestnut is the Museum of the American Revolution which houses artifacts from the revolutionary war. Walk South on 3rd Street from Chestnut towards Walnut, before you reach Walnut though make a left on Dock Street, a small gorgeous, cobblestone street that will walk you directly in front of the Merchant Exchange Building.

Directly across from the Merchant Exchange Building is the backyard to one of Philadelphia’s most famous and historic bars, City Tavern. City Tavern was a well known meeting and drinking hub where many of our founding fathers met to discuss the founding of our country. Here time stands still in the late 1700s colonial era. The decor, the food, the drinks, the waiters in period garb, even the harpist often playing music for diners are all preserved directly from this period.

Stop in and get one of their absolutely delicious apple cider drinks, the recipes of which come directly from Marsha Washington’s diaries, or any of their home brewed beers. They feature General Washington’s Tavern Porter, which is brewed from a genuine recipe from General Washington himself, that remains on file in the Rare Manuscripts Room of the New York Public Library, Thomas Jefferson’s 1774 Tavern Ale which comes directly from Jefferson’s original recipe stored at Monticello. Poor Richard’s Tavern Spruce, which is based on Ben Franklin’s own personal recipe, written while he was ambassador to France. And, finally, Alexander Hamilton’s Federalist Ale, which is made in the style of the common man’s ale from the colonial time period.

Directly across Walnut Street from the City Tavern is a restaurant called Positano Coast. You can get to the restaurant by walking up the stairs to the second level located just across from the Landmark 5 Ritz Theatre on Dock Street. Upstairs you will find an incredible outdoor seating area, a great bar and a wonderful restaurant featuring Italian food straight from the Italian Riviera. They do carafes of white wine infused with cut up fruit in traditional Salerno style. These carafes form the perfect pair to some of their incredibly delicious Amalfi Coast seafood. Get the house white wine with the peaches in a carafe and grab some lunch here either at the bar or on their deck overlooking the street below.

After Positano Coast walk up the stairs and into the garden that lies adjacent to one of Philly’s most famous and world-renowned restaurants, Zahav. You’ll walk up past Zahav on your right and the Society Hill Residential Towers to your left. Continue walking through the courtyard of the towers until you reach Locust and 2nd Street. Continue down 2nd Street past Spruce until you get to a small cobblestoned street named Delancey Street. Delancey Street is known as the prettiest street in Old City, one of the prettiest streets in all of America, in fact, and a great place to take a few photos. One more block down Second Street, and you’ll hit an opening called Headhouse Square. This is an old colonial depot where markets are still set up to this day.

Around the square are some great bars and restaurants. Xochitl is the best Mexican restaurant in the city. Here old world family recipes are made fresh every day. Their guacamole made at your table with any ingredients you choose is fantastic. Pizzeria Stella is a wonderful local, wood-fired pizza spot, serving artisanal pizza from an open kitchen.

Across the street are two fantastic bars, Cavanaugh’s Headhouse Square and The Twisted Tail. Live music plays upstairs every night at the Twisted Tail and is a great place to hang out in the evenings. They do a fantastically cool thing on Sundays when they have a house band open mic. The house band plays all day up stairs and anyone can jump in on any instrument and play along with the band. Local singers and guitarists often come up and do a couple blues style songs with the band every 20-30 min. It’s really cool.

About half a block off 2nd towards Front on Lombard is Bistro Romano, one of Philly’s best Italian restaurants. Here you can dine, under ground in their wine cellar on some of the best hand rolled pastas and homemade pasta sauce in town.

Other cool spots to check out in Old City

National Mechanics: This rustic casual restaurant and bar built inside an old bank with huge vaulted ceilings is the perfect spot to grab a beer or even come in for their fantastic brunch menu.

Freida: Freida is a family owned and run coffee shop and bakery with a mission. They make fantastic coffee and pastries, including their signature almond cakes, as well as a fantastic, always changing breakfast and lunch menu. They also seek to service the community by offering their space up for drawing classes, social media workshops, language classes, film screenings, bridge clubs and any type of social activity you can think of. If they don’t offer it, just contact them and you can work with the owners to use their space to set up your own socially enriching program. If you have a club that needs a weekly meeting spot, this is the best place in town.

Marrekesh: Philadelphia’s award winning beacon of Moroccan cuisine. Family owned and operated for over 33 years, this North African oasis in the center of Old City Philadelphia is a must stop if you’re interested in a unique foreign cuisine dining experience. Persian rugs cover the floors, vibrant pillows cover the seating and incense mixes with the aromas of fine moroccan cuisine in one of Philadelphia’s best and most unique restaurants.

The Moshulu: How would you like to dine on the deck of an old pirate ship? Between Lombard and Spruce along the Delaware River at Penn’s Landing Marina, you can do just that. Enjoy a water side view of the Delaware while you enjoy great seafood. At night, this boat’s decks turn into a night club called The Deck.

Franklin Fountain: A throwback to ice cream and pop shops from decades past, this local ice cream shop makes some of the best homemade ice cream and sundaes in town. All of the candies used in their sundaes and other ice cream concoctions come from an historic candy confectionery which is conveniently located right next store. Shane Confectionery has been making candy on their premises on Market Street since 1863 and has operated their store since 1911. As great as their sundaes are, if you’re really looking for a treat order from their menu titled “From the Fountain.” Franklin Fountain specializes in old-timey fountain drinks, phosphates and root beer floats made with their own homemade root beer.

Buddakan: One of the chicest and trendiest places in town for decades. Buddakan is a stunningly designed restaurant, featuring 30 foot ceilings and a 15 foot tall, giant golden Buddha. They make the best edamame dumplings I’ve ever had here.

Amada: This Spanish-style tapas restaurant, and flagship of local culinary legend Jose Garces, has a fantastic menu of small plates that are perfect for sharing with others. As well as a roasted suckling pig and Lobster Paella that are enough to feed a small army. However, in my opinion, the real show stopper here is their perfectly paired cheese plate. I can say without reservation that Amada’s cheese plate, particularly the manchego paired with truffled lavender honey, is the best cheese plate in the world. While the manchego and truffled lavender honey is a true star the mahon with white sangria honey, the montealva with chocolate hazelnut puree and the valdeon with currant pistachio salbitxada are all well worth the trip even if all you do is show up and get a glass of wine and a plate of cheese.

Fork: Creative American bistro featuring an excellent chef’s tasting menu that regularly finds itself listed among the best restaurants in the city.

High Street: Freshly made artisanal breads and seasonal ingredients from the same people that own and operate Fork. This is the perfect spot to get an egg sandwich, grain bowl or pastry from the bakery for breakfast or a perfectly executed sandwich for lunch.

Rainbow Bagels at Chestnut Street Bagels: Enjoy one of these now instagram famous rainbow colored bagels from the best bagel shop in town.

Mac’s Tavern: A great local tavern owned by Philadelphia native and star of It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia, Rob Mcelhenney.

The Continental Restaurant and Martini Bar: This corner diner looks initially like a quintessential northeastern roadside diner when you first enter. And, if you stop there you won’t be disappointed as they serve up some of the best diner style food in town. But, if you keep walking towards the back of the diner, past the rest rooms and around a circular corner, you’ll find yourself transported to a swanky cocktail lounge featuring their famous martinis.

Cuba Libre: Walking into this bar feels like stepping into the streets of Havana. The entire inside is decorated like you’re standing under the window boxes in a residential area of Cuba, dancing to latin music. They have regular salsa dancing lessons during the week. If you’re going out dancing with your significant other, this is a place that is well worth your visit.

2nd Story Brewing: Good local microbrewery that produces their own beers on site. A great place to go sit for a flight of beers or to do a small beer tasting.

The Bourse Food Hall: This is a new addition to the Philly dining scene. The old Bourse Building, the 123-year-old home to the nation’s first commodities exchange market, has recently been renovated and restored to its original glory. Instead of commodities this space is now used as a home to dozens of artisanal food stands where local mom and pops sell their food alongside world renowned chefs.

Spruce Street Harbor Park: Another recent addition to the city of Philadelphia is Spruce Street Harbor Park. This odd outdoor art installation slash festival pier slash psychedelic, flourescent hammock hang out, is one of the coolest places to hang out in Philly during the summer nights.

The park features colorful art displays, floating gardens, beautiful lights, and 50 colorful hammocks to lounge in. They also have stands serving refreshing craft beer as well as food from popular local Philly restaurants. There are also two separate hammock lounges, big enough to hold about 20 people each, that can be rented out for group events if you wish.

Click HERE for a guide to Philadelphia’s Most Gorgeous Alleys

Museum District

Philadelphia’s museum district is easily its most grand and impressive region of the city. Built mostly around the Ben Franklin Parkway, here you will find Philadelphia’s most impressive and fun museums as well as some truly beautiful park areas in which to spend a nice day. Ben Franklin Parkway begins at the Northwest corner of City Hall and extends out at a 45 degree angle, running the length of the museum district until it terminates in front of the Philadelphia Museum of Art. Hanging from the light polls lining the parkway are the flags of every country on Earth.

Between Philadelphia’s imposingly gorgeous City Hall, adjacent LOVE Park and the Art Museum, you’ll find Cathedral Basilica of Saints Peter and Paul, Logan Square, The Franklin Institute, The Barnes Foundation and The Rodin Museum, surrounded by beautifully manicured park space, this is one of the prettiest stretches in all of the city. Behind the Art Museum the beauty continues with the Fairmount Park Water Works, a sculpture garden, Azalea Gardens, a Fountain of Seahorses, beautiful Kelly drive along the Schuylkill River, iconic Boathouse Row and the largest park space inside city limits anywhere on Earth, Fairmount Park. Don’t leave Philadelphia without checking out The Museum District.

One of the best ways to experience the museum district is to actually begin your day with one of the best attractions from right outside The Museum District. On a day when we’re going to check out the museums, we love to start the day at Reading Terminal, Philadelphia’s old train depot and current culinary hub, where we fuel up with some delicious food before heading out for the day. From there we usually take guests to see City Hall before heading on to LOVE Park and the Museum District. (See our write up about Center City to see full explanations of what to do at Reading Terminal and City hall).

After leaving City Hall and Heading out towards the Northwest corner you’ll see a small city square/park across 15th Street and JFK Blvd. This is Philly’s iconic LOVE Park, made famous by Robert Indiana’s giant red LOVE sculpture which overlooks the plaza. While mostly just a small inner city plaza with an iconic statue at it’s center, which makes it great for a photo opportunity, LOVE Park also features frequent small events, live music, the city’s Christmas Market from Thanksgiving to Christmas Eve modeled after German style Christmas Markets and is a favorite hang out for the city’s skateboarders. The old Fairmount Park Welcome Center, which resembles a giant flying saucer, is also housed here. It is currently being renovated and turned into a restaurant. Across 16th Street from the park is a great Irish Pub called Tir Na Nag.

As you leave LOVE Park and head down the Ben Franklin Parkway, you’ll see a number of nice bars and restaurants on your left that are all worthy of stopping at, particularly Urban Farmer and Assembly Roof Top Lounge which sit at the Southeast corner of Logan Square, a beautiful city plaza with a stunning fountain. Around the square starting at 12 o’clock to the North and moving clockwise is the city’s largest public library, the Cathedral Basilicas of Saints Peter and Paul at 3 o’clock, The Academy of Natural Sciences at 6 and The Franklin Institute of 9 o’clock.

The Franklin Institute is one of Philadelphia’s most impressive and fun museums. Even if you don’t plan on spending time there, make sure to walk up the stairs and check out the lobby where a 30 foot tall statue of Ben Franklin sits guard. The regular exhibits within the museum are a fantastic place to take children and let them explore. But, there is typically a rotating set of interesting exhibits, things like Body Works, or displays from Ancient Egypt, that are more geared towards adults.

The Museum also boasts one of the first and most impressive IMAX theaters in the country, The Tuttleman IMAX Theatre. This domed theatre features a curved screen that’s over 70 feet across and nearly 5 stories tall. The experience is entirely immersive as the screen wraps around your periphery vision in every direction. In addition, 20,000 watts of amplifier power and over 50 speakers located behind the screen make you feel like you are part of whatever action is happening in front of you. The theatre regularly plays a series of rotating science and nature documentaries as well as the occasional special viewing of other unique features. If you have time and want to spend an hour seeing a ‘Planet Earth’ style documentary in an immersive 180 degree IMAX experience, check their show times HERE and get tickets, which can be bought ahead of time or simply at the Franklin Institute shortly before the show.

My two favorites so far have been a regular feature they show on extreme weather like tornados, hurricanes, lightning storms, etc and one that they show regularly on volcanos. The experience is definitely worth an hour of your time. Finally, the Franklin Institute boasts one of the countries premier planetariums, The Fels Planetarium. They show some incredibly fascinating astronomical presentations here as well as nightly shows like a Pink Floyd Laser Light Show.

In addition to the Franklin Institute, there are a number of nice museums nearby if you have kids. The Please Touch Museum, which allows kids to get interactive with the exhibits, the Academy of Natural Sciences, which has an incredible collection of dinosaur skeletons including a full T-Rex roaring tall in it’s lobby, and the Insectarium and Butterfly Pavilion where you can walk through the butterfly exhibit and have dozens of butterflies land on you, are all well worth a trip with your family.

As you leave Logan Square and continue down The Ben Franklin Parkway there are a series of museums on the right side of the parkway as you walk towards the Philadelphia Museum of Art that are well worth a trip. First up is a must stop for any art aficionado. The Barnes Foundation is a private art collection assembled by Dr. Albert C. Barnes between 1912 and 1951 which boasts one of the world’s greatest collections of impressionist, post-impressionist, and early modernist paintings in the world. In fact, this private collection bests many of the collections housed by some of the most famous museums in the world. Just a bit further up the parkway from the Barnes, is the Rodin Museum. Philadelphia’s Rodin museum has the largest collection of Auguste Rodin’s sculptures outside of Paris. The building and the grounds surrounding them are just as much part of the draw and equally as beautiful as the incredible sculptures. The first hour at the Rodin Museum is free and you can pay $10 additional dollars to stay for up to 5 hours, but the museum is small and an hour is more than enough time.

Finally, you’ll reach the end of The Ben Franklin Parkway at what is called The Oval. This traffic circle with a gorgeous park and fountain at it’s center is the site of many city events like Jay-Z’s yearly Made in America Festival, the city’s New Years Eve and Fourth of July extravaganzas and great one time events like The 2017 NFL Draft.

Across the street you’ll find the original bronze statue of Rocky from the famous 1980 movie Rocky III. Sylvester Stallone had commissioned famous sculptor, A. Thomas Schomberg to cast an actual bronze statue rather than use a Hollywood prop. After the movie the incredibly heavy statue was donated to the city of Philadelphia. After moving around the city for a couple years it returned to its original location outside the art museum where it signifies to all Philadelphians that anything is possible, so long as you keep persevering.

To the left of the statue are the famous steps that Rocky runs up at the conclusion of his training montage in the original Rocky in 1976. On any given day you will see dozens of visiting tourists doing their best Rocky impression, bounding up these steps towards the art museum entrance.

The Philadelphia Museum of Art is a world renowned art museum. With more than 240,000 pieces on display it is home to some of the most famous pieces of art in existence. In addition, they have some truly awesome displays from around the world where entire building facades and temples have been moved into the museum. They also have a pretty cool armor and weapons section on the second floor. Every year the museum also organizes several special exhibitions featuring artists like Salvador Dali, Pablo Picasso, Andy Warhol, Vincent Van Gogh, Auguste Renoir and Paul Cezanne. This is the type of museum that you’ll love getting lost in for a couple hours.

Behind the art museum are a series of incredibly stunning parks, sculpture gardens and fountains, as well as the Fairmount Water Works. These series of beautifully designed buildings were built in 1812 as the city’s second municipal waterworks. Today they house a restaurant, and a small event venue which hosts weddings and other social gatherings.

Further up the river is Philadelphia’s iconic Boathouse Row, built along lovely Kelly Drive. Boathouse Row consists of 15 boathouses housing social and rowing clubs and their racing shells. Rowing is very big in Philadelphia with all of the major colleges in the area competing regularly along the Schuylkill River and the row hosts several major rowing regattas every year. Boathouse #1, named Lloyd Hall, is the only public boathouse that’s part of the row. All the others you must be a member of their specific club to go inside.

Continuing past the last Boathouse, Turtle Rock Lighthouse, there is a long jogging and biking path that runs along the East bank of the Schuylkill River and alongside Fairmount Park. This is a great area to rent a bike or go for a nice stroll. If you enjoy hiking, take some time to wonder through Fairmount Park’s miles upon miles of hiking trails. With more than 2,000 acres of rolling hills, gentle trails, relaxing waterfront and shaded woodlands you won’t run out of things to do. Make your way up to Belmont Plateau for the best view of the city skyline there is. Some must see landmarks within the park are the dozens of Colonial era mansions that you are allowed to tour that dot the landscape, the Shofuso Japanese House and Garden, and finally the Philadelphia Zoo. Our nations first zoo sits at the far back of the park on the other side of the river. Don’t try to walk to the zoo, though. It’s quite a ways away and the neighborhood around the zoo gets sketchy rather quickly. If you’re going, drive in and park inside the zoo’s parking lot.

One final word about the Museum District…just outside this district, just a couple blocks east and a block or two north of the Philadelphia Museum of Art (technically the Fairmount District of the city) is one of the coolest attractions in the city. Eastern State Penitentiary is an ancient and previously abandoned correctional facility that used to hold some of the country’s most notorious gangsters, even housing Al Capone for some time after his incarceration. Once the country’s most famous and expensive prison, today it lies in ruins. Today it is a museum of sorts, providing incredibly creepy photo opportunities and tours that deal with our country’s complicated criminal justice system and the horrors of using punishment as deterrent. It also provides the backdrop to Philadelphia’s scariest haunted house over Halloween.

Center City

Center City encompasses an area around City Hall from about Race Street to Locust and from about 8th Street to 18th Street. In this area there are a few main attractions: City Hall, The Liberty Towers, The Comcast Building and Reading Terminal; as well as a ton of great restaurants and bars. You’ll also find the section of Broad Street, just south of City Hall, that’s referred to as the Avenue of the Arts, which plays host to The Kimmel Center as well as some other theaters and music venues.

City Hall

This imposingly gorgeous building is well worth your time to look around. You are free to walk around inside and can even buy tickets to go up to the very top of the clock tower. On top of this clock tower stands William Penn, the founder of Pennsylvania and its namesake. Until 1984, there was a city ordinance that no building could be built that would be taller than the William Penn statue on top of City Hall. New York’s ascension as the Northeast’s business hub owes itself to this outdated bylaw. At the turn of the century and through most of the 20th century, businesses that would have wanted to come to Philadelphia were turned away due to lack of office space as no sky scrapers were allowed and went to NYC instead. This owes a lot to Philadelphia’s continued inferiority complex regarding New York City.

In 1983, the Philadelphia 76ers, lead by Julius “Dr J” Erving, won the NBA Championship. After this the city ordinance prohibiting any building from exceeding the height of William Penn was lifted and in 1984, the Liberty Towers as well as much of the city skyline was erected. That started an over 20 year championship drought for the city in all 4 major sports. In 2008 construction of the Comcast Tower, the city’s current tallest building was coming to an end. As the last cross beam was put in place at the very top of the building a small replica of the Billy Penn statue was affixed dead center on the beam so that he could once again look over the city. Later that year the Phillies would finally break the now 24 year curse by winning the world series. We can only hope they’ll do the same the next time they build a skyscraper that casts a shadow on old William Penn.

The Comcast Center

The Comcast Center, located at 17th and JFK Blvd, is the city’s tallest building and the communication business hub of the entire Northeastern United States. Inside this amazing structure there’s a number of cool things to do.

Located on the upper level of the lobby of the Comcast Technologyy Center exists a free immersive experience referred to as the Universal Sphere. Inside the sphere exists a 360-degree dome theater which shows a 15 min movie created by Steven Spielberg, DreamWorks Animation, Universal Studios and Comcast Labs. The feature, called The Power of I, explores the power of ideas. In order to see the 15 min video you simply need to make a free, complimentary same-day reservation by clicking HERE.

The Comcast Experience, located in the Comcast Center’s lobby, features a 10 million pixel, 2,100-square-foot screen, that comprises one of the world’s largest 4mm LED continuous video walls. No tickets are required, it is a free, year round production. Make sure to stop in during the holidays for the building’s Holiday Spectacular Show.

Inside the Comcast Center there are a handful of absolutely stunning restaurants, namely Jean-Georges, which might have the best view in the city, JG SkyHigh and Vernick Fish.

Finally, the views from the Comcast Technology Center observation deck are said to give you a view of over 80 miles.

Liberty One Tower

There are few better views, however, than the one from the One Liberty Observation Deck. Here you’ll get a full panoramic view of the city from the 57th floor, 883 feet above street level. It is open 365 days a year, and tickets can be bought onsite.

As part of the added fun, you’ll pass a set of huge feet with buckled shoes at the bottom of your ascent and when you reach the observation deck you’ll see that those feet terminate in a giant sculpture of Ben Franklin’s head.

Reading Terminal Market

One of America’s largest and oldest public markets, this old train depot has been housing food stands from around the city since 1893. You’ll find an incredible selection of locally sourced and exotic produce as well as meats from local farms. You’ll also find food stands selling every kind of meal you can possibly imagine.

Our favorite spots are:

DeNic’s Roast Pork: Some will tell you that the cheesesteak is the sandwich of Philadelphia, but any true Philadelphian knows that the roast pork sandwich is the best sandwich in town. DeNic’s makes a top 5 roast pork sandwich by any measure. Get yours with broccoli rabe, sharp provolone, horseradish and long hot peppers. Their roast beef sandwich is pretty freaking good too.

Termini Bros Bakery: If you want to try some Italian desserts like cannoli, stop by Termini Bros for dessert.

Famous 4th Street Cookies: If cannolis aren’t your thing, stop by Famous 4th Street Cookies for some of the best ooey-est, gooey-est chocolate chip cookies around.

By George: has pickled hot peppers stuffed with sharp provolone and prosciutto that are to die for as well as a bunch of other good Italian deli type staples.

The Amish stands make some great ribs and other farm fresh meat products

And, The Original Turkey makes the best turkey sandwich you’ll ever try.

As for places to eat in Center City

Vetri Cucina: Simply the best meal we’ve ever eaten anywhere on Earth. This meal will set you back hundreds of dollars, but it is well worth it on a special occasion.

Barbuzzo: A dimly lit, chic, slightly cramped, mediterranean joint serving up some of the best mediterranean tapas in town.

Del Frisco’s: Hands down the best steakhouse in town.

El Vez: A bright, exciting and fun Mexican restaurant by famed restauranteur Steven Starr.

Little Nonna’s: An adorable Italian restaurant with a quaint little firefly lit patio serving up the kind of food only an Italian grandma could make.

Sampan: An excellent Asian Fusion restaurant.

Raw Sushi: One of the best sushi spots in town. Also features an incredible bar and outdoor patio seating where you can get lychee martinis or sake.

Indeblue: A fantastic Indian-fusion restaurant.

Vedge: Philadelphia’s premier vegan and vegetarian spot set in a charming old mansion

As for places to drink in Center City

Bob & Barbara’s Lounge: a ruckus dive bar turned drag queen haven is the only game in town when it comes to the best drag show in Philadelphia.

Harp & Crown: One of the coolest bars in the city. Combines a manly yet chic atmosphere with huge vaulted ceilings. Has mixtures of steampunk, dark leather and industrial chic in the upstairs dining and bar area and downstairs is a two lane bowling alley.

XIX: Located atop the Bellvue on the corner of Walnut and Broad Street on the 19th floor is one of Philadelphia’s best views for having drinks. XIX is also a restaurant, but their bar really steals the show.

McGillin’s Old Ale House: Oldest continually operating pub in America. This is where Ben Franklin used to get drunk and then go haggle with prostitutes out on the street corner. It’s a colonial era beer hall with a tremendous beer list.

Milk Boy: A great local bar with a cool upstairs featuring local nightly live music.

Writers Block Rehab: A quirky library themed cocktail bar

Chris’s Jazz Cafe: Philadelphia’s premier jazz club.

Time: a local jazz dive with some great local acts.

Rittenhouse

The area surrounding Rittenhouse Square is known as the city of Philadelphia’s most ritzy and well to do part of town. The park itself is beautiful, the surrounding stone homes are stunning and the restaurants and bars within walking distance are all super nice. Don’t go to Philly without walking around Rittenhouse Square and venturing out to a couple of the places around the park.

The park itself has a ton of stuff going on, particularly a weekly weekend market where vendors and artists set up their tents around the periphery of the park. After checking out the Park, head to the best French style bistro in town, called Parc, that sits right across from Rittenhouse Square. It’s the perfect spot to grab a bite to eat and some drinks while doing people watching from their French style outdoor seating or enjoying their stunningly decorated interior bar.

Other Places to Eat in Rittenhouse:

Friday Saturday Sunday: One of Philadelphia’s rock star restaurants and a city institution. Just go read the review on our page by Josh Harris.

Barclay Prime: Steven Starr’s high end steak house.

Vernick Food and Drink: Simply one of the best restaurants in town. Again read the review by Josh Harris. This restaurant is top 3 in the city easily.

Oyster House: The only place you should consider going for oysters in the city of Philadelphia.

Tria: A great, casual local wine bar

Luke’s Lobster: You’ll find the best lobster sandwiches on earth in this hidden underground lobster shack.

Alma de Cuba: Fusion fare with Cuban influences.

Pizzeria Vetri: a great spot for perfect wood fired pizza.

Federal Donuts: The best spot for donuts in the city.

Other Places to Drink near Rittenhouse

Continental Midtown: One of the best roof deck bars in the city

The Ranstead Room: A swanky speakeasy with craft cocktails

The Franklin Bar: An unmarked door leads to a chic subterranean speakeasy

The Library Bar: A high class spot with a cozy fireplace

Village Whiskey: A rugged place to drink from a fantastic selection of whiskies.

Queen Village

Queen Village is the section of Philadelphia, just south of South Street. It runs from South Street to Christian St from North to South and from Front Street to about 10th from East to West.

The highlight of Queen Village is South Street, this is Philadelphia’s hip alternative young, punk rock, tatted up bar scene. The street has some great restaurants, some really fantastic bars and a bunch of the coolest boutique shopping stores around. Starting at around 3rd and South is Philadelphia summer staple, Rita’s Italian Ice. They serve some of the best water ice in town (pronounced ‘wooder ice’). Just up the street is Lorenzo and Sons Pizza. Here they serve only one type of pizza by the slice and that’s giant regular cheese pizza. This is the best drunk meal in town by far. On the corner of 4th and South is the legendary Jim’s Cheesesteaks. Of the famous tourist trap cheesesteak joints, this is probably the best. There’s better cheesesteaks in town for sure, but Jim’s is the standard of what a decent cheesesteak should be over which all other places are judged. Between 5th and 6th is one of the best bars in the city, Tattooed Mom. Go in and grab a drink in this eclectically decorated local bar and enjoy some of their free lollipops.

The next couple blocks are filled with awesome boutique clothing shops. If you’re looking for some crazy cool shoes that you’re never going to see anywhere, this is your spot. One of my favorite places to get shoes in the city is a spot called Dude’s Boutique. They have everything from dress shoes to sneakers. I got both sets of shoes I wore to my wedding and the rehearsal dinner at this little shop.

Between 7th and 8th on South, is Philadelphia’s best German restaurant and bar, Brauhaus Schmitz. They have dozens of German beers on tap and they do a killer set up for group events. We’ve hosted a couple bachelor parties in their dining area where they do beer tastings and a full roast pig for the table.

The one touristy thing to do in this part of town, which is mostly residential besides South Street, is to check out Philadelphia’s Magic Gardens. This funky folk art venue provides mosaicked galleries, a sculpture garden maze and educational programs. The creator, Isaiah Zagar, used handmade tiles, bottles, bicycle wheels, mirror, and international folk art to chronicle his life and influences. The space is made up of two indoor galleries and a bi-level outdoor sculpture garden. It is now a non-profit museum dedicated to his life’s work.

A little past 13th Street is Ms Tootsie’s Soul Food. If you’re looking for some down home, savory delicious soul food, look no further. A little up the street is the best soft serve Ice Cream shop in town, Big Gay Ice Cream.

At 9th and Christian is Philadelphia’s famed Italian market, where storefronts and street vendors sell old world delicacies from Italy. Anthony’s Italian Coffee and Chocolate House is a great spot to get a cappuccino and some chocolate, DiBruno Bros. is a Philadelphia institution as a small local grocer as they sell some of the best Italian food in town. If you’re looking to prepare your own food one evening, or you want to bring back a treat from Philadelphia (they do amazing gift baskets), this is the place to get gourmet hand made pasta, sauces, oils, charcuterie, cheese, roasted peppers, you name it…if it’s Italian and delicious you’ll find it here.

At the intersection of 9th and Passyunk Ave there sits, catty corner to one another, the two iconic Philadelphia cheesesteak places who have been arguing for years over who invented the sandwich first, Pat’s and Geno’s. They have very different styles. Pat’s is your traditional Philly cheesesteak with chopped up, thinly cut beef and the one that I think is infinitely better.

Make sure you read the signs on how to order. They use shorthand phrases to take your order quick and if you get to the front of the line and don’t have your order on the tip of your tongue you will be rather rudely told to get to the back of the line. “Wit” is how you order your cheesesteak with onions. “Wiz wit” means with cheese wiz and onions. I typically order mine “provolone wit, with hot peppers.” God bless you if you call it a cheesesteak sandwich. Geno’s in my opinion is trash. They use thicker flat beef that they fold over on itself and slather that thing in cheeze whiz. To each their own, just know if you prefer Geno’s I think of you as a garbage person.

The best cheesesteak by far in the city, as well as the best pork sandwich can be found at a little dive called John’s Roast Pork on Weccacoe Ave and Snyder. This place is a little out of the way. It’s not too far, but definitely not walkable from the city center, so you’ll need to drive or take an Uber, but this is the type of roadside dive that’s been making the same 5 sandwiches for 40 years that you need to make a pilgrimage to. No first time visitor to Philadelphia should leave the city without experiencing a pork sandwich from John’s or their bacon cheesesteak with sharp provolone, onions and peppers. Be aware that John’s is closed on Sundays and Mondays.

For a truly awesome dining experience, stop in at Famous 4th Street Delicatessen, on 4th and Bainbridge. This place makes deli sandwiches like the Carnegie Deli in NYC with meat piled so high you have to use a fork to eat it. Have them make your sandwich on a Jewish potato knish for a really spectacular treat.

Other Places to eat in Queen Village

Hungry Pigeon: The best coffee shop and artisanal food corner shop you’ll ever find.

Little Fish BYOB: Philadelphia’s best seafood BYOB

Ralphs: homemade Italian food served inside a row home turned dining room.

Isgros: Famous traditional Italian bakery that’s in the running for best cannolis in town

New Wave Cafe: The best local dive bar in town, serves up some of the best food around as well.

Fez: A Moroccan restaurant that turns into a hookah bar with belly dancers late at night.

John’s Water Ice: The best water ice in town

Chinatown

Chinatown is kinda gross and smelly in Philadelphia. It’s definitely not a place you’d like to hang out for too long. Too many weird food products being sold next to live seafood and slaughtered animal carcasses for this place to ever smell pleasant. That being said there are a few places that are well worth a quick in and out visit.

Charcoal soft-serve cone at Kuriimii: Serving up some of the boldest and most unique flavors of soft serve, Kuriimii provides the most instagrammable ice cream cones you’ll ever find. None more so than their charcoal-vanilla flavored ice cream dusted with Flamin’ Hot Cheetos.

Hop Sing Laundromat: Named one of the 30 greatest bars in the world by Conde Nast Traveler, this speakeasy is worth going into stinky Chinatown just for the experience. The owner, Le, is a character, who pretends to be a North Korean ex-pat on social media, calling his bar “The World’s Greatest North Korean Cocktail Bar according to all inferior Imperialist Americans.” He will refuse you service, kick you out and ban you for life if you act up and are unruly in anyway. The list of banned patrons is over 4000. He routinely gets into Facebook spats with former customers that have gotten so bad that he’s now on his 5th or 6th Facebook account as the previous accounts have been banned. If you complain on yelp, be prepared to be berated and called American Imperialist Scum.

Most common reasons for being banned are bad/no tips, bad yelp reviews, taking a photo (photos are strictly prohibited), and going in just to check it out and then not ordering a drink. This place is fully legit though. Behind a nondescript, unmarked metal door is one of the coolest and best cocktail bars in the world. You must buzz the buzzer and wait for the doorman to open the door. If anyone in your group is wearing sandals, sneakers, shorts or a hat you will be denied entrance immediately. If anyone in your group plays with or answers their phone or takes photos you will be banned for life. All patrons have their IDs scanned so that they can track who is banned for life.

One sip of these amazing cocktails though, featuring ingredients and combinations you will find nowhere else will make the entire gimmick fade away. Le is a magician with cocktails. Don’t try to show up here with a large loud group. It’s not going to work. Instead, show up when it opens around 5pm with one or two other people, 4 at the most, and get a bunch of cocktails before heading around the corner to Spice C for a bowl of hand-pulled noodles in Szechuan broth.

Franklin Square: located right off the Ben Franklin Bridge is Franklin Square. It’s a cute little park that has an old antique merry-go-round and a small little coffee shop bistro at its center. They do a fabulous festival of lights during Christmas and Chinese New Years. If it’s during either of those times it’s worth a visit if you happen to be in Chinatown for some reason.

Northern Liberties

Northern Liberties is Philadelphia’s up and coming, young hip area of town. On the other side of the Ben Franklin Bridge and past Callowhill and Spring Garden Streets, you’ll find a little hipster enclave full of 30 something professionals, cool bars, hip restaurants, and underground music venues.

The best place to start your adventure in Northern Liberties is at North 3rd. This local bar and crazily decorated restaurant is the perfect local hangout. They also serve the best wings in the entire city. Their Famous North 3rd Wings are to die for and their Sweet Asian Teriyaki are nearly as good.

If you walk north on 3rd Street, you’ll eventually hit Ortlieb’s. If you’re looking for good music this is the best spot for jazz music in the entire city. It’s the type of place that true jazz aficionados frequent. Right past Ortlieb’s is Poplar Street. Make a right here and head over to 2nd Street. On the corner of 2nd Street and Poplar is the Foodery, a wonderful local grocery shop that makes delicious sandwiches and sells craft and specialty beers from all over the world as singles that you can make your own six pack with by mixing and matching. Across from the Foodery is the Standard Tap, one of the better bars in Northern Liberties, featuring pool tables and tons of different rooms where people can sit and talk and hang out.

If you continue North up 2nd Street, you’ll pass North Bowl, an amazingly cool bowling alley with live music and a full bar. If you want a lane on a weekend night though, make sure you make a reservation in advance. The rest of 2nd Street until Germantown Avenue is cool restaurants and bars. The Piazza up on the right has a bunch of cool restaurants, bars and shopping. The other direction on 2nd, South from Standard Tap, is another line of cool restaurants and bars. If you’re looking for a fun dance party in the upstairs of a former residential row home, check out the upstairs at The 700, on the corner of 2nd and Fairmount Ave.

Finally, before leaving Northern Liberties, make sure to stop at the Yards Brewing Company on 5th and Spring Garden St. to grab a flight of Yards Beer

Other Things to do in Philadelphia

Glass Blowing Classes: Philadelphia has a shocking number of glass blowing classes, which could make a fun night out.

Check Out Philly’s Murals: Philly is known for its gorgeous street murals. With over 4000 murals throughout the city there are plenty to see. HERE’s photos of all the best murals in Philly and HERE is a list of the top ten.

Take a cooking class at COOK

Taste 17 Whiskeys at New Liberty Distillery

Go rock climbing at Go Vertical

If it’s winter time go skating outside at Dilworth Park or Blue Cross River Rink Winterfest

Drink while throwing Axes at Urban Axes.

Look up Drew Nugent before you go out in Philadelphia at night. If you’re interested in seeing a wild, crazy, drunk, and quite possibly high musical savant (seriously one of the most talented musicians I’ve ever seen) absolutely tear up 1920s-1940s style jazz music, while putting on an amazing show, find this guy and go watch him perform wherever he is around the city. Click on his name above for his website or HERE for his facebook page for even more up to date info. Make a point of seeing him if you can. It’s a fun time.