Destination Philadelphia: A Place to Love
Here’s a list of places to visit in Philadelphia.
Aside from being known for their cheesesteaks, Philadelphia is also a beautiful city full of history. I got to visit Philly few years ago and fell in love with it. The mix of classic and modern architecture, the urban beauty, food scene + thriving beer scene with beer gardens, museums, parks and historical places are what makes this city come alive. I only stayed for a couple of days but I was able to see quite a bit.
It was spring, and the weather was nice. I got lucky that a friend of mine that works for American Airlines happened to be off those days I was visiting and we got caught up and he toured me around the city.
1. The Liberty Bell
The internationally-known and iconic symbol of freedom, the bell is free to visit all year-round. For those of you who don’t know the significance of the bell, the Liberty Bell was first rung on July 8, 1776, to celebrate the first public reading of the Declaration of Independence. Yeah, it is kind of a big deal to see it. It’s a must!
2. The City Hall from South Broad Street
That one and only epic view of City Hall from South Broad Street. Sure, the street gets busy. But when you get a chance, stand in the middle and snap some photos! The City Hall is also the largest municipal building in America, whoa!
3. Reading Terminal Market
It's a foodie paradise and considered to be America’s oldest farmers’ market. The indoor market, offering an open seating space, houses about 30 restaurants – with wide range variety of food, from your Southern pork sandwiches to Asian noodles. You can also find shops that sell local produce, meats, cheeses, to desserts.
4. Independence Hall
Visit the birthplace of the United States, the Independence Hall, the birthplace of the U.S. Constitution and the Declaration of Independence! Sure it’s VERY crowded, but for something so historic as this, you can’t just pass by without getting some snap shots. Currently, the UNESCO World Heritage Site is the center of Independence National Historical Park.
5. Beer Gardens
Drop by and enjoy a cold one at one of the beer gardens in Philly. The city has DOZENS of them. Marvin and I stopped by at the Independence Beer Garden and enjoyed some wings and a glass of Yuengling, considered as the oldest operating brewery company in America, and while not headquartered in Philadelphia, it’s still in Pennsylvania (Pottsville)
6. Philadelphia Museum of Arts
Stop by at one of the largest art museums in the country, the Philadelphia Museum of Arts. It sits at the end of Benjamin Franklin Parkway. And while you’re there, you might as well take a stroll at the Benjamin Franklin Parkway. It is modeled after the Champs Elysess in Paris, the most famous avenue in the world with its monuments and symmetrical landscaping.
7. Run Up the “Rocky Steps”
Run up the “Rocky Steps” and experience the finish off. A lot of tourists from different parts of the globe come here just to triumphantly run the steps of the Philadelphia Museum of Art, just like What Rocky did, from Rocky III. And once you finish off, don’t forget to snap a photo with the bronze statue of Rocky!
8. Spruce Street Harbor Park
Lounge out on colorful hammocks at the Spruce Street Harbor Park while enjoying some good eats and craft brews in the beer garden. One thing I like about this park is that it’s free and open to the public from spring through fall.
9. Panoramic View of the City
Hop on to the 33rd floor and capture that panoramic views of the city. While staying at Loews Hotel, I learned that their 33rd floor allows for a picture perfect shot of the city. They have a terrace overlooking the city.
10. Just Stroll Around the City
And lastly, just take a stroll around the city when you have extra time, and admire both classic and modern architecture all over. If you love architecture and photography, you’ll find a lot of beautiful, cool buildings around that will make for beautiful shots.
While I didn’t get to see the famous LOVE sculpture in John F. Kennedy Plaza (they were doing some re-work on it that time), I had a chance to snap a pic from the Philadelphia Museum of Arts.
Philly is known for their most famous food, the Philly cheesesteak. I wasn’t able to stop by Geno’s Steaks. I ran out of time, but I managed to grab some delish Philly cheesesteak at one of the local places in the Reading Terminal Market.
I am pretty sure there are more places and things to do in the city. I’m looking forward to doing those when I visit the city again in the near future.
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Hi, I'm Shar! I started the outbounder as a place to share my adventures as I explore different places around the world, my love for different kinds of food, and a passion to capture a moment in time through photography.
