Ten Unusual Things to See in Philadelphia, PA

Where Rocky Balboa ran up the art museum steps and where the Constitution was signed by America's Founders, Philadelphia has a lot to offer in terms of sight-seeing. While most people will dutily visit the Liberty Bell and see Independence Hall, Philadelphia has many off the beaten track spots for the discerning tourist!

1. Mutter Museum: Founded originally to educate doctors in the 19th century. The museum houses medical curiosities like conjoined twins and a catalog of foreign objects removed from the body. A colorful and informative museum meant to amaze and disturb.

19 South 22nd Street, Philadelphia, PA, 19103.

Hours of operation: 10am-5pm, 7 days a week. Closed Thanksgiving Day, December 25th, and January 1st.

NOTE: The Mütter Museum will close at 2pm on Christmas Eve (December 24th), 2006.

Reservations are not required for general visitors. However, reservations *are* required for group tours of ten people or more.

Admission:
General Admission (Ages 18-64): $12
Children (Ages 6-17): $8
Senior Citizens (Age 65+): $8
Students with valid ID: $8
Student groups: $6 per student
Fellows of the College: FREE
Children under 6: FREE

2. Laurel Hill Cemetary: Built during the mid-1800's, the Cemetary is a Victorian Cemetary at its best. A city of the dead that houses Philadelphia's (and America's) robberbarons and other elite. The cemetary is really cheery and mostly well-maintained. Has amazing views of the Schuykill River along "Millionaire's Row" where all of Philadelphia's big-named families were buried in elaborately decorated mausoleums the size of one-family houses. (the guide says that these were the most expensive plots because the cemetary used to serve as a promenade ground for the idle rich. Back when the convenient way to get to this part of the city was by boat, the area that has become "Millionaire's Row" was the easier to reach by ladies in their big hoop skirts.) Guided tours are great but self-guided tours can be done with a map you get from the main office.

Hours
Grounds open Mon-Fri 8am-4pm; Sat 9:30am-1:30pm

Address

3822 Ridge Ave

Philadelphia, PA
Transportation

Bus: 61. Car: Go north on East River Dr., make a right on Ferry Rd., go 1 block to Ridge Ave., and turn right. The entrance is a half-mile down on the right; Free parking but limited inside the grounds
Phone

215/228-8200

Prices

The Friends of Laurel Hill arranges tours (tel. 215/228-8817); $10 donation per person

3. Japanese Tea House in Fairmount Park: A 16th Century Style Japanese Tea House complete with tea ceremonies on special days, the Japanese Tea House in Fairmount Park is a beautiful retreat away from the city within the city. Beautiful koi pond (where you can buy Koi food) and lovely Japanese architecture and greenery. A little hard to find but an incredible experience. Closed for Winter.
www.shofuso.com

4. Eastern State Penitentary: Located in the Fairmount neighborhood in Philadelphia, the Pentientary used to be an operational jail up until the 1960s. Built with the intention to "reform" prisoners through solitary confinement and the teaching of a trade in the 1800s in what used to be rural Philadelphia, the penitentary was the first of its kind in America. Architectually astounding because of its fortress like facade and panopticon insides, it is an amazing site. The self-guided tour narrated by Steve Buscemi is excellent.

It is located on Fairmount Avenue between 21st and 22nd Streets in the Fairmount section of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, 5 blocks north of the Philadelphia Museum of Art.
www.easternstate.org

5. Franklin Square: Franklin Square is newly renovated in 2006 as a tribute to Ben Franklin's 300th Birthday. It features the brand-new, 30-horse Philadelphia Park Liberty Carousel, a specially designed 18-hole course of Philly Mini Golf, two state-of-the-art playgrounds and a beautifully restored 19th-century fountain.

6th and Race Streets
Philadelphia, PA 19106

6. Memorial Hall and 1876 Centennial (Please Touch Museum): Amazing domed building in the middle of of a strip of Fairmount Park that was the site of the 1876 Centennial. In disrepair for a long time but soon to be occupied by the Please Touch Museum. The Fairmount Park Association Writes: " From the Schuylkill Expressway you can see its dome peaking above the treetops. Or you may recognize it as the backdrop for many a movie set. Memorial Hall is one of Fairmount Park's most recognizable landmarks and the only major building left from the 1876 Centennial Exposition.Fairmount Park Chief Engineer Hermann Schwarzmann created this national significant Centennial Art Gallery as one of America's first examples of Beaux-Arts architecture. Memorial Hall's price tag was $1.5 million, quite a sum at that time. Consider though that Memorial Hall was built without wood and was fireproofed. The dedication of this fine building was made by U.S. President Ulysses S. Grant at the Centennial. Memorial Hall served as the city's art museum until the Philadelphia Museum of Art opened in 1928."

West Fairmount Park
4231 North Concourse Drive
Philadelphia, PA 19131

7. City Hall Tour: Tour the building itself (though it's currently undergoing facade work) and go up the tower that William Penn stands on top of. When I first saw it, I immediately thought of French architecture... Turns out I was right. Built in French Renaisance Revivial Style, it took 30 years to build and by the time they finished, people hated it. Tours are free and the tower view is AMAZING.

City Hall Interior Tours
FREE guided tours.
Hours: Monday through Friday leaving at 12:30pm
Tours last approximatly 1-1/2 hours.
Tours leave from the City Hall Tour Information Center Room 121 (East City Hall Entrance)
Contact phone 215-686-2840.

City Hall Tower Tours
FREE Tickets.
View the city from 40 stories.
Hours: Monday through Friday 9:30am-4:30pm
Note: 10am-Noon is often reserved for schools. Pick up your tickets early because they do fill up the tours fast.
Ticket are available in the City Hall Tour Information Center Room 121 (East City Hall Entrance)
Ticket are timed every 15 minutes and the elevator only holds 5 people per tour.
Contact phone 215-686-2840.

8. Trocadero: A theatre on the edge of Chinatown that used to be a vaudeville revue that now hosts indie acts and cult movies on Mondays. The building isn't that much to look at but it's interesting. It's a brilliantly small venue where you can catch no-name bands to recognizable ones like My Chemical Romance. There's netting all along the ceiling so that when spectators jump, the crumbly ceiling pieces are caught. It's an experience worth having if you're into cool music venues.

1003 Arch Street
Philadelphia, PA
www.thetroc.com for shows and times

9. Philadelphia's Magic Garden: A really bizarre glass and industrial "garden" that is beautiful and striking in its oddness. Started in the 60s in a not so nice neighborhood in turbulent Philadelphia, artists began making sculpture out of glass and metals. There are various facades on South Street that qualify as being part of the garden. Start at 15th street and South and walk towards smaller numbers.

10. Washington Square: Used as a potter's field and cemetary for strangers around William Penn's time, it's a lovely little square with lots of light, seating, and greenery. Definitely less crowded and hip than Rittenhouse Square, Washington Square is right by the Jewelry District on 6th/7th Street. The country's largest farm publication--The Farm Journal--is still there. The Athenaem is there (a special-collections library with what it's own website calls, "a severely plain exterior...deceptive in scale... with richly embellished rooms and 24ft ceilings." Nice place to sit down and contemplate.

Location: Bounded by 6th and 7th Streets and Walnut and South Seventh Street

11 and then on... I couldn't stop. I'll just list but these are great places too!

1. Atwater Kent museum: A great little museum with so many awesome (and very different!) exhibits.
15 South 7th Street, Philadelphia, PA 19106
215.685.4830 voice · 215.685.4837

2. LOVE Fountain

3. Fountains at Logan Square (my favorite)

4. The Philadelphia Free Library Main Branch

5. Moore Institute Art Galleries