Fairmount Park, . Technically, Fairmount Park covers all of the city parks in Philadelphia such as Pennypack Park in the northeast and Wissahickon Valley Park in the northwest, but the name also refers more specifically to the large park on both sides of the Schuykill River northwest of Center City. East Fairmount Park is home to the Smith Memorial Playground, Dell East Concerts, and a driving range. West Fairmount Park, much of which has been renamed The Centennial District, includes the Mann Music Center (where The Philadelphia Orchestra plays in summer), the Japanese TeaHouse, Please Touch Museum for kids in a restored Memorial Hall (from the nation's Centennial celebration). Wisshickon Valley is just that, with many hiking trails, the Valley Green Inn (a picturesque place to eat), and a walking/biking, horeseback riding trail know as the Forbidden Drive. �
Clark Park, 43rd & Chester, . Clark Park is an outdoor music and arts festival area in West Philadelphia. �
LOVE Park. A square near City Hall, known for its Robert Indiana "LOVE" sculpture and for attracting skateboarders from around the world (despite a ban on skating in the park). Since 2002, this ban has been rigorously enforced. Free wireless access is now available in the park. �
Rittenhouse Square. One (southwest) of William Penn's original "five squares" of public, open space in the city, Rittenhouse Square sits among classic and classy Rittenhouse hotels and residences and attracts people from around the world. It is named after David Rittenhouse, a clockmaker and astronomer. Today, you can find Rittenhouse Row, where there are tons of places nearby to eat, stay and take in the arts and culture of Philadelphia. Some places to eat are are: gelato and sorbetti shop Capogiro, Starr restaurant Continental and the Marathon Grill. Lodging includes the Four Seasons Hotel, AKA Rittenhouse Square, Rittenhouse Hotel, and the Ritz-Carlton. Cultural hot spots are the Kimmel Center, Wilma Theater, Prince Music Theater and the Philadelphia Horticultural Society. Another activity that one can take part in when in Rittenhouse is shopping. Some places include Barnes & Noble Booksellers (with a Starbucks Cafe inside on the 3rd floor), Armani Exchange, Philadelphia Runner, Guess, and just a few blocks away is the Liberty Place. �
Washington Square (southeast), Franklin Square (northeast), Logan Square (northwest), and City Hall (center) make up the other four original "squares" created by William Penn. Four of the five squares (Logan Square is better known as Logan Circle) are somewhat symmetrically located at the four corners of an imaginary square surrounding the very center of Center City, now occupied by City Hall. The center of City Hall's Square is a large compass in the ground. There are four archways leading into it. Logan Circle, named after William Penn's secretary James Logan, is considered the gateway to Fairmount Park and the Art Museum area. Up until 1823, Logan Circle was an execution site as well as burial ground. Located in Logan Circle is the Swann Memorial Fountain. Washington Square is near Independence Hall. It was also used as a burial ground and in addition, as a potter's field. Franklin Square is located on the outskirts of Chinatown at 6th and Race Streets. It is home to the Philadelphia Park Liberty Carousel, has a Philadelphia-themed miniature golf course, two playgrounds, and a gift shop. Like Logan Circle, Franklin Square also has a fountain. New technology causes the water to shoot lower on rainy or windy days so by standers do not become wet.
FDR Park, known as "The Lakes" to the locals, is in South Philadelphia near the stadium district. It offers many activities such as fishing, bird watching, tennis, baseball and rugby. There is also a skate park underneath the bridge that runs throughout the park. Located within FDR is Bellaire Manor.
Pennypack Park Large city park ranging throughout Northeast Philadelphia. This park includes creeks, waterfalls, biking trails, dog walking trails, and home to the Pennypack Park Music Festival. The music festival originally began in the 1970's, but ceased to exist in the 90s, due to insufficient funds. The music festival came back to life in 2000 with funding from local organizations. Pennypack is a thriving park that is utilized by the Northeast residents daily.
The Most Frequently Asked Travel Questions about Philadelphia
Where To Stay & Best Hotels in Philadelphia - updated May 2024
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Philadelphia Travel Guide from Wikitravel. Many thanks to all Wikitravel contributors. Text is available under Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 3.0, images are available under various licenses, see each image for details.
