Philadelphia travel
jo4janet
member
Hello Philly bumpies,
After a long discussion, DH and I will be taking a trip to Philly with our soon to be 15 month old to celebrate our anniversary. I figured this would be the best board to post on regarding things to do. We need places to go that are not super expensive to entertain DD and ourselves, of course. I read in a parenting magazine about the Please Touch museum and of course the Philadelphia zoo (if the weather holds up). Also, places to eat that are toddler friendly and transportation information. How is it driving in downtown Philly? What is the parking situation like? We are going from Saturday the 5th (next weekend) to Tuesday the 8th. Is finding parking a major inconvenience or tolerable? TIA for your feedback and travel ideas.
Re: Philadelphia travel
I believe the art museum is only free the FIRST Sundays of the month now. I think the Please Touch and the Franklin are the most kid-friendly. There's also Franklin Square (just north of old city/east of chinatown) that has a merry-go-round and Philadelphia-themed mini-golf and the like. If you're looking for cheap parking, there's the Drexel/Hahneman lot on 15th and Spring that's only $5 after 5 and on weekends. It's a little out of the way, but can save you $10-$15 a day.
As for the Phlash, it only runs May 1-Oct 31, but, you can take Septa <most> places. (Although, the Please Touch and the Museums are a little less convenient on Septa.) Honestly, I take Septa every day and (for the most part) love it, but my husband and I have never had too hard a time finding parking between the Academy of Natural Sciences (19th & the Ben Franklin Parkway) and the Art Museum, although we haven't tried since they've been doing construction on the Parkway. I know they changed the traffic patterns a little, so I'm not sure if they eliminated some of the parking or not...(oh, and parking is no problem at the Please Touch and you should find ample parking at the zoo, just be forewarned that neither are in the <best> of neighborhoods)
I also love the Constitution Center and the Liberty Bell/Independence Hall tours, though I'm not sure how excited a 15 month old would be for them. Everything in Independence National Park is free though (just make sure you go to Independence Visitor's Center in the morning the day you want to go see Independence Hall because entrance is by timed ticket, even though it's free).
The Dutch Eating Place in Reading Terminal Market (Open Wed-Saturday) has the BEST apple dumplings (and other PA Dutch/Amish cuisine) and if you go late afternoon Saturday, you can also score a great deal on baked goods at the bakery the stand next door.