Museums – The Philadelphia Art Museum is world-renowned and free on the last Sunday of every month, and in the summer hosts a “Pay What You Wish” special on Wednesdays. The Barnes Foundation, home to the incredible art collection of Albert Barnes and recently moved to Center City, is new and hot. The Rodin Museum just underwent an extensive renovation, and is right nearby, with an impressive collection of sculptures, including “The Thinker” at the main entrance. The Academy of Natural Sciences is near the Franklin Institute (an awesome science center), and of course, no visit to Philly would be complete without visiting the Mutter Museum of medical oddities — think of your medical school curriculum in one building for show and tell!
The Avenue of the Arts is home to several play houses, the Kimmel Center (home to the Philadelphia Orchestra and Opera), and the Academy of Music (visiting Broadway places, dance shows, and more). Music lovers can find gritty jazz at Ortlieb's Jazzhaus, a variety of live music at World Cafe Live, and other numerous live music clubs sprinkled throughout town. One of the nice things about Rittenhouse Square is the Curtis Institute of Music, which trains exceptionally gifted young musicians for careers as performing artists at the highest professional level on full scholarship. You can attend the intimate recitals and performances for free - Visit the Curtis Institute for performance schedule.
First Fridays in Old City – the first Friday of each month, from five to nine pm, a large number of galleries and shops in Old City are open and filled with art lovers from serious to curious. Many galleries have food and drink as well.
Walnut St. in Rittenhouse Square is lined with stores such as Williams Sonoma, Tiffany’s, Koehl’s, Barnes and Noble, Kenneth Cole, Armani, Banana Republic, Anthropologie, and Ralph Lauren, as well as and home grown shops like Joan Shepp. Smaller Boutiques dot center city and beyond. Take a break at one of the many local coffee shops, including La Colombe and Miel Patisserie. There are also big shopping malls in near by Cherry Hill (NJ) and King of Prussia.
One of the lesser known and underappreciated aspects of Philadelphia is the surprising access to quality outdoor experiences and activities.
The Schuylkill River has a trail that runs from South Street past the Art Museum, and connects with Kelly Drive - a beautiful winding road along the river that starts at Boat House Row. Fairmount Park is a system of over 60 parks and 9000 acres of land. For example, Belmont Plateau has great picnic areas with beautiful views of the city, as well as some paths through the woods for hiking, biking, or running. FDR Park near the sports stadiums has playing fields, playgrounds, and trails. Wissahickon Park is very close to center city, but seems to be a whole world away. You can follow Forbidden Drive along the river, running, hiking, or biking, and there are many options off the main trail. It runs for about 10 miles from East Falls Northwest-ward. The John Heinz National Wildlife Preserve in South Philly near the airport has lots of trails surrounding the lake. All told, Philadelphia has an abundance of outdoor spaces and activities.
Biking – Whether you like mountain biking, road riding, or watching professional bike racing, Philadelphia is filled with opportunities. In fact, some of the most challenging mountain biking you'll find in the area is within the city limits itself. Wissahickon Valley is part of Fairmont Park and is filled with miles of single track. This is hard, technical riding makes you forget you're in one of the largest cities in the country. For those of us with mere mortal riding skills, a relatively flat, firm-packed gravel road called Forbidden Drive, meanders alongside the Wissahickon Creek at the bottom of this valley. You can’t believe how far away from the city you feel here! For road riders there are many opportunities in and around the city. In Fairmont Park a bike path begins just behind the Museum of Art and runs along the Schuylkill River, out past Valley Forge, and joins a newly built biking trail along the Perkiomen River. This network is over 30 miles long. Combine that with hundreds of rural farming communities in Southern New Jersey and Central Pennsylvania, and this place was made for road riders.
Fishing – if you like fishing, this is a great place to live. Whether you prefer fishing small creeks, bass fishing in lakes and ponds, or fishing in the ocean for bluefish or striped bass, opportunities abound here. Pennsylvania is particularly special to fly fisherman and is one of the great fly-fishing destinations in the U.S. People come from all over the country each spring to fish the famous rivers of central Pennsylvania and their hatches. Waters such as the Delaware, the Letort, Falling Spring Branch, Spruce Creek, Slate and Cedar Run, and the Susquehanna all have been written up in fly fishing magazines. They offer great opportunities to fish for wild trout during large fly hatches. But just because such famous waters are a few hours away doesn't mean you have to drive far to fly-fish. Valley Forge National Monument has a wonderful and challenging spring creek filled with wild trout about 30 minutes outside the city. Wissahickon Creek is minutes from the hospital and is heavily stocked in the spring. Faculty and residents have been known to stop by for a few hours either before or after work.
The Eagles are the football team, the Phillies are the baseball team, the Flyers are the hockey team, and the Sixers are the basketball team. All the teams play down in South Philly. Citizen Bank's Park, where the Phillies play, is one of the best baseball stadiums in the MLB. Getting to the stadiums to tailgate and see your favorite teams play takes no time at all by subway from downtown. Be prepared – Philadelphians LOVE their teams.
Philadelphia, the first capital of the United States, is one of the most history-rich cities in the US. The centerpiece is Independence Hall and the Constitution Center, which is home to the Liberty Bell, but there is so much more. Simply wandering through the streets of Old City and Society Hill, the neighborhoods that surround this wonderful section of downtown, reveals delightful treasures like the Betsy Ross House, Christ Church, The First Bank of the United States, and Elfreths Alley.