A Philadelphia Staycation? How often are you a tourist in your hometown? Would you even think to stay overnight in a hotel and visit the popular and offbeat attractions?  The staycation, a term that I’m not a fan of to be honest, has become more popular as folks look to define the fact that they are not doing the “big trip” whether due to schedules, money or kids activities near home.   However you define a staycation, there’s surprisingly lots to do in your hometown and within driving distance that you’ve always said “we should visit that sometime” well now is sometime.  It’s almost embarrassing that I had never visited the Rodin Museum until recently when I stayed at the Logan Hotel.  It’s an amazing collection, the largest outside of Paris, and for years I kept saying “someday”. So while you aren’t at work, let’s plan to get you out and about in Philadelphia.

So how to make the most of your staycation and not do “the honey do” list?  A few ideas to share for folks in the Philadelphia area and for those visiting Philadelphia for a day trip from NYC, D.C. or elsewhere.

Staycation Step #1 – Plan and/or Schedule (accordingly as this is still vacation time)

Plan the day out so you don’t get off track by errands or other home tasks. Don’t get too structured so you can have time to wander and discover something new. The only hard time is when to leave the house.

Staycation Step #2 –Define a Budget

Will you do day trips and sleep at home or splurge for hotel/airbnb? Check out Hotel Tonight, UWishUKnew and VisitPhilly for overnight stays and staycation packages.  Don’t park at the hotel as that could add up to $50 a night to the bill.  Look for local parking lots by PPA or book online advance with your favorite parking provider. If the package offers a choice of food or parking, take the parking!

Staycation Step #3 –Plan Your Meals – You might curate by neighborhood.

Food in Philly – You won’t go hungry in this city. Reading Terminal Market is a must see, do, eat.  After that, the new kid on the food scene is The Bourse Food Hall (across from the Liberty Bell). Throughout the city, there are a plethora of food carts on the corners of the Center City streets (popular before the evolution to the food truck) and food trucks serving all types of cuisine.  Your staycation might include trying the newest, popular or iconic restaurant in the city, for that you’ll need to use Open Table for reservations (maybe this is good time to redeem your points to save money on dining).

Staycation Step #4 –Pick a Theme (Instagram theme day)

There’s so much to do in Philadelphia that it can be overwhelming to think you can do it all.  You can’t.  What you can do though is plan a theme to your day(s).

A few Philadelphia Staycation theme examples:

Art Galleries – Old City First Friday (of the month) when the Art Galleries open to all to wander in/out.

Dinner: The Continental, Spasso Italian or Amada.  You could try your luck at the bar of Zahav, recently named the Best Restaurant in the U.S. (reservations are tough since the awards announcement).

History – One Day in Historic Philadelphia

Liberty Bell – Independence Hall – Second Bank of the US  – Ben Franklin Museum –Elfreth’s Alley – Visitor Center with the Hershey Kitchen Café – Revolution Museum – Constitution Center – US Mint – Betsy Ross House – Christ Church.

Lunch break at The Bourse Food Hall, The Continental or Campo’s (best meatball sandwich)

Mural Arts/Street Art –

Mural Arts Tours – Walking and Trolley Tours – The Love Letter by the El (Fall only).

Philadelphia Street Art Tour by StreetsDept (Conrad Benner) – a different neighborhood each month.

Museums – Too many to list – pick one and explore the nearby neighborhood.

[Parkway Neighborhood] Parkway Museums – Dinosaurs at Natural History – Marvel Heroes at The Franklin Institute – Impressionists at the Barnes – Sculpture at The Rodin – Rocky Steps – Art Museum

Food/Drink (create your own) –

Iconic Philadelphia foods (Jim’s Steaks on South, Rita’s Water Ice, Philly Soft Pretzel Factory, Wawa and Reading Terminal Market for Termini’s Cannoli, Basset’s Ice Cream and DiNic’s Roast Pork Sandwich)

South Philadelphia  – Passyunk Avenue Restaurants from tomato pie to Barcelona tapas.

Beer Gardens and Yards Brewery

Philadelphia Distillery Trail – visit the many PA based distilleries (make sure you have a sober driver or Uber planned out if drinking)

 

Shopping in Philadelphia – Philadelphia and Pennsylvania has no sales tax on shopping for clothes and shoes.  Sales tax on other purchases is 6% for State of PA and additional 1% in city of Philadelphia.

• Shopping on Walnut Street has a mix of chain stores as well as boutiques.
• Coming Soon (Fall), Philadelphia Fashion District will open near the Convention Center.
• For those venturing outside the city limits, the King of Prussia Mall is a behemoth on the East Coast. It is also surrounded by restaurants, experiences and shops outside the mall.  The mall has an app, make sure to download it to plan your visit.  Comfortable walking shoes are a MUST.
• A bit further away in Oaks, PA is the Philadelphia Premium Outlets, an outdoor mall filled with outlet shops.
• For those QVC fans, you know who you are, you can go to Studio Park and take various tours of QVC studios from the basic tour to a VIP tour (fees vary). They also have a Studio Outlet store in Frazer, PA and Lancaster, PA

Factory Tours – times and costs vary

• Herr’s Snack Factory (Nottingham, PA)
• Crayola Crayons Factory (Easton, PA)
• Asher’s Chocolates (Souderton, PA)
• Harley Davidson Factory (York, PA)
• Hershey World which includes Hershey Park amusements

Staycation Step #6 – Special Events in/around Philadelphia

• Free First Sunday at the Barnes Foundation [combine with The Rodin museum next door, Rocky Steps, photos and stroll along Boathouse Row].
• Marvel Universe of Super Heroes at Franklin Institute
  • Go to Urban Farmer Philadelphia for food followed by drinks with a view at Assembly, the Logan Hotel’s rooftop bar overlooking Logan Circle and the Parkway
• Giraffes in the Suburbs at Elmwood Park Zoo (Norristown)
• Did you know you can stay overnight on the Battleship New Jersey? Fun for kids of all ages.
• Summer on Penn’s Landing –  RiverRink roller skating – Spruce Street Harbor Park – Cherry Street Pier
• Summer Movie Night in the City (time/day varies)
  • Laurel Hill Cemetery $12 – july (Coco), august (Beetlejuice), sept (Gremlins)
  • Mann at the Movies – Philly Orchestra (fee)
  • Philly Parks
    • Moonlight Movies Mt. Airy
    • Dilworth Park
  • Charity Movies – Cira Green (Wed)
  • La Peg Beer Garden (Wed)
  • King of Prussia Towne Center (Thurs)
  • Schulykill River Park (Thurs)
  • Manayunk (Thurs)
  • NE Philly (Thurs)
  • Bartham’s Garden (Friday)
  • Betsy Ross House $5 (Friday)

Philadelphia Staycation Step #7 Walking Everywhere

Comfortable walking shoes are key to visiting Philadelphia. If you’d rather there is the Hop On/Hop Off Tourist Bus as well as the Flash Bus.

• Walking from City Hall/Dilworth Park – LOVE Park – Sisters Park – Logan Fountain – Parkway – Ekins Oval – Rocky Steps – Boathouse Row and back.
• Play a Game – Flags on the Parkway with Photos (Scavenger Hunt)
• Art Museum to South Street Bridge to The Magic Gardens and Jim’s South Street

Philadelphia Staycation Step #8 Have Fun

Discover the City – Go Home to Sleep – Rinse – Repeat for each day of Staycation

Hopefully these provide you with a starting point for how to spend your Philadelphia Staycation. For those wanting to jump on a bus, train or in the car to go to New York, Baltimore Inner Harbor, Washington, D.C. or the Jersey Shore that’s for another post.  Because being in Philadelphia gives us so many options to explore the East Coast in one day or more that we rarely have reason to leave the city.

What do you like to do in the Philadelphia area for a staycation?

Check out my “Staycations” travel segment on WHYY’s You Oughta Know, airing July 4th.