Happy Sunday. Today’s blog is all about my review of Founding Footsteps Holiday Light Tour. Its a trolley tour that makes various stops in Philadelphia to see many of the most gorgeous light displays in the city. It’s also a BYOB for the adults. So is it family oriented? Is it worth the hype?
Why Founding Footsteps Holiday Tour?
This tour is really all about fun. Its a great way to not only see holiday lights but learn a few things about the history of Philadelphia. It’s something fun and nice to do with your family and friends. It’s unique and definitely worth the ticket to attend. So if you like getting out and having fun, seeing lights, singing Christmas carols, BYOB, and above all making memories this is your tour.
BYOB
You can’t go wrong with BYOB. BYOB which means Bring Your Own Bottle or Bring your own booze. This means that you want to pack your items appropriately. I would suggest can wines, beers, or seltzers are perfect. There is a trash can on board for you to appropriately clean up after yourself. Also once the tour starts you can drink to your heart’s content without driving and that makes it fun and safe.
Christmas Carols
Since the first tour that I took where when I went was at least one trolley, they have expanded. There are tours given every half an hour. There are plenty room for holiday cheer. Keep in mind when you are purchasing the ticket they won’t allow you to purchase more than the allotted seats. This is also a great way for you to have a little fun and be save doing so. While on board there is a musician as well as a singer. They are like your cheer organizers. They lead you in song. All of your favorite songs will definitely bring on the smiles.
Family Oriented
It is family oriented. Keep in mind that it is BYOB. So if you are okay with you child (ren) being around adults consuming alcohol you will be fine. We took our 3 children and it was fine. At the end the adults are often times a little bit more cheerful but definitely not disrespectful. Our kids did fine. Also since they didn’t have school we did take a later tour. Our time was at 9pm. You could schedule a little earlier in the evening too. Our kids enjoyed not only the tour, the singing, and their carafes of hot chocolate that I made for them too.
Smedley Street Christmas
One of our stops was to see Smedley Street Christmas. Smedley Street Christmas is a collective of the neighbors that all contribute to decorate their block. It’s absolutely a sight to see. Your first stop will be at this location. It would have been our second stop but City Hall’s light show had stopped by the time our tour started. It’s always so nice to see what the neighborhood does to decorate. This was my children’s first time seeing it. When I took the tour 2 years I was blown away. I love seeing things from my children’s perspective.
Pizza Anyone?
However close to Smedley Street Christmas is Chris Pizza of 16th street. Our tour guide, made sure that we enjoyed it. I didn’t have any because I am vegan. However my kids and husband said it was some of the best pizza that they had. That says a lot.
Miracle on South 13th Street
This is an explosion of Christmas Joy. From the block being lit to all of the crowds of onlookers its truly a magical place. I also loved learning about the businesses that contribute to the bill of those lights. You have to see it to believe it. Every inch of those homes on that block and street make it a remarkable place to experience. Also I love how Miracle on South 13th street has done things to give back to the community as well.
Founding Footsteps New Tours on the Way
There are some new tours. I was happy to speak to Tim one of the cofounders. He let me know there are some amazing tours coming soon. His passion and excitement is so engaging. He is a jewel for what he has been able to do to give Philadelphians a way to see their city in an amazing way. Also I can’t wait to see what the future holds for them.
So Pro Tip: make sure you are there about 30 minutes or so before your tour. You want to be able to park, go to the bathroom, and get ready to go. There is space to sit and stay warm before your tour. Its located adjacent to the Bourse Building. Bring your drinks in a small cooler. You can leave it on the trolley on your stops. Do not of course leave anything of value on the tour. Dress warmly. Although the trolley is warm, you will be exiting the trolley to walk around and get back on. Wear comfortable shoes as well. Masks are encouraged as you will be as close to your party as possible but not fully isolated from others. Have fun! The tour is fun from beginning to the end. The tour from start to finish is a little under 2 hours.
Thank you to Tim, Abbie (Tim’s wife and co-owner) staff of Founding Footsteps and Brandon Szeker for providing our family an amazing time.
The Holiday Lights Tour has limited tickets available this week. Grab them as soon as you can! Be on the lookout for future tour offerings.
