Where to take the kids in Philadelphia

In collaboration with the Philadelphia Visitor Center I present to you a few options on what to do with the kids when you’re in Philadelphia or visiting Philadelphia.

Warm Welcome with the Visitor Center

Before you visit any museum or location in Philadelphia the first place you should visit is the Philadelphia Visit Center. They can help you maximize your time. They know their stuff. Also if there are discounts on the locations they would have it. Upon parking under the Visit Center we arrived to the warmest welcome.

It has been years since being inside of the Visit Center. There are plenty of bathrooms, souvenir shop, cafe, and more. The parking is convenient too. It’s completely physically covered and easy to use. For instance my parking ticket got wet from the water I was carrying. The system was able to read my license plate. I was able to use my Apple Pay to pay my ticket.

Independence Hall Tour

This guided and timed tour is about 20 minutes. We learned what took place as the delegates came together to carve the Declaration of Independence and the Constitution. It wasn’t an over night journey. One of the things that we learned was that there is at least one artifact from the original time in each room. Our tour guide was knowledgeable and answered our questions. This tour is good for all ages.

Before the tour takes place you will have to go through an airport style security. It is key that you arrive almost 30 minutes before your time. If you’re late they may not be able to move your time if other tours are not available. You will need tickets. The kids enjoyed it and it had a lot to do with the energy of our tour guide.

Pro tip: make sure you use the bathroom before you go as there is no public bathroom. You can use the Philadelphia Visitor Tour bathroom which is directly across the street.

Philadelphia Phlash

If you haven’t used before add the Phlash to the top of your list while in Philadelphia. This bus system stops at 16 iconic stops. Keep in mind if you were to travel these locations on your own via car you would have to pay for parking almost every time you stopped. Also the Phlash costs to the pennies what it would be to take an Uber. With the Phlash we were able to get around with ease. It happened to be Free Phlash Friday. However on a non free day the Phlash is super convenient. A one day pass is $5, a two day pass is $9, and and all day family pass is $12.

You can purchase online, at the Visitor Center, or with exact change on the bus. The Phlash is temperature controlled and honestly a really great job.

Museum of American Revolution

This had to be one of the best parts of the day. To his self guided or guided tour as we explore the many ups and downs towards freedom. One of the things that we really enjoyed was it gave perspectives from many view points. Everyone had their hand in the journey. As a mom I didn’t have to sugar coat anything. We were able to hold open discussion during our tour.

For families you can elect to do scavenger hunt to help reinforce the stories. I highly recommend it. We were here for hours. We plan to go back. I was surprised in how much the kids knew from school but was interested to see what they didn’t know too. There is a lot of ways to be interactive. From movies, touching points, and the staff answering questions and demonstrations I was impressed. Also plan to take breaks and relax or eat in the Cross Keys Cafe. There are many ways to save too. They make it accessible for all.

Pro tip: wear comfortable shoes. There is an elevator to use but plan to do a lot of walking. No outside food can be brought into the cafe. If you want to save money and eat your own snack you will have to enjoy it outside of the museum. Your ticket includes the day of and the next day admission.

Chinese Lantern Festival

My husband and I went alone a few days before. Taking the kids was a new experience. Like we enjoyed a few days prior it’s always good to see things from a child’s perspective. They took in the culture, lights, food, and enjoyed a dumpling making class. The class was an added feature. We learned about the history of dumplings as well as the many kinds that are made.

In the end, we made some of our own. Although we didn’t eat them, it was fun making them. There is a lot to do while at the Chinese Lantern Festival such as mini golf, the merry go round, and more. Pro tip: get to the festival right before dark so you can see it in the light as well as when it gets dark. You will need tickets for the festival too.

We were able to do all of this all day while taking a break. These events can be done alone and without doing it in one day too. The kids loved being out in their own city like tourist. This doesn’t even scratch the surface of things to do with families. I will bring you more options. To my fellow Philadelphians, don’t rely on the school system to take your kids on field trips. Make sure they get out and learn about what their service as to offer.

A special thank you to the Philadelphia Visitor Center for helping us carve this day. Again we will be back to bring you more and exciting places to visit while in Philadelphia. The city offers many ways to engage, learn, and have fun!