With kids · Philadelphia · United States
Philadelphia with kids
Family-tested sights, a calm base and the practical details that make travelling with children easier.
Updated By the AMZBooking editorial team
Photo: ajay_suresh, CC BY 2.0
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Quick answer
Philadelphia works well for families: the history sites are short and free, the Parkway has two excellent science museums side by side, and the zoo, the riverside trail and Spruce Street Harbor Park offer outdoor breaks. Most sights are a short walk or SEPTA ride apart. Top picks: Liberty Bell Center, The Franklin Institute and Academy of Natural Sciences. Families usually base themselves in Old City.
Key facts
- Family picks
- 6
- Best area for families
- Old City
- Rainy-day options
- 3
- Busiest months
- July
Best things to do with kids
Landmark · Old City
1.Liberty Bell Center
The cracked bell, inscribed with 'Proclaim LIBERTY throughout all the Land', became a symbol for abolitionists and suffragists long after it hung in the State House. The free glass pavilion tells that story with displays leading up to the bell, which is framed against a view of Independence Hall.
Lines are shortest first thing; after closing you can still see the bell through the glass from the Chestnut Street side.
- Time needed
- 30–45 minutes
- Cost
- Free
- Iconic
- History
- Free
- Kids
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Museum · Benjamin Franklin Parkway
2.The Franklin Institute
One of the oldest science museums in the country, with a giant walk-through heart, a full-size Baldwin steam locomotive, the Fels Planetarium and hands-on halls on electricity, flight and the brain. A 20-foot marble statue of Benjamin Franklin sits in the domed rotunda.
Go on a weekday afternoon after school groups have left, and pair it with the Academy of Natural Sciences across Logan Square.
- Time needed
- 3 hours
- Cost
- Mid-priced
- Kids
- Rainy day
Museum · Logan Square
3.Academy of Natural Sciences
Founded in 1812, the Academy has a Dinosaur Hall with a towering Tyrannosaurus and Hadrosaurus foulkii, the first nearly complete dinosaur skeleton found in North America. Upstairs, a tropical butterfly room and dioramas of animals from around the world make it a manageable half-day with children.
Younger children love the fossil dig in the Dinosaur Hall; arrive early in the day to have it to yourselves.
- Time needed
- 2 hours
- Cost
- Mid-priced
- Kids
- Rainy day
- Nature
Zoo · Fairmount Park
4.Philadelphia Zoo
Chartered in 1859, the Philadelphia Zoo is known for its Zoo360 network of mesh trails that let big cats, primates and lemurs travel overhead across the grounds. It also has a children's zoo, big-cat falls and a large primate reserve, all on a site of about 17 hectares on the west bank of the Schuylkill.
Visit in spring or autumn mornings when the animals are most active and the paths are shaded.
- Time needed
- 3–4 hours
- Cost
- Mid-priced
- Kids
- Outdoors
- Nature
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Museum · Old City
5.Museum of the American Revolution
A modern museum at 3rd and Chestnut Streets that tells the story of the Revolution through weapons, letters and immersive galleries, including a replica Boston street and a privateer ship children can board. Its centrepiece is George Washington's original headquarters tent, revealed in a short theatre presentation.
Time your visit to catch the tent presentation early, before it fills with school groups.
- Time needed
- 2–3 hours
- Cost
- Mid-priced
- History
- Rainy day
- Kids
Waterfront · Penn's Landing
6.Spruce Street Harbor Park and Penn's Landing
On the Delaware River waterfront, Spruce Street Harbor Park fills in the warmer months with hammocks, coloured lights in the trees, food stands and floating barges. In winter the neighbouring Penn's Landing area usually becomes an outdoor ice rink with fire pits.
Go around dusk on a summer evening, when the lights come on over the water.
- Time needed
- 1–2 hours
- Cost
- Free
- Free
- After dark
- Couples
- Kids
- Outdoors
Rainy-day ideas
- Museum of the American Revolution — Time your visit to catch the tent presentation early, before it fills with school groups.
- The Franklin Institute — Go on a weekday afternoon after school groups have left, and pair it with the Academy of Natural Sciences across Logan Square.
- Academy of Natural Sciences — Younger children love the fossil dig in the Dinosaur Hall; arrive early in the day to have it to yourselves.
Where families should stay
$$$ · Best for first-timers, culture, couples and families
Old City
Old City holds Independence Hall, the Liberty Bell, Elfreth's Alley and Christ Church, along with converted warehouses full of galleries, cafés and bars on 2nd and 3rd Streets. It is the obvious base for history-focused trips, and the Delaware River waterfront at Penn's Landing is a few minutes' walk east.
- Good
- Walk to the main historic sites; Characterful 18th- and 19th-century streets; Good restaurant and bar choice
- Watch out
- Weekend nights on 2nd Street can be loud; Hotel choice is smaller than in Center City West
- Nearby
- Independence Hall, Liberty Bell, Elfreth's Alley, Penn's Landing
Family travel tips
- Keep Independence Hall tours for older children; the Liberty Bell and the Museum of the American Revolution's hands-on galleries work better for younger ones.
- The Franklin Institute and Academy of Natural Sciences face each other across Logan Square, so you can split a rainy day between them.
- Please Touch Museum in Fairmount Park's Memorial Hall is aimed at children under about seven.
- Reading Terminal Market is an easy lunch stop where everyone can choose something different.
- Strollers are fine on Center City pavements, but some SEPTA subway stations have only stairs.
Day trips for families
- Valley Forge National Historical Park (About 40 minutes by car) — The site of the Continental Army's hard winter encampment of 1777–1778, with reconstructed log huts, Washington's stone headquarters house and the National Memorial Arch.
- Longwood Gardens (About 1 hour by car) — Pierre S.
- Lancaster County (About 1 hour 30 minutes by car) — Pennsylvania Dutch country, where Amish and Mennonite farms, horse-drawn buggies and covered bridges surround villages such as Intercourse and Bird-in-Hand.
- Cape May (About 1 hour 45 minutes by car) — A seaside town at the southern tip of New Jersey known for rows of painted Victorian houses, a lighthouse and wide beaches.
When to go with children
The best months overall are May–June and September–October. July is the busiest, so book the big sights early. Weather by month.
Questions travellers ask
+Is Philadelphia good for kids?
Philadelphia works well for families: the history sites are short and free, the Parkway has two excellent science museums side by side, and the zoo, the riverside trail and Spruce Street Harbor Park offer outdoor breaks. Most sights are a short walk or SEPTA ride apart.
+What can kids do in Philadelphia?
Liberty Bell Center, The Franklin Institute, Academy of Natural Sciences, Philadelphia Zoo and Museum of the American Revolution.
+Where should families stay in Philadelphia?
Old City: Cobbled colonial blocks around Independence Mall, galleries and First Friday art nights.