Things To Do

Our Takes on Philly Cheesesteaks

Cleaver’s - 108 S 18th Street (near The Westin & Sonesta) - cheesesteak egg rolls, fried green beans and drunken milkshakes!! John’s Roast Pork - 14 Snyder Ave Angelo’s Pizzeria - 736 S 9th St Rocco’s Italian Sausage & Cheese Steaks - 1491 S Delaware Ave (order the Rocco’s Special with hot sausage) Woodrow’s Sandwich Spot - 630 South Street *where you can, always get the seeded roll

Philly Nightlife

2nd Street Bars JJ Bootleggers - great selection of moonshine themed libations Bleu Martini - chic lounge with talented DJs mixing the hottest songs. Hookah available Buffalo Billiards - shoot pool, play shuffleboard and throw darts 13th Street Bars McGillian’s Olde Ale House - oldest pub in the city. Proof of vaccination required Tradesman’s - tavern featuring craft whiskey & beer on tap Time - live jazz, 20 rotating drafts & over 200 whiskeys. Upstairs has djs & dancing. Rittenhouse Square (closest to hotels) Cavanaugh’s Rittenhouse - sports bar with 20+ TVs. Proof of Vaccination required. U-Ville at Uptown Beer Garden - A festive and enchanting spot in Center City Wine Dive - bottle shop carrying wine, bubbly, cider, beer, cocktails, shot specials, hard seltzers and sake juice boxes. Ashton’s Cigar Bar - over 400 whiskeys, bourbons, ryes, scotches and international blended whiskey Good Dog Bar - lively gastro-pub with craft beer options

Philadelphia Museum of Art Steps

Reading Terminal Market

Famous indoor farmer’s market offering diverse fare, houseware’s and area specialties since 1892.

Christmas Village in Philadelphia

Christmas Village in Philadelphia is an outside Holiday market event in Center City Philadelphia, which is modeled after the traditional Christmas Markets in Germany. Vendors in wooden booths will set up shop during the Holiday season to sell a wide variety of international holiday gifts, ornaments, jewelry and high-quality arts and crafts, as well as traditional European food, sweets and drinks. The unique atmosphere with thousands of lights and the delicious smell of waffles, gingerbread, bratwurst and mulled wine will bring you and your family into the perfect Christmas spirit.

Rothman Orthopaedics Ice Rink

Experience the city’s most-anticipated wintertime destination, open 7 days a week from November 5, 2021 to February 27, 2022. Reservations are encouraged for timed, 90-minute skating sessions. Purchase tickets online ahead of time, and find the full schedule at ticketsocket.rothmanrink.com.

Winter Traditions at Dillworth Park

Visitors of all ages can enjoy a dramatic seasonal transformation of the city famous park in front of City Hall. There will be a full lineup of free entertainment, including the Deck the Hall Light Show, the Made in Philadelphia Holiday Market and Rothman Orthopaedic Institute Cabin.

Christmas Light Show at Macy’s Center City

A nostalgic family holiday experience, the Christmas Light Show at Macy’s Center City is a Philadelphia tradition that dates back more than half a century. Voiced by none other than Julie Andrews, the free show features classic songs and stories like The Nutcracker and Frosty the Snowman illuminated by 100,000 lights and backed by the sounds of the famous Wanamaker Organ, one of the largest in the world. The show runs once a day, at 10:30 a.m. Macy’s Center City, 1st Floor (near Women’s Shoes)

Dickens Village

By Reservation Only Tour our 6,000-square-foot holiday display inside our Center City store & experience a magical retelling of the classic tale, A Christmas Carol. Hours: 10a-7p Macy’s Center City, 3rd Floor Book Now at: https://macyssantalandathome.com/reservation/?city=philadelphia

Winter in Franklin Square

Franklin Square lights up on-the-half-hour holiday music (daily from 5 p.m.). Guests should plan to put aside a few dollars for a carousel ride, mini golf ($8-$15), and cocoa, spiked or not. Sun.-Thur. 10 a.m.-9 p.m. Fri.-Sat. 10 a.m.-10 p.m

Blue Cross RiverRink

One of Philly’s favorite winter traditions brings the holiday spirit to the Delaware River waterfront beginning this Friday. The winter wonderland offers guests a chance to go skating at the city’s largest outdoor ice rink, cozy up at one of the warming cabins and fire-pit stations (plus, s’mores kits!), and gaze at the twinkling lights and holiday tree — all while overlooking the Delaware River. Also on site: a 60-foot-tall Ferris wheel, carnival games and new-for-2021 food offerings from Black Iron BBQ.

Holiday Garden Railway at Morris Arboretum

The annual Holiday Garden Railway brings a mini-winter wonderland to Northwest Philly’s historic Morris Arboretum, with a quarter-mile track where model trains chug along loops, through tunnels and over bridges, past perfect little replicas of beloved Philadelphia landmarks. On select Friday, Saturday and Sunday evenings throughout the display’s run, guests enjoy the railway amid thousands of twinkling lights during Holiday Garden Railway Nights. Lighted trees and other colored lights make the garden even more magical. Advanced tickets are required.

Boathouse Row Festival of Lights

The historic rowing clubs of Boathouse Row are awash in constantly changing colored lights this season, celebrating multicultural holidays for Hanukkah (November 28 to December 6, 2021); Christmas (December 20 to 25, 2021); and Kwanzaa (December 26, 2021 to January 1, 2022). Two great spots to catch the colors: Fairmount Water Works or the platform above the Fairmount Fish Ladder on the Schuylkill River Trail just off Martin Luther King Jr. Drive.

Miracle on 13th Street

A homegrown South Philly tradition with national traction, the Miracle on South 13th Street brings neighbors along the 1600 block of South 13th Street together to decorate their homes with holiday lights and over-the-top decorations, which turn on each evening, beginning the Saturday after Thanksgiving. Drivers should know to expect traffic, especially on weekend nights.