I know, I know summer is coming to an end, it’s August the Sunday of summer, but that doesn’t mean the fun has to end!! With back to school looming, why not spend some family fun with a day out in Philadelphia?!? With two teens and a pre-schooler in tow, we recently did just that! I loved being a “tourist” in my own city! Philadelphia has unlimited family fun opportunities, here’s how we spent our day:
We parked at the Independence Mall parking garage on 6th and Chestnut. Inside the visitor’s area are great photo opportunities and brochures filled with family fun things to do. First, we boarded a Philadelphia Sightseeing Tour Bus at the Bourse building on 5th and Chestnut. The double decker bus was a total blast! We sat at the top which has an open roof so the views were simply amazing. I loved the opportunity to appreciate the architecture of some of the most amazing buildings and statues from this view. The city sky line has never looked so pretty. We took so many great pics which you can check out on our Facebook page. The tour takes you on 27 attractions from Old City to Fairmount and then back to Old City. The tour is a hop on/off tour so you are welcome to get off at any location to explore then hop back on a bus at the same stop. There’s signs for the bus stop and they give you a handy map just in case you get lost! You receive a wristband that’s good for all day fun! One of our favorite stops was the Reading Terminal Market! Our bellies were growling from the delicious smells of all the foods. When we stopped at the Rocky Statue our bus tour guide was playing the Rocky theme song, it was so fun! Our tour guide was great, he gave so much inside information, even I learned a thing or two and I was born and raised in Philadelphia. The tour lasted about an hour and a half. You can take as long as you like but we were on a tight schedule so we decided to stay on the bus and not hop off at any landmarks.
After we left the bus we walked over to the Betsy Ross House located at 239 Arch street. The Betsy Ross house offers Audio Tours: $7 for adults, $6 for children/students/seniors/military or Self Guided Tours: $5 for adults, $4 for children/students/seniors/military. We opted for a self guided tour. Outside of the Betsy Ross house we met some storytellers dressed in historic clothing, they were so friendly and happy to share historic facts with us. Inside the Betsy Ross House is a gift shop filled with tees, flag inspired souvenirs, toys, books, candy, treats, games and fun. The tour is quick and at the end we met Betsy herself! She told some fun facts and gave a great lesson. We loved meeting her and were fascinated by all of her information! Betsy was kind and allowed us to take a picture with her! It was such a memorable experience.
Next we headed back to the car and drove over to the Blue Cross River Rink for Summerfest. This was one of the venues we got to see from the bus tour. During Summerfest, the area is set up with a roller skating rink, a Ferris wheel, carousel, board walk inspired games, an arcade. mini golf and ride-ons for little ones. Summer fest is offering their end of summer special! During the month of August you get: skate rental, skating, and one round of mini golf for $10 when you visit Monday-Thursday! It's a great savings! Hours are: Monday-Thursday 1pm-11pm; Friday-Saturday 11am-1am and Sunday's 11am-11pm. My tip is to go on a weekday to avoid the crowds and take advantage of the awesome deal. AND bring plenty of quarters for the arcade. Each game takes two to four quarters, you can easily go through a roll of quarters quickly. At the skating rink they have skates for tots to adults. The toddler/pre-school skates are the plastic adjustable type you put on top of their shoe. My 4 year old and teens were pro’s! Me, on the other hand, took some time getting used to being on skates. It’s been a while since I have roller skated but I soon got the hang of it! It was such beautiful scene seeing the Ferris wheel and the Delaware river as we skated. There are plenty of photo opportunities which my teens were loving. Birthday/private parties and cabin rentals are available as well. We were starving after skating so we ate crab fries and chicken nuggets from Chickie’s and Pete’s which is located inside with plenty of seating. It was great because my 4 year old was able to run around and play arcade games while we sat and ate. As you walk around the venue there is plenty of seating and games like corn hole and giant sized connect four for kids to play. We really enjoyed the scenery and it was the perfect ending to a fun filled day!
Thank you to Philadelphia Sightseeing Tours, The Betsy Ross House and DRWC for hosting us!
