{"id":6624,"date":"2015-11-27T18:57:51","date_gmt":"2015-11-27T23:57:51","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/2015.us.wordcamp.org\/?p=6624"},"modified":"2015-11-27T18:57:51","modified_gmt":"2015-11-27T23:57:51","slug":"time-to-spare","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/us.wordcamp.org\/2015\/time-to-spare\/","title":{"rendered":"Time To Spare? Have some fun in Philly!"},"content":{"rendered":"<p>If you find yourself with a little independence and have the liberty to explore our fair city, there is a multitude of wonderful sights to see and places to go. Philadelphia has a history steeped in politics, culture, art, and invention, so be sure to visit some of these fine places and events. <strong>If it&#8217;s listed in bold you can even walk there from the Sheraton Philadelphia Downtown or the Convention Center<\/strong>!<\/p>\n<h2>See the Sights<\/h2>\n<ul>\n<li><strong><a href=\"https:\/\/www.phillyfromthetop.com\/\">One Liberty Observation Deck<\/a><\/strong>\u00a0&#8211; This recently-opened observation deck on top of one of the tallest buildings in Philadelphia offers stunning views of the City of Brotherly Love. (<a href=\"http:\/\/www.uwishunu.com\/2015\/11\/philadelphias-one-liberty-observation-deck-sets-grand-opening-date-for-saturday-november-28\/\">See pictures and more from the opening<\/a>.)<\/li>\n<li><strong><a href=\"http:\/\/www.visitphilly.com\/history\/philadelphia\/city-hall\/\">The observation deck at City Hall<\/a><\/strong> &#8211; Nestled right under the <a href=\"https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Curse_of_Billy_Penn\">legendary<\/a> statue of William Penn atop Philadelphia&#8217;s City Hall, this vantage point offers wonderful views of the city as well.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h2>Stroll Through The Museums<\/h2>\n<ul>\n<li><img data-recalc-dims=\"1\" loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignright wp-image-6817 size-thumbnail\" src=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/2015.us.wordcamp.org\/files\/2015\/11\/F1929-7-123insitu-150x150.jpg?resize=150%2C150&#038;ssl=1\" alt=\"F1929-7-123insitu\" width=\"150\" height=\"150\" srcset=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/us.wordcamp.org\/2015\/files\/2015\/11\/F1929-7-123insitu.jpg?resize=150%2C150&amp;ssl=1 150w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/us.wordcamp.org\/2015\/files\/2015\/11\/F1929-7-123insitu.jpg?zoom=2&amp;resize=150%2C150&amp;ssl=1 300w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 150px) 100vw, 150px\" \/><strong><a href=\"http:\/\/www.philamuseum.org\/\">Philadelphia Museum of Art<\/a><\/strong>\u00a0&#8211; Philadelphia&#8217;s art museum is so much more than the &#8220;Rocky&#8221; steps, so it would be a shame if you stopped there and didn&#8217;t venture within. For those of you with a graphic design bent, there&#8217;s even a special <a href=\"http:\/\/www.philamuseum.org\/exhibitions\/830.html?page=1\">Bruce Mau design exhibit<\/a>\u00a0currently being displayed.<\/li>\n<li><strong><a href=\"http:\/\/www.barnesfoundation.org\/\">Barnes Foundation<\/a><\/strong>\u00a0&#8211; Recently relocated to its Center City location, the Barnes Foundation is known for its collection&#8217;s depth and breadth, from furniture to sculpture to C\u00e9zanne, Degas, and Picasso.<\/li>\n<li><strong><a href=\"http:\/\/www.rodinmuseum.org\/\">Rodin Museum<\/a><\/strong>\u00a0&#8211; This legendary sculptor&#8217;s collected works are more than just\u00a0<em>The Thinker<\/em>. Be sure to catch the outdoor sculpture garden.<\/li>\n<li><strong><a href=\"https:\/\/www.pafa.org\/\">Pennsylvania Academy of the Fine Arts<\/a><\/strong>\u00a0&#8211; Located literally across the street from the Convention Center, PAFA contains a wonderful collection of art of all kinds. Be sure to get a look at <em><a href=\"https:\/\/www.pafa.org\/collection\/portrait-dr-samuel-d-gross-gross-clinic\">The Gross Clinic<\/a>.\u00a0<\/em><\/li>\n<li><a href=\"http:\/\/www.penn.museum\/\">Penn Museum<\/a> &#8211; Featuring an incredible collection of historical artifacts, the Penn Museum&#8217;s <a href=\"http:\/\/www.penn.museum\/about-collections\/curatorial-sections\/egyptian-section\">Egyptian section<\/a>\u00a0is particularly noteworthy.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h2>Learn the History<\/h2>\n<ul>\n<li><a href=\"http:\/\/www.nps.gov\/inde\/planyourvisit\/independencehall.htm\">Independence Hall<\/a>\u00a0&#8211; This is where it all began. Plus, Nicholas Cage visited once. Tickets are free, but limited, so try to reserve ahead of time.<\/li>\n<li><a href=\"http:\/\/www.nps.gov\/inde\/learn\/historyculture\/stories-libertybell.htm\">Liberty Bell<\/a>\u00a0&#8211; Come see the symbol of a city and a revolution. (Again, tickets are free, but space is limited and lines can be long \u2013 although the lines tend to move quickly.)<\/li>\n<li><img data-recalc-dims=\"1\" loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignright wp-image-6841 size-thumbnail\" src=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/2015.us.wordcamp.org\/files\/2015\/11\/rocky-in-the-philadelphia-150x150.jpg?resize=150%2C150&#038;ssl=1\" alt=\"rocky-in-the-philadelphia\" width=\"150\" height=\"150\" srcset=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/us.wordcamp.org\/2015\/files\/2015\/11\/rocky-in-the-philadelphia.jpg?resize=150%2C150&amp;ssl=1 150w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/us.wordcamp.org\/2015\/files\/2015\/11\/rocky-in-the-philadelphia.jpg?zoom=2&amp;resize=150%2C150&amp;ssl=1 300w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/us.wordcamp.org\/2015\/files\/2015\/11\/rocky-in-the-philadelphia.jpg?zoom=3&amp;resize=150%2C150&amp;ssl=1 450w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 150px) 100vw, 150px\" \/><a href=\"http:\/\/www.nps.gov\/inde\/planyourvisit\/independencevisitorcenter.htm\">Independence Visitor Center<\/a>\u00a0&#8211; Catch a screening of a historical movie, get your tickets to Independence Hall, and make sure to take a selfie with the really creepy Rocky statue.<\/li>\n<li><a href=\"http:\/\/historicphiladelphia.org\/betsy-ross-house\/what-to-see\/\">Betsy Ross House<\/a>\u00a0&#8211; The house where Betsy Ross legendarily sewed the first true American flag<\/li>\n<li><a href=\"http:\/\/constitutioncenter.org\/\">Constitution Center<\/a>\u00a0&#8211;\u00a0The National Constitution Center is the first and only museum dedicated to the history of the U.S. Constitution.<\/li>\n<li><a href=\"http:\/\/www.usmint.gov\/mint_tours\/?action=philadelphia\">Philadelphia Mint<\/a>\u00a0&#8211; Free and with a self-guided tour, you can watch the mint in action.<\/li>\n<li><a href=\"http:\/\/www.battleshipnewjersey.org\/\">Battleship New Jersey<\/a>\u00a0&#8211; Located on the Camden, NJ riverfront, tours of this historic\u00a0<em>Iowa<\/em>-class battleship are a must for any World War II buffs. (This could be mere hearsay, but our tour guide once told us that the reason the deck of the\u00a0<em>USS New Jersey<\/em> hasn&#8217;t been resurfaced is because there is no longer enough teak wood produced in the world to do so!)<\/li>\n<li><a href=\"http:\/\/www.nmajh.org\/\">National Museum of Jewish American History<\/a> &#8211; Located on Independence Mall, this museum is dedicated to the history of the American Jewish Community.<\/li>\n<li><a href=\"http:\/\/www.aampmuseum.org\/\">African American Museum in Philadelphia<\/a>\u00a0&#8211;\u00a0Founded in 1976, this museum is the first institution funded and built by a major municipality to preserve, interpret and exhibit the heritage of African Americans.<\/li>\n<li><a href=\"http:\/\/www.phillyseaport.org\/\">Independence Seaport Museum<\/a> &#8211; This museum\u00a0gets little love, but if you are the seafaring type, or you just like submarines, you really ought to stop by for a visit.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h2>You Know, For Kids<\/h2>\n<ul>\n<li><a href=\"http:\/\/www.pleasetouchmuseum.org\/\">Please Touch Museum<\/a>\u00a0&#8211; Located in beautiful <a href=\"http:\/\/www.visitphilly.com\/outdoor-activities\/philadelphia\/fairmount-park\/\">Fairmount Park<\/a>, the Please Touch Museum is one of the best children&#8217;s museums in the country.<\/li>\n<li><strong><a href=\"https:\/\/www.fi.edu\/\">Franklin Institute<\/a><\/strong>\u00a0&#8211; From space to trains to the brain, the Franklin Institute is a wonderful place to spend an afternoon with the kids. Be sure to see the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.fi.edu\/exhibit\/giant-heart\">giant heart<\/a>.<\/li>\n<li><strong><a href=\"http:\/\/www.ansp.org\/\">Academy of Natural Sciences<\/a><\/strong>\u00a0&#8211; Dinosaurs, dinosaurs everywhere!<\/li>\n<li><a href=\"http:\/\/www.adventureaquarium.com\/\">Adventure Aquarium<\/a>\u00a0&#8211; Located right across the river in Camden, NJ, the Adventure Aquarium has undersea life of all kinds. Don&#8217;t miss the Scuba Santa appearances.<\/li>\n<li><a href=\"http:\/\/www.philadelphiazoo.org\/home.htm\">The Philadelphia Zoo<\/a>\u00a0&#8211; The first zoo in the U.S. operates even over the winter months, with a special <a href=\"http:\/\/www.philadelphiazoo.org\/Explore\/Upcoming-Events\/Zoo-Noel.htm\">Zoo No\u00ebl<\/a>\u00a0exhibit in the month of December.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h2>Holiday Must-Sees<\/h2>\n<ul>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/2015.us.wordcamp.org\/files\/2015\/11\/Christmas-Village-Love-Park.png?ssl=1\"><img data-recalc-dims=\"1\" loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignright size-thumbnail wp-image-6837\" src=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/2015.us.wordcamp.org\/files\/2015\/11\/Christmas-Village-Love-Park-150x150.png?resize=150%2C150&#038;ssl=1\" alt=\"Christmas-Village-Love-Park\" width=\"150\" height=\"150\" srcset=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/us.wordcamp.org\/2015\/files\/2015\/11\/Christmas-Village-Love-Park.png?resize=150%2C150&amp;ssl=1 150w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/us.wordcamp.org\/2015\/files\/2015\/11\/Christmas-Village-Love-Park.png?zoom=2&amp;resize=150%2C150&amp;ssl=1 300w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/us.wordcamp.org\/2015\/files\/2015\/11\/Christmas-Village-Love-Park.png?zoom=3&amp;resize=150%2C150&amp;ssl=1 450w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 150px) 100vw, 150px\" \/><\/a><strong><a href=\"http:\/\/www.philachristmas.com\/\">Christmas Village in Love Park<\/a><\/strong> &#8211; A pop-up winter marketplace and lights festival in one of Philadelphia&#8217;s better-known outdoor locations. (This park may seem\u00a0familiar if you&#8217;ve played your fair share of <a href=\"http:\/\/tonyhawkgames.wikia.com\/wiki\/Philadelphia\">Tony Hawk games<\/a>.)<\/li>\n<li><strong><a href=\"http:\/\/www.ccdparks.org\/dilworth-park\/rothmanicerink\">Ice-skating at Dilworth Park<\/a><\/strong>\u00a0&#8211; Ice skating in the shadow of City Hall, mere blocks from the Convention Center.<\/li>\n<li><a href=\"http:\/\/historicphiladelphia.org\/franklin-square\/holidays-in-franklin-square\/\">Franklin Square Holiday Festival<\/a>\u00a0&#8211; Light shows and mini golfing for the kids and beer and food trucks for the adults.<\/li>\n<li><a href=\"http:\/\/www.delawareriverwaterfront.com\/places\/blue-cross-riverrink-winterfest\">Blue Cross Riverrink Winterfest<\/a>\u00a0&#8211; Ice skating, firepits, and food from the Franklin Fountain.<\/li>\n<li><strong><a href=\"http:\/\/www.visitphilly.com\/museums-attractions\/philadelphia\/the-comcast-holiday-spectacular\/\">Comcast Holiday Spectacular<\/a><\/strong>\u00a0&#8211; This event\u00a0has quickly become a yearly Philadelphia holiday tradition &#8212; at\u00a0top of the hour, every hour, 10am to 8pm, the giant LCD screens in the Comcast building&#8217;s lobby display a holiday show and dancers, jugglers, and entertainers stroll through the assembled crowd.<\/li>\n<li><strong><a href=\"http:\/\/www.uwishunu.com\/2015\/11\/the-macys-christmas-light-show-returns-for-the-2015-holiday-season-on-friday\/\">Wannamaker\/Macy&#8217;s Christmas Light Show<\/a><\/strong>\u00a0&#8211; The interior of the Wannamaker Building (now operated as a Macy&#8217;s location) is lit up each Christmas season. (The crowds can be\u00a0large and boisterous, so be sure you&#8217;re ready to stand around for a bit before each performance.)<\/li>\n<li><a href=\"http:\/\/www.visitphilly.com\/museums-attractions\/philadelphia\/christmas-tree-lighting-in-rittenhouse-square\/\">Rittenhouse Square Christmas tree<\/a>\u00a0&#8211; Stroll through one of Philadelphia&#8217;s famous squares and check out what is almost always the city&#8217;s largest, finest Christmas tree.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h2>Off the Beaten Path<\/h2>\n<ul>\n<li>\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/2015.us.wordcamp.org\/files\/2015\/11\/hyrtlskulls.jpg?ssl=1\"><img data-recalc-dims=\"1\" loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignright wp-image-6828 size-thumbnail\" src=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/2015.us.wordcamp.org\/files\/2015\/11\/hyrtlskulls-150x150.jpg?resize=150%2C150&#038;ssl=1\" alt=\"hyrtlskulls\" width=\"150\" height=\"150\" srcset=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/us.wordcamp.org\/2015\/files\/2015\/11\/hyrtlskulls.jpg?resize=150%2C150&amp;ssl=1 150w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/us.wordcamp.org\/2015\/files\/2015\/11\/hyrtlskulls.jpg?zoom=2&amp;resize=150%2C150&amp;ssl=1 300w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/us.wordcamp.org\/2015\/files\/2015\/11\/hyrtlskulls.jpg?zoom=3&amp;resize=150%2C150&amp;ssl=1 450w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 150px) 100vw, 150px\" \/><\/a><a href=\"http:\/\/muttermuseum.org\/\">The M\u00fctter Museum<\/a> &#8211; Are you a fan of the weird, the macabre, the &#8220;hey didn&#8217;t I see that on an episode of <em>The X-Files<\/em>?&#8221;<em>\u00a0<\/em>Then the M\u00fctter Museum has what you&#8217;re looking for (especially if you want to see a wall of skulls or pieces of Albert Einstein&#8217;s brain).<\/li>\n<li><a href=\"http:\/\/www.easternstate.org\/\">Eastern State Penitentiary<\/a> &#8211; The Quakers meant to reform prisoners, though the isolation seems to have been a better bet for driving people mad. Known for once housing Al Capone and for its Halloween-related &#8220;ghost tours&#8221;, Eastern State is still an imposing edifice and an intriguing tour any time of the year.<\/li>\n<li><a href=\"http:\/\/www.phillymagicgardens.org\/\">Philadelphia&#8217;s Magic Gardens<\/a> &#8211; An outdoor sculpture garden and indoor gallery featuring intriguing modern art installations.<\/li>\n<li><a href=\"http:\/\/www.seas.upenn.edu\/about-seas\/eniac\/index.php\">ENIAC at the University of Pennsylvania<\/a>\u00a0&#8211; Come see a piece of computing history.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h2>If You Brought the Griswoldmobile&#8230;<\/h2>\n<p>Some of these events are wonderful and fun, but require a bit of a drive. If you&#8217;re up to a bit of a hike, they&#8217;re worth the time spent.<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li><a href=\"http:\/\/www.visitphilly.com\/museums-attractions\/philadelphia\/longwood-gardens-christmas\/\">Longwood Gardens Christmas<\/a>\u00a0&#8211; Longwood Gardens is a drive off into the countryside and has Christmas greenery and lightshows that are an incredible sight to behold.<\/li>\n<li><a href=\"http:\/\/www.washingtoncrossingpark.org\/\">Washington Crossing\u00a0Park<\/a>\u00a0&#8211; Washington and his men surprised the Hessians at Trenton on Christmas Day and turned the tide of the Revolutionary War.<\/li>\n<li><a href=\"http:\/\/www.nps.gov\/vafo\/index.htm\">Valley Forge<\/a>\u00a0&#8211; Washington&#8217;s army wintered here and withstood intense cold and hardships of all kinds. Valley Forge park is a wonderful driving tour and features a museum with many Revolutionary War artifacts.<\/li>\n<p><\/uL><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>If you find yourself with a little independence and have the liberty to explore our fair city, there is a multitude of wonderful sights to see and places to go. Philadelphia has a history steeped in politics, culture, art, and &hellip; <a href=\"https:\/\/us.wordcamp.org\/2015\/time-to-spare\/\">Continue reading <span class=\"assistive-text\">Time To Spare? Have some fun in Philly!<\/span>  <span class=\"meta-nav\">&rarr;<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":11155,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_bbp_topic_count":0,"_bbp_reply_count":0,"_bbp_total_topic_count":0,"_bbp_total_reply_count":0,"_bbp_voice_count":0,"_bbp_anonymous_reply_count":0,"_bbp_topic_count_hidden":0,"_bbp_reply_count_hidden":0,"_bbp_forum_subforum_count":0,"jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[495515],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-6624","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-philly"],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack_shortlink":"https:\/\/wp.me\/p6wOEx-1IQ","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/us.wordcamp.org\/2015\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/6624","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/us.wordcamp.org\/2015\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/us.wordcamp.org\/2015\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/us.wordcamp.org\/2015\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/11155"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/us.wordcamp.org\/2015\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=6624"}],"version-history":[{"count":23,"href":"https:\/\/us.wordcamp.org\/2015\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/6624\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":6857,"href":"https:\/\/us.wordcamp.org\/2015\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/6624\/revisions\/6857"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/us.wordcamp.org\/2015\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=6624"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/us.wordcamp.org\/2015\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=6624"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/us.wordcamp.org\/2015\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=6624"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}