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The College Crosse Big BBQ 2016 Philadelphia Visitor's Guide: Center City.

Soooo much to see/do, so little time!

By Eri_Barrister
STAND UP, PHILLY!!!
STAND UP, PHILLY!!!
Bill Streicher-USA TODAY Sports

Last year's College Crosse Visitor's Guide to the Big BBQ 2015 was really fun, so we decided to run it back and do another series for this year's Final Four. Jayskrem kicked it off properly with a wonderful Philly Phood Phocus post and cheesesteaks ranking yesterday that I highly encourage you to check out if you haven't yet. This post will mostly focus on stuff to do/places to go in Center City. You can check out my post on eating and night life from last year here.

Got it? Awesome. Let's get after it. (Ed. Note: Shout out to North Philly, South Philly, University City, West Philly, and all the other wonderful sections/neighborhoods in Philly!)

Twitter Essentials.

Before we begin, here are a couple essentials you should check out and/or follow.

  • @VisitPhilly & @UWishunu. Visit Philly is the official visitor website for Philadelphia travel and tourism and UWishUNu is a great resource for deals, events, everything that's going down in the city.
Center City Guide.

We're going to use Dilworth Park as our main starting point as it is centrally located and very close to the City Hall Broad St. Line stop, which takes you directly to Lincoln Financial Field and X-Finity Live.
  • Dilworth Park. Dilworth is a large public space along the west side of City Hall. Located in the heart of Philly, it's in one of the most active sections of the city and close to everything you need during Championship Weekend. They transform part of the park into a skating rink during the winter and turn the sprinklers on in the warmer months. It's called the "People's Park," so you know we love it.   



    Dilworth is a pretty awesome place and was an immediate hit once it opened. It's a good area for picture taking, especially with Love Park under construction (they moved the iconic Love monument to Dilworth Park).

    Dilworth Park is still relatively new, below is a time lapse video of its construction which was completed in 2014.

  • Rittenhouse Square. Probably the ritziest part of town, but also one of the best places to watch spring happen. Rittenhouse is a perfect spot for people watching, sidewalk dining, or just lounging around. The square itself is public space, with plenty of benches and grassy areas to sit. Additionally, there's a cool farmer's market every Saturday for all you early birds out there, here's a link to their Facebook page. 



  • Comcast Building/video wall. Our parent company's parent company's headquarters is in Philly, (#EastCoastGoogle) and they have a proper skyscraper at the corner of 17th and JFK. Besides an underground food court underground, small fountain display, and outdoor restaurant, there's a huge video wall that's on pretty much 24 hours a day which is pretty cool place to check out while you are here.

  • Midtown Village. Midtown is a small 3 by 5 block area that has some of the best restaurants, independent shops, art studios, and cafes in all of Philly. It is a perfect place to eat, drink, and/or play while you are in town. Additionally, one of the many Insomnia Cookies shops in Philly is located there, near 13th and Samson. If you aren't familiar with Insomnia Cookies, you should get yourself acquainted with them quickly after you arrive. 

  • Spruce St. Harbor Park and Penns Landing Festival Pier. Penns Landing resides on the Delaware River and is named after William Penn. It's a really popular place for concerts, fireworks/boat shows, or just chilling by the water.

    Spruce St. Harbor Park is the coolest place in Philly right now, and honestly, it's not even close. It's next to Penns Landing and is literally a "waterfront, hammock-filled haven." If you want to eat, drink, be merry, or just layout, Spruce St. Harbor's the place to be. 



  • Schuylkill River Trail. Ok, so while not all of the Schuylkill River Trail is in Center City, the nearly 27 mile multi-use path is a great place to go if you are a runner, cyclist, or into yoga. There's also a huge Phillies Mural near 24th and Walnut right next to the Walnut Bridge that you should check out. The mural was created by the Mural Arts Program and was dedicated last summer. Below is a cool video that takes you from the end of the trail all the way to the Walnut St. Bridge. 


  • Reading Terminal. Over 120 years old Reading Terminal Market consists of over 100 hundred different merchants and is a place you have to experience to really understand. Home to some of the best donuts and sandwiches in the country, Reading provides many food options for whatever you are in the mood for during your stay in Philly. 



  • South St. Probably the street most associated with Philadelphia, South St. is all the things people like (or don't like) about Brooklyn and Austin in one street. With plenty of Concert venues, bars, restaurants, cheesesteaks, family friendly block parties, tattoo shops, a large Magic Garden, ethnic food, pizza shops, and plenty more, South St.'s got whatever you need.

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