11 Can't-Miss Experiences on Philly's Delaware River Trail

Before British rule under William Penn, Philadelphia was part of the New Sweden colony, and it was those settlers who constructed the stunning Gloria Dei Church in 1698. Today, the building — known locally as Old Swedes’ Church and located across the street from the Delaware River Trail — stands as the oldest church in Pennsylvania. While the National Historic Site holds an active Episcopal congregation (services open to all), you can still tour the gorgeous interior, which includes original woodcarvings, miniatures of the Swedish ships that carried settlers and a century-old church organ. Outside, the park-like churchyard includes plenty of tranquil green space and a historic Revolutionary War cemetery.

On its own, the 120-year-old, four-masted steel barque docked along the waterfront would be an inspiring site to explore. But the grand Moshulu isn’t just a museum ship — it’s also a spectacular floating restaurant. Built in Scotland for a German company and seized by the U.S. Army in World War I, the tall ship remains the largest remaining original windjammer in the world (and the only one operating as a restaurant). Once aboard, enjoy contemporary American cuisine, specialty cocktails and a signature brownie sundae in the gorgeous dining rooms or alfresco on the upper decks with stunning views of the skyline and across the river.

Opened in 2014, Spruce Street Harbor Park has been lauded as one of the World’s Best Urban Beaches by Jetsetter. The warm-weather attraction (usually open from spring through fall) offers a slew of summer activities, including a traditional boardwalk lined with food stands serving dozens of tasty food and drink options, a beer garden, giant board games, bocce, an arcade, weekend craft markets and the Barge Bar Oasis, offering cocktails enjoyed from Adirondack chairs overlooking the waterfront or flat-bottomed net lounges floating above the river. But the park’s signature attraction is a woodsy meadow featuring a hundred cozy two-person hammocks under thousands of LED lights in which to relax the day away.

Penn’s Landing’s Independence Seaport Museum is a massive maritime history museum featuring over 25,000 artifacts that tell the story of Philadelphia and its relationship to the Delaware River. Explore a half-dozen hands-on exhibits and collections, visit a working boat shop, view large-scale model ships or take a kayak or paddleboat cruise in the basin. But the highlight of the museum experience is outside on the river where you can climb aboard (and inside) the 130-year-old Navy Cruiser USS Olympia, the nation’s oldest floating steel warship, and the World War II-era USS Becuna, a 300-foot long Balao-class submarine.

Sometimes bigger is better. Opened in 2022, Penn’s Landing’s Liberty Point is Philly’s largest restaurant. Featuring 25,000 square feet of outdoor seating and another 3,000 inside, the seasonal eatery — which wraps around the Independence Seaport Museum — has seating for 1,400 guests with spectacular views across the river. The Point is not just big in size, but also in big eats. The casual Mexican and seafood menu includes a raw bar, sandwiches, salads, seasonal dishes and drinks (from five bars!) from noon to 2 a.m., seven days a week (kitchen closes at 10 p.m.). Patrons can dance the night away to live music and hot DJs most nights.

If the Delaware waterfront is your destination, what better spot to anchor your stay than right off the DRT at one of Philly’s two trailside hotels? True to its name, the Hilton Philadelphia at Penn’s Landing rises high above Spruce Street Harbor Park, right on the Penn’s Landing Basin with incredible views over the river. Located further north, the Holiday Inn Express Philadelphia Penn’s Landing is just across the street from top waterfront attractions like Race Street Pier and Cherry Street Pier (more on those below).

No matter the temps, the Independence Blue Cross RiverRink is the place to be for family fun, skating and carnival vibes. In warmer weather, hit up Summerfest where the rollerskating rink is the centerpiece surrounded by a double-decker carousel, 60-foot Ferris wheel and mini-golf along with plenty of food and drink. Come winter, the rink freezes over and Winterfest opens for ice skating on Philly’s only regulation pro-sized outdoor rink, alongside games and rides (try the Ferris wheel during a light snowfall) and refreshments in an open-air lodge. Admission is free but attractions, skating, and food and drink are pay-as-you-go.

Stretching 535 feet out into the Delaware, Cherry Street Pier is a former industrial dock turned incredible indoor/outdoor urban market that features artists-in-residence hard at work in shipping container studios and exhibiting original works; merchants peddling crafts from stalls throughout the open corridor; and culinary talent serving up tasty food and drink options from converted historic trolley cars. But the centerpiece is the 20,000-square foot Garden at Cherry Street Pier, an open-air café occupying the far end of the covered market, a relaxing space for enjoying a bite to eat or a cold drink with an incredible vista across the river.

Just 150 feet north of Cherry Street Pier is the greenery of Race Street Pier urban pier park. The stunning tree-lined oasis juts 600 feet into the river, a grassy esplanade for picnics, quiet reflection and jaw-dropping views of the Philly skyline in one direction and the Ben Franklin Bridge overhead in the other. The double-terraced gathering space welcomes visitors with seasonal programming including the popular Yoga on the Pier, with nearly 300 free classes available.

Nothing says summer like an outdoor beer garden and warm-weather eats served up alfresco on the waterfront. And Philly offers not one but two beloved spots right on the river just off the trail. Morgan’s Pier, in the shadow of the Ben Franklin Bridge, is a “backyard beer garden,” serving up gourmet bar snacks, flatbreads and sandwiches by day and hot nights of drinks and dancing to live music and DJs. Meanwhile Cavanaugh’s River Deck, just a thousand feet up the trail, offers more enticing river views alongside sunny summertime dining, a romantic atmosphere, music, dancing and cocktails under the stars.

True to its name, Craft Hall is the Delaware River Trail’s home for craft beer, craft-made bread and gourmet craftsmanship. The largest dining hall in Philly features a near-acre of open concept indoor and outdoor seating serving up classic American dishes, house-baked bread and killer barbecue alongside kid-friendly fun like games (skeeball!), a pirate-themed playground, and live music plus local beers from on-site Mainstay Independent Brewing. Got the pup out for a walk? Stop by Unleashed: Bark and Beer, Craft Hall’s 2,000-square-foot combo off-leash dog park and beer garden with 20 brews on tap.