Philly's Hidden Gems: 25 Places You (Probably) Didn't Know About

Baldwin’s Book Barn has been offering used, rare and fine works — books, manuscripts, maps, paintings, prints and more — in West Chester since 1946. Named by Architectural Digest as one of the “World’s Most Beloved Independent Bookstores,” the five-story bookshop, which is located inside a two-century-old stone barn, houses a collection of more than 300,000 items crammed in every square inch of the space.

Dating back to 1771, Fort Mifflin is the oldest active military facility in the nation and America’s only operating base predating the Declaration of Independence. The fort saw its heaviest action in 1777 during the Revolutionary War, both in the Battle of Red Bank (beating back a Hessian invasion and destroying two British warships) and the Battle of Mud Island (with 400 American soldiers holding off 2,000 Redcoats). Today, visitors can tour the historic grounds and Revolution-era buildings, watch reenactments, picnic or investigate paranormal activity. The fortress, lying at the eastern edge of Philadelphia International Airport, is also a hotspot for airplane aficionados.

Skyspace, in the Chestnut Hill Friends Meeting, is a permanent light installation from renowned artist James Turrell. Open to people of all faith backgrounds, the attraction offers guests a chance to reserve space to watch the sun set through a hole in the roof, while colorful lights are projected on the ceiling. Occasional sunrise viewings and special events occur throughout the year as well.

When walking by the Masonic Temple, you might think that the ornate Norman cathedral-style building across from City Hall is another of the city’s stunning churches. But the massive temple is, in fact, the 150-year-old Grand Lodge headquarters of the Freemasons of Pennsylvania. The National Historic Landmark still serves that purpose, but it’s also open to the public for hour-long guided tours on select days of the week. The showstopper here: the attraction’s ornate architecture, from Renaissance neoclassical corridors and staircases to Moorish, Egyptian and Knights Templar-inspired grand halls. Artwork and Masonic artifacts, many dating back to the American Revolution, round out the offerings. Check the temple’s official site for days of operation.

Something’s always afoot at the Shoe Museum. The stars at this eclectic Chinatown museum range from cultural artifacts (like the shoes of Egyptian Bedouins) to jaw-dropping originals (like Doc Martens with a 12-inch platform) to celebrity footwear (like a space boot worn by Neil Armstrong on the moon). The 14 engaging exhibits throughout the 1,000-piece collection spotlight shoes from various times and cultures. While admission is free, visits must be scheduled in advance through the museum’s website.

Created by neurosurgeon, philanthropist and speed enthusiast Dr. Fred Simeone, the Simeone Foundation Automotive Museum in Southwest Philadelphia is one of the world’s greatest collections of historic racing cars. The automobile assemblage features over 75 classic sports, luxury and muscle cars, with featured rides from Ferrari, Alfa Romeo, Bugatti, Aston Martin, Corvette, Bentley, Porsche and more. Along with rotating exhibits showcasing the legacy of racing machines, history roars to life during Demo Days, when the staff takes cars from the museum’s collection out for a spin once or twice a month and visitors can experience vehicular beauty and power in motion.

Predating the Civil War, North Philly’s Wagner Free Institute of Science is a library, lecture hall and natural history museum, as well as one of the few remaining Victorian-era scientific societies. The three-story Renaissance-style building’s bright second floor invites guests to wander among the 100,000-item collection, featuring minerals, fossils, taxidermy displays and mounted skeletons — like the skull of the first saber-toothed tiger discovered in America. The museum also hosts themed events and open house tours monthly.

A 2.5-acre National Historic Landmark first conceived in 1690, Wyck in Germantown is a stroll back in time. The site is home to a museum-like gallery with 300-year-old family antiques; Colonial and Victorian-era outbuildings (including a carriage house, a greenhouse, an ice house and a smokehouse); and the oldest unmodified rose garden in the United States — with over 50 species of fragrant roses, including two found nowhere else in the world: the Elegant Gallica and the Lafayette Rose. Plus, Wyck is a working urban agriculture farm with perennial herbs, fruit trees, vegetables and several beehives.

The largest ceramic arts organization in the nation, The Clay Studio offers striking clay and ceramic gallery exhibitions showcasing the work of both international artisans and local masters, as well as ceramics workshops and art courses. Founded 50 years ago as a workspace for recent art school grads, the organization moved into its shiny and super-sized space in Kensington in 2022 to further its mission to “bring clay as an accessible, tactile medium to a broad range of people.”

One of the most prestigious music conservatories in the world is located right in the heart of Philadelphia. Founded in 1924 by Mary Louise Curtis Bok with the support of music legends like Leopold Stokowski (the conductor of Fantasia), the Curtis Institute of Music is a tuition-free school of music with students from all over the world. The impressive list of alumni includes conductors, composers and musicians like Leonard Bernstein (West Side Story), Samuel Barber (Adagio for Strings), Nino Rota (The Godfather) and hundreds more. For residents and visitors, the Institute presents over 100 free open-to-the-public student and faculty recitals per year, so practice your applause — and reserve your spot in advance.

The Fabric Workshop and Museum (FWM) in Market East exhibits modern art created from, on and with fabric and other related media. Founded in 1977, the FWM — the only museum of its kind in the world — displays garments, textiles, sculptures, drawings, paintings and more. The gallery doesn’t hit the auction circuit or borrow from private collectors to bolster its display, instead offering makers the opportunity to create on-site.

Philadelphia has a long history of art and artists working in the medium of wood, which is on prominent display at Old City’s Museum for Art in Wood. Formerly known as the Wood Turning Center, the four-decade-old attraction features temporary and permanent collections consisting of 1,200 wood art-related objects (such as sculptures and furniture), regular events and artist exhibitions, and a 25,000-item research library on the history of woodturning and woodworking.

From the outside, the Ryerss Museum and Library is a charming old Victorian mansion in Northeast Philly. But on the inside? Guests can find fantastic artifacts and oddities that the Ryerss — a family of traders and art collectors — acquired during their world travels. Included are statues from Japanese Buddhist temples, European artwork, baskets woven by Indigenous nations, a stunning Chinese puppet theater, historic weapons, and a natural history collection of shells, minerals and even sea creatures. The site also serves as an independent circulating library, loaning out all sorts of popular bestsellers and classic literature. Admission is free and donations are welcome.

Deep in the Chester County woods and atop a mountain near Valley Forge National Historical Park lived wood sculptor Wharton Esherick, the “Dean of American Craftsmen.” Upon his death in 1970, his hand-built 12-acre rural modernist home, farmhouse and studio — a National Historic Landmark for Architecture — turned into the Wharton Esherick Museum, an immersive, interactive destination featuring more than 300 of his works on display. Note that tickets are timed and must be purchased in advance.

High above the Schuylkill River in University City is Cira Green, located 12 stories up and 95 feet above the Cira Center South Garage. Opened in 2015, the elevated park is a year-round urban green space for visitors to stretch out and relax while enjoying some of the best views of Center City. Come the warmer months, the rooftop features seasonal offerings like a beer garden, lawn games and the Sunset Social rooftop bar, plus seven nights of programming that come in the form of trivia nights, movie screenings and ice cream socials (yes, please). The space can be accessed via the garage’s pedestrian entrance on 30th Street just south of Chestnut Street.

The John Heinz National Wildlife Refuge at Tinicum — just north of Philadelphia International Airport — protects the largest freshwater tidal marsh in Pennsylvania. This urban enclave for outdoor recreation features 10 miles of low-lying trails for hiking and biking, as well as 4.5 miles of tidal creek (accessible via boat ramps) for canoeing, kayaking and fishing access. Wildlife enthusiasts can spot 300-plus varieties of resident and migratory birds and numerous land animals, including a handful of endangered and threatened species, such as red-bellied turtles and Atlantic coast leopard frogs. The refuge also hosts year-round plant and bird walks.

A land of enchantment for kids of all ages awaits just south of Doylestown within the 108-acre Central Park. Rising through the trees is the eight-story (you read that right) Kids Castle, a massive wooden play structure with labyrinthine passages, twisty tube slides, drawbridges, overlooks and a kids’ elevator, all protected by a giant dragon. The castle is the centerpiece of the 30,000-square-foot Kids Castle Central Park playground, a year-round playscape spread out across four “kingdoms” with treehouses, swings, interactive games, plastic rock walls, a pirate ship and more, along with two inclusive play areas for children with varying abilities.

This vast seven-acre field of hulking round stones in the middle of Bucks County’s Ringing Rocks County Park holds quite the secret. Bring along your hammer (we’re serious), climb out onto the field and start banging away on the primordial igneous diabase boulders to experience an unexpected and unforgettable sound: the bell-like tones that give the park its name. Once you’re done creating your stone song, explore the rest of the sprawling 123-acre park, a dense forest for hikers, walkers, bikers and picnickers. Oh, and don’t miss High Falls, the county’s largest waterfall.

Featuring more than a dozen themed treehouses, three ziplines (including 2024’s exhilarating new Valley Creek zipline) and a bevy of outdoor activities, West Chester’s Treehouse World offers both relaxing play in the sun and family-friendly thrills. Spread throughout the amusement park’s 14 acres: massive treehouses with various themes, from pirate ships and trains to an enchanted village and a gingerbread house. At ground level, non-arboreal activities include rock climbing, ax throwing, bungee jumping and zip lining (across three skill levels). There’s even a small animal farm on-site.

Just northeast of Philly’s city limits is Andalusia, a 200-plus-year-old, 50-acre estate on the banks of the Delaware River that was once home to Philadelphia’s prominent Biddle family. A Greek revival mansion — called the Big House — is the heart of this idyllic property, which in 2024 was named the only U.S. Partner Garden by the prestigious Royal Horticultural Society. Must-see features include the 800-plus tree arboretum (especially when the cherry trees are in bloom), the vibrant fairy roses and rust-red paperbark maples of the Walled Garden, and the Big House’s ornate library — filled with over 3,000 rare texts.

Across 35 acres of Delaware County, this botanical wonderland features more than 5,000 plants on the grounds of the century-old former Rosengarten manor. The lush, contemporary arboretum is home to several distinct gardens with perennial displays, vegetable gardens, orchards, landscaped terraces, wildflower meadows, ruins, shady woods and agricultural fields. And so as not to distract from the striking visuals, no plants are labeled. Instead, visitors are encouraged to engage in conversation with the gardeners themselves.

Part of the Schuylkill River Trail, the Manayunk Towpath parallels the Manayunk Canal and runs adjacent to Philly’s Manayunk neighborhood. The promenade is made up of paved elevated pathways and sleepy boardwalks perfect for running, biking and fishing. The section north of Green Lane features lush foliage, hiding birds, turtles and small waterfalls — all leading south toward a wide variety of restaurants and bars on Manayunk’s Main Street. On the path, don’t miss Water Under the Bridge, a series of brightly colored murals and mosaicked steps at Fountain Street.

The purple beauty and memorable fragrance of lavender are on full display at Peace Valley Lavender Farm, adjacent to Peace Valley Park just west of Doylestown. More than 3,000 lavender plants — representing two species and multiple varieties — grow on the facility’s sunny hillside. While the blooming season peaks during June and July, the farm is open 12 months a year. Pick your own lavender, sit and enjoy views out over Lake Galena, or explore the shop stocked with unique lavender products. (The lavender lollipops come on a plantable seed-laced stick!)

What else would you expect from one of the “prettiest college campuses in America,” according to Architectural Digest? On Swarthmore College’s gorgeous campus lies Scott Arboretum, a sprawling century-old, 425-acre botanic garden made up of rolling hills, flowering trees, walking trails, 4,000 plant types, 200 rose varieties, a biostream (which collects and reuses rainwater), and more. With free admission, the arboretum offers both daily staff-led and self-guided tours, as well as lectures, excursions, classes and wellness events.

Gifted to the American people by Japan after World War II, the Shofuso Japanese Cultural Center is an oasis from the city in the heart of West Fairmount Park. The center consists of the main building, modeled after an early 17th-century temple guest house, and a separate teahouse and bathhouse, surrounded by exquisite gardens and a serene koi pond. Participate in seasonal tea ceremony demonstrations; tour the interior to learn about Japanese temple living, art and architecture in the 1600s; and feed the fish in the pond. Don’t miss spring’s Subaru Cherry Blossom Festival.