Why Philadelphia Is The Must-Visit Destination Of 2022

There are plenty of reasons that Philadelphia should be on travelers’ must-visit lists for 2022. The “booming cultural and culinary destination,” as The Wall Street Journal described Philadelphia in late 2021, is welcoming new attractions (Museum of Illusions,  African American Museum of Bucks County), hosting NCAA March Madness basketball games and the Army-Navy Game, and serving as the site of the world-premiere Harry Potter: The Exhibition at The Franklin Institute in February. Add to that iconic history, a raved-about dining scene, cool neighborhoods and variety of hotel offerings for a getaway that’s both easy and inspiring.

In fact, ease is the main appeal of the Visit Philly Overnight Hotel Package, which includes hotel parking and a buy-one-get-one offer on attraction tickets sold at the Independence Visitor Center. The package is available at more than 40 hotels through February 28, 2022. (New package perks will be available in March.) It is bookable at visitphilly.com/overnight.

Here’s a look at some of the major events, exhibits and openings taking place in Philadelphia in 2022:

New, Renovated & Expanded Attractions:

• The Clay Studio – Formerly located in Old City, The Clay Studio opens a new, state-of-the-art facility in Kensington with programming dedicated to clay workshops, classes and community engagement. The new facility features quadruple the classroom space, larger artist studios and galleries, and even an outdoor pavilion. March 2022.
• Big Bird’s Tour Bus, Sesame Place – Sesame Place unveils an all-new ride this spring, Big Bird’s Tour Bus. An oversized, red double-decker bus whisks Big Bird and friends around a Sesame Place-inspired cityscape for a kid-friendly jaunt. April 2022.
• New Museum Exhibits, Valley Forge National Historical Park – After last summer’s first reopening phase of a $12 million visitor center rehabilitation project, Valley Forge National Historical Park is set to unveil a new aspect of the renovation. All-new museum exhibits immerse visitors in the six-month period of the 1777-1778 winter encampment of the Continental Army through color, sound and textures of wood, metal and mud. The public opening of the renovated theater will follow in summer. Spring 2022.
• Museum of Illusions – With locations in Atlanta, Boston, Chicago and New York, the Museum of Illusions opens a Philadelphia outpost in Old City, conveniently located within walking distance of Independence Hall, the Liberty Bell Center and the Betsy Ross House. More than 80 exhibits aim to trick the eye, giving visitors the opportunity to delight in holograms, stereograms and optical illusions — all while learning about vision, perception and the human brain. Spring 2022.
• Indego Bike Share Expansion – Philadelphia’s bike-share system, Indego, recently announced the second phase of a five-year expansion plan to increase its fleet of bikes, expand its neighborhood reach and introduce electric bikes to the mix. The 2022 expansion includes the addition of 30 new stations and 400 more electric bikes focusing on areas in West Philadelphia, South Philadelphia and East Falls. Spring 2022.
• Delaware River Trail – Once completed this year, the central portion of the Delaware River Trail will run between Washington Avenue and Spring Garden Street on the east side of Columbus Boulevard. The multi-use trail provides a protected lane for walkers, joggers and cyclists, as well as a link between waterfront destinations like Race Street Pier, Blue Cross RiverRink Summerfest and Winterfest, Spruce Street Harbor Park and Washington Avenue Pier. Key design features include a curb-separated, bi-directional asphalt bicycle path and separate pedestrian sidewalk, as well as new landscaping, pedestrian lighting and street furnishings. Spring 2022.
• Eastern Mediterranean Gallery, Penn Museum – Spotlighting artifacts from the Eastern Mediterranean region, this re-imagined gallery offers a historical glimpse into the area’s complex history, providing new evidence challenging preconceived notions. Fall 2022. 
• African American Museum of Bucks County – Founded in 2014 as a mobile museum, the African American Museum of Bucks County has found a permanent home at Boone Farm in Langhorne. Exhibits, on display in buildings erected in 1719 and 1850, feature artifacts and stories spotlighting the rich history and heritage of the African American experience in Bucks County and beyond. Late 2022.

Exhibitions:

• Deconstructing Bowie: Freedom in Eccentricity, National Liberty Museum – This exhibition focuses on David Bowie as a social disruptor and rebel, through work inspired by his music, art and fashion. All creations shown are for sale, benefiting the Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia. Through April 3, 2022.

• Rodin’s Hands, Rodin Museum – The face gets all the glory in art, but Auguste Rodin was a master in expressive hands — full of tension and drama. This exhibition features 15 bronzes and plasters of hands, including The Cathedral, a 1908 sculpture depicting two larger-than-life-sized hands whose fingertips are about to touch. February 4, 2022-December 2023.
• Harry Potter: The Exhibition, The Franklin Institute – The most comprehensive touring exhibition about the Wizarding World makes its world premiere this winter at Philadelphia’s iconic science museum. The immersive experience reveals the artistry and craftsmanship behind the props, costumes and environments from the blockbuster films of the Harry Potter series, as well as Fantastic Beasts. February 18-September 2022.
• Water, Wind, Breath: Southwest Native Art in Community, Barnes Foundation – Pueblo and Navajo pottery, textiles and jewelry are on display at the Barnes Foundation’s latest exhibit. The show comprises nearly 100 works, both collected by Dr. Albert Barnes from Santa Fe and Tao, New Mexico in the 1930s, as well as works by contemporary Native American artists highlighting the connections between historic pieces and modern practices. February 20-May 15, 2022.
• Keith Haring, A Radiant Legacy, James A. Michener Art Museum – Acclaimed pop artist Keith Haring, born nearby in Reading, Pennsylvania, used city graffiti as the inspiration for his colorful works. This spring and summer, Doylestown’s Michener Art Museum displays a private collection of more than 100 of his works, including two rare drawings Haring drew in blank advertising spaces in the New York City subway and Medusa Head, Haring’s largest print. March 12-July 31, 2022.
• POOL: A Social History of Segregation, Fairmount Water Works – Closed for repairs since September due to the flooding of the Schuylkill River, Fairmount Water Works reopens in late March with the debut of a new multidisciplinary exhibition, featuring archival film footage and photographs. It’s on display at the former Kelly Pool (on the grounds of Fairmount Water Works) and explores the history and contemporary implications of segregated swimming in America. March 22-September 2022.
• Light: Installations by Bruce Munro, Longwood Gardens – A decade after British artist Bruce Munro first exhibited at Longwood Gardens, he returns with a display that comprises eight installations situated both indoors and outdoors. Don’t miss works like Field of Light, featuring 18,000 illuminated stemmed orbs lit by fiber optics along Longwood’s Large Lake, and a giant sphere made of 1,820 recyclable bottles in the East Conservatory. June 30-October 30, 2022.

Sporting Events:

• NCAA March Madness, Wells Fargo Center – The 2022 NCAA Division I Men’s Basketball Tournament — otherwise known as March Madness — brings college hoops excitement to Philadelphia just as spring arrives. For two nights, the Wells Fargo Center hosts the East Regional Sweet 16 and Elite Eight rounds of the tournament. March 25 and 27, 2022.
• Army-Navy Game, Lincoln Financial Field – The Army Black Knights take on the Navy Midshipmen in this epic collegiate rivalry, now in its 123rd year and returning to Lincoln Financial Field for the 14th time since 2003. December 10, 2022.

Food & Drink:

• New Brewery Openings – The lengthy Craft Beer Trail of Greater Philadelphia will soon grow even bigger with new breweries and expansions debuting in and beyond the city. Kensington’s Human Robot Brewery opens its second location in Jenkintown dubbed The Haus, opening in late February 2022. Slated for early 2022 is the Fishtown outpost of East Passyunk’s Brewery ARS. Originally expected to debut in late 2021, Other Half Brewing Co. will soon open its doors to unveil an indoor-outdoor concept in the former Goose Island Brewhouse location in Fishtown. Mystic Ways Brewing and Van Lieus Brewing are set to become the second and third breweries in Perkasie, joining the lauded Free Will Brewing Co. in town.
• New Restaurant Openings – The city’s lauded dining scene continues to top itself. Here’s a sampling of what’s on the dining docket for this year: The wholesale bagelry that gained a cult following, Kismet Bagels, will open its first brick-and-mortar location in Fishtown in early 2022. The powerhouse duo behind Safran Turney Hospitality transforms the Midtown Village space that was once Jamonera into a neighborhood pizza joint, Good Luck Pizza Co., for full service early this year. Chef Michael Schulson gets into the pizza game with Prunella, also opening soon. Come early February, Char & Stave Coffee will open in Ardmore, featuring elevated coffee creations by day and craft cocktails from Bluebird Distilling by night. Out in Newtown, the second Pennsylvania location of taco and cocktail bar Bomba Taco + Bar is also targeting a February opening, as is the Stephen Starr restaurant formerly known as Pod, which will be refreshed with help from Peter Serpico, adding Korean dishes and design elements under the moniker KPod. The former Philadelphia Academy of Social Dance transforms into a 4,500-square-foot restaurant, bar and event space called Wilder, slated for March. Come spring, Chef Lee Styer moves his über-popular brunch concept The Dutch from Pennsport to East Passyunk at the former location of Fond. Small-batch ice cream purveyors Milk Jawn are also set on East Passyunk Avenue for their first retail shop beginning this spring. Former Philadelphia magazine food editor Alex Tewfik makes a new turn as restaurateur when the Singing Fountain-adjacent Mish Mish opens in the spring. Stay tuned for a second location of Kalaya, opening in Fishtown this summer, a partnership between Chutatip “Nok” Suntaranon and Suraya’s Greg Root, Al Lucas and Nick Kennedy. Another indoor golf and entertainment complex opens on the border between Kensington and Fishtown in late 2022: Puttery Philadelphia. The 20,000-square-foot outpost features three themed, nine-hole putting courses, multiple bars and a restaurant.

New Hotels:

• New Hotel Openings – A handful of new and renovated hotels are on the docket this year in Greater Philadelphia. In Conshohocken, Hotel West & Main, a 127-room boutique hotel that’s part of the Hilton Tapestry Collection, is slated to open in summer 2022. It will feature a rooftop bar, lounge and restaurant on the second floor of the historic firehouse next door. Another Montgomery County hotel, La Quinta Inn and Suites, will open in Lansdale this year with 100 rooms. And in Philadelphia, visitors can expect a renovated 36-room Independence Park Hotel in Old City (February); the 122-room Woodspring Suites Philadelphia Northeast (May); and a 200-room Comfort Inn in Chinatown (late 2022).

VISIT PHILADELPHIA^® is our name and our mission. As the region’s official tourism marketing agency, we build Greater Philadelphia’s image, drive visitation and boost the economy.

On Greater Philadelphia’s official visitor website and blog, visitphilly.com and uwishunu.com, visitors can explore things to do, upcoming events, themed itineraries and hotel packages. Compelling photography and videos, interactive maps and detailed visitor information make the sites effective trip-planning tools. Along with Visit Philly social media channels, the online platforms communicate directly with consumers. Travelers can also call and stop into the Independence Visitor Center for additional information and tickets. 6^th & Market Streets, (800) 537-7676

Note to Editors: For high-resolution photos and high-definition B-roll of Greater Philadelphia, visit the Photos & Video section of visitphilly.com/mediacenter.