You know, not every family trip needs to be a long camping excursion. Many times we took the children on day trips. Day trips are a convenient way to spend quality time with the family, away from home obligations and distractions. At the same time, you can learn about an area or a local national park.
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| Philly’s a beautiful place to visit! |
For the Lees crew, one of our favorite local trips is to see what’s going on in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, one of the new World Heritage Cities. To obtain the classification of a World Heritage City, among other things, a city must be important to the history and heritage of a country, which Philadelphia is for the United States of America. The World Heritage City site must also be approved by the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization, UNESCO.
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| A country and government was born right here at Independence Hall. |
Philadelphia’s importance to the United States should not be underestimated, especially during the country’s formative years. Philly was the seat of government at the birth of our new country way back in the 1700’s. The Declaration of Independence was signed in 1776 at Independence Hall. And the country’s government was created and signed into effect with the Constitution of the United States in 1787 at that very same place. Philly served as the capital of the new-formed country from 1790 to1800, while Washington, D.C., was being constructed. And during that period, the Bill of Rights was drafted and adopted.
That’s a lot of history contained at Philadelphia’s Independence National HistoricalPark.
But that’s not all Philadelphia has to offer. Mighty universities sprung up, like nation’s first university, the University of Pennsylvania, an Ivy League created by Benjamin Franklin in 1749.
A mini history of the university from its website says that “Penn went on to obtain a collegiate charter (1755), graduate its first class (1757), establish the first medical school in the American colonies (1765) and become the first American institution of higher education to be named a university (1779).”
Another beautiful day trip can be had at Boat House Row along the Schuylkill River. It’s a great place to picnic under a tree, walk the paved paths, bike ride or roller blade. Boat House Row is right by the Philadelphia Art Museum, another beautiful place to visit.
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| A perfect day for a picnic as we explored Boat House Row park. |
Philadelphia has one of the largest parks of any city, Fairmount Park, and within that beautiful park full of hiking trails and streams is the Philadelphia Zoo, America’s oldest zoo. Families of all kinds enjoy the zoo, or at least mine does.
Now I realize these are but small tidbits of what to see and do in Philadelphia. I’ve included websites so you can plan your own visits. Actually, to really enjoy all Philadelphia and its vicinity has to offer, it’s a good idea to make several day trips out of this. That’s what we do. Of course, it could easily be a full vacation in itself.
So stuff a daypack full of treats and drinks. Grab the camera to catch all the memories. And don’t forget to wear comfortable walking shoes and sun hats and carry sunscreen and bug spray. Then head out for a day or two of family fun.
If you are visiting the Philadelphia area this 4th of July, here’s a webpage to all the fun during the Independence Day Celebration. Enjoy!
Thanks for visiting Camping with Five Kids. Please leave a comment about your favorite day trip to take.
Also, please note that I will not post in August of 2018. I have many writing projects I desperately need to address. Thanks for always reading about my Camping with Five Kids adventures. It means the world to me. Enjoy your summer!
Hi Victoria Marie – I hadn't heard of the World Heritage Cities – but now know to check them out. I bet there's lots to do in Philly – bearing in mind its history re the States today. We really should pay more attention to the culture that surrounds us. Take care – enjoy July and then your time off in August – here's to success for you – cheers Hilary
Hi Hilary! It's always such a pleasure seeing you here at Camping with Five Kids. Yes, Philly is the first World Heritage City in the U.S., a fascinating city with a fascinating history. You can find some more info about Philly's World Heritage status here: http://observer.com/2015/11/unesco-crowns-philadelphia-the-us-first-world-heritage-city/.
I agree that people need to pay attention to the culture around them. Again, I can't thank you enough for always visiting my Camping with Five Kids blog and leaving a note. It's truly appreciated. Enjoy your summer and I'll "see you" in September.
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I didn't know about Would Heritage Cities! I learned something new. We love doing day trips. We actually just went to the Chinese Lantern Festival. Thanks for the 4th of July events! Enjoy your summer as well! Good luck on your writing!
Thanks so much for visiting Camping with Five Kids, Michelle. Good for you visiting the Chinese Lantern Festival. My friend went and said it was fantastic. Unfortunately, we didn't have an opportunity to visit the festival. Day trips can be a great way to spend time with the family.
Thanks for your kind words here at Camping with Five Kids. Enjoy your holiday!
I seriously want to hit Philly one of these days. The history gets me, but my hubby isn't so much into seeing historical things. One day I'm going to drag him there with me though. And he'll go. Because he loves me.
Philly has so much more than just history to offer, Crystal. There's the Art Museum and China Town. There's the Italian Market, the Franklin Institute and the Academy of Natural Science of Drexel University. But oh the history. I only scratched the surface. The Liberty Bell's there and you can even touch a piece of history.
Your husband sounds very sweet and I'm sure he'll go with you. Thanks for your note. It's always such a pleasure seeing you here at Camping with Five Kids.
Wasn't it WC Fields who said, "On the whole, I'd rather be in Philadelphia."
It might be, Bill. Of course, he probably was talking about vaudeville, as I believe he played all the vaudeville houses. Vaudeville was a travelling variety show at the end of the 19th century and the beginning of the 20th. The entertainer needed to "sell" his act to be included in a theatre's vaudeville weekly show.
All best to you, sir. I hope all is well. Thanks for your note here at Camping with Five Kids.
A friend of mine just took her family to Philadelphia last week and they had a wonderful time seeing the sights.
Best of luck with your writing projects! Hope you have had a great summer so far. 🙂
~Jess
~Jess
Jess, thank you so much for visiting Camping with Five Kids. It's greatly appreciated. Philadelphia is an amazing city full of history, science, art, and of course, food.
I've had a busy summer. Thanks for asking. I hope yours is going well, too. Again, I truly appreciate your comment here at Camping with Five Kids. All best to you!