Philadelphia, Lancaster, Gettysburg Itinerary - any suggestions?
Mar 31st, 2009, 05:30 AM
#1
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Philadelphia, Lancaster, Gettysburg Itinerary - any suggestions?
Here's what we have so far. We have gaps after dinner and on our final day in Philly. We also have lots of gaps in our Lancaster area itinerary. We are trying to avoid the commercialized places in Lancaster.
We aren't drinkers/party types, so any nighttime act ivies would be limited.
Sunday, April 5 (Stay in Philadelphia)
-----------------------
Leave Virginia, arrive in Philly around 1 p.m.
2 p.m. - Philadelphia Museum of Art
6 p.m. - Eat Dinner
7 p.m. - Naked Chocolate Cafe for Desert
Monday (Stay in Philadelphia)
-----------------------
8 a.m. - Get tickets for Independence Hall
In the Morning (depending on if we can get tickets) - Tour Independence Hall, Liberty Bell, Congress Hall
Eat Lunch at Campo's Deli
In the Afternoon - Printing Office, Declaration House, Christ Church, Elfreth's Alley, Fireman's Hall
Eat Dinner at Pizzicato
Walk through Washington Square
Tuesday (Stay in Philadelphia)
-----------------------
9 a.m. - Walk around Rittenhouse Square
10 a.m. - Tour City Hall
Eat Lunch at Reading Terminal Market
2 p.m. - Visit the Cherry Tree Festival at Fairmount Park
Wednesday (Stay in Philadelphia)
-----------------------
8 a.m. - Drive to Lancaster
9 a.m. - Stop at Longwood Gardens (?)
Lunch somewhere
Our own Driving Tour around the "rural" areas
Dinner somewhere
Thursday (Stay in Intercourse)
-----------------------
Plain & Fancy Farm
Buggy Ride
Lunch somewhere
Dinner at Good N' Plenty Restaurant
??
Friday (Stay in Intercourse)
-----------------------
Drive to and tour Gettysburg
Drive back to Virginia
-----------------------------------------------------
A few thoughts:
Is Longwood Gardens worth a stop?
Should we visit the National Constitution Center in Philly?
Should we go on a Strasburg Railroad train ride and see the Railroad Museum and/or Toy Train Museum?
We aren't drinkers/party types, so any nighttime act ivies would be limited.
Sunday, April 5 (Stay in Philadelphia)
-----------------------
Leave Virginia, arrive in Philly around 1 p.m.
2 p.m. - Philadelphia Museum of Art
6 p.m. - Eat Dinner
7 p.m. - Naked Chocolate Cafe for Desert
Monday (Stay in Philadelphia)
-----------------------
8 a.m. - Get tickets for Independence Hall
In the Morning (depending on if we can get tickets) - Tour Independence Hall, Liberty Bell, Congress Hall
Eat Lunch at Campo's Deli
In the Afternoon - Printing Office, Declaration House, Christ Church, Elfreth's Alley, Fireman's Hall
Eat Dinner at Pizzicato
Walk through Washington Square
Tuesday (Stay in Philadelphia)
-----------------------
9 a.m. - Walk around Rittenhouse Square
10 a.m. - Tour City Hall
Eat Lunch at Reading Terminal Market
2 p.m. - Visit the Cherry Tree Festival at Fairmount Park
Wednesday (Stay in Philadelphia)
-----------------------
8 a.m. - Drive to Lancaster
9 a.m. - Stop at Longwood Gardens (?)
Lunch somewhere
Our own Driving Tour around the "rural" areas
Dinner somewhere
Thursday (Stay in Intercourse)
-----------------------
Plain & Fancy Farm
Buggy Ride
Lunch somewhere
Dinner at Good N' Plenty Restaurant
??
Friday (Stay in Intercourse)
-----------------------
Drive to and tour Gettysburg
Drive back to Virginia
-----------------------------------------------------
A few thoughts:
Is Longwood Gardens worth a stop?
Should we visit the National Constitution Center in Philly?
Should we go on a Strasburg Railroad train ride and see the Railroad Museum and/or Toy Train Museum?
Mar 31st, 2009, 06:29 AM
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Longwood Gardens is beautiful - I've been there a couple of times in Spring with tens of thousands of tulips blooming... I'd go back in a heartbeat!
National Constitution Center - It is interesting, and lots of interactive display including a introductory "show". Are you going with kids and how old are they? If they're too young they may not enjoy/understand the displays.
You probably won't spend all 4 hours at the Art Museum. You may want to stop by the Rodin Museum as well:
http://www.rodinmuseum.org/
If you have kids, they may enjoy the Franklin Institute?
National Constitution Center - It is interesting, and lots of interactive display including a introductory "show". Are you going with kids and how old are they? If they're too young they may not enjoy/understand the displays.
You probably won't spend all 4 hours at the Art Museum. You may want to stop by the Rodin Museum as well:
http://www.rodinmuseum.org/
If you have kids, they may enjoy the Franklin Institute?
Mar 31st, 2009, 06:54 AM
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For your final night in Philly, check out
www.GoPhila.com
Specifically, their calendar. There's bound to be a show or performance on that night, that would interest you.
www.GoPhila.com
Specifically, their calendar. There's bound to be a show or performance on that night, that would interest you.
Mar 31st, 2009, 08:07 AM
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I am almost 100% positive that I got tickets online for independence hall in advance..paying a VERY small fee... I LOVED the National Constitution Center - the show they had was fantastic - I really enjoyed it.
Mar 31st, 2009, 12:29 PM
#7
adam - I realize this is the opposite of what I told you about the safety of Philly but I wouldn't recommend that you walk through Washington Square after dinner. WS is in one of the toniest neighborhoods in Philly but whenever you are in a city you do need to keep some basic safety rules in mind. One rule is that you don't walk through a dark city park with a lot of trees. True Philly city dwellers may disagree and say that WS is very well lit and often has a lot of pedestrian traffic through it. I just don't remember it that way. Keep to the sidewalks and walk around it at night. The doormen at those very expensive apartment buildings around the square will make you feel safe.
The Franklin Institute is an interesting science museum but it will probably be filled with kids. If you like science I would recommend the Mutter Museum instead.
http://www.collphyphil.org/mutter.asp
Its on 22nd near Market so you could go after your city hall tour but you'd have to backtrack to the market.
The Constitution Center is one of my all-time favorite museums.
Definitely do Longwood especially if it is a beautiful spring day.
Do Strasburg if you like trains. You won't see much from the train trip but they have a lunch ride that is a pleasant way to spend a little time. The train museum is cool if you like trains.
The Franklin Institute is an interesting science museum but it will probably be filled with kids. If you like science I would recommend the Mutter Museum instead.
http://www.collphyphil.org/mutter.asp
Its on 22nd near Market so you could go after your city hall tour but you'd have to backtrack to the market.
The Constitution Center is one of my all-time favorite museums.
Definitely do Longwood especially if it is a beautiful spring day.
Do Strasburg if you like trains. You won't see much from the train trip but they have a lunch ride that is a pleasant way to spend a little time. The train museum is cool if you like trains.
Mar 31st, 2009, 12:56 PM
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Sakura Sunday is this coming Sunday and is the big festival of the Philadelphia Cherry Blossom Festival, so if that's part of your plan, swap PMA with Cherry Blossom Festival on your itinerary (also, I'd stop at the festival before heading to the hotel - it may be that I've gone too many years at this point, but the event just isn't so exciting that it warrants more than an hour or two).
Also, Lights of Liberty might be fun if the tours haven't been stopped for cold weather or whatever. (It's a night time tour.)
I wouldn't recommend the walk through Washington Square, mostly just because I'm not quite sure what there is to see that's worthwhile at night. Besides, if Lights of Liberty is around, you'll get to walk through that area.
I 2nd that Constitution Center from above. It's a great place.
The film festival will be going on while you're in town, so maybe you can do a movie or two in the evenings.
Also, Lights of Liberty might be fun if the tours haven't been stopped for cold weather or whatever. (It's a night time tour.)
I wouldn't recommend the walk through Washington Square, mostly just because I'm not quite sure what there is to see that's worthwhile at night. Besides, if Lights of Liberty is around, you'll get to walk through that area.
I 2nd that Constitution Center from above. It's a great place.
The film festival will be going on while you're in town, so maybe you can do a movie or two in the evenings.
Mar 31st, 2009, 06:02 PM
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Gettysburg is a great place to see. When we were there you still could drive through it. It takes awhile to see so allow some time. You will want to stop at the visitors center first. My mom and I are history buffs so we enjoyed Gettysburg. There was also a Boyds Bear store at Gettysburg. I don't know if it still there or not. It was really neat to see.
In the future if you have time you may want to do a Civil War stop at all the battlefields around this area. We went to Gettysburg, Antietem, Harpers Ferry, Valley Forge, and went to Washington D.C. (just to name a few). They were nice to see so you can tie in all the great battles with Gettysburg. You can also visit others provided you have time.
In the future if you have time you may want to do a Civil War stop at all the battlefields around this area. We went to Gettysburg, Antietem, Harpers Ferry, Valley Forge, and went to Washington D.C. (just to name a few). They were nice to see so you can tie in all the great battles with Gettysburg. You can also visit others provided you have time.
Mar 31st, 2009, 07:46 PM
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> Is it worth touring City Hall?
It's a nice walk-around for a few minutes. And since you'll see it as you go to Love Park anyway, you may as well spend those few minutes walking around. Don't bother with the guided tour OR the trip to the top unless you MUST get photos from tall buildings. If the weather is hazy or cloudy, definitely don't bother.
> How is the parking around Fairmount Park?
This is the largest continuous urban park in the U.S. It's HUGE, so your question is almost meaningless. I've never had a problem finding *A* place to park, but not always where I wanted to park.
Decide where you want to go to. Drive there and check out parking. If there's none (and, near to the Art Museum, don't count on much), keep driving till you find some. Decide if you want to walk that amount, or get to where you want to go to some other way. If you have a ticket for the Philly Phlash (recommended), you probably will be riding that most of the day anyway.
It's a nice walk-around for a few minutes. And since you'll see it as you go to Love Park anyway, you may as well spend those few minutes walking around. Don't bother with the guided tour OR the trip to the top unless you MUST get photos from tall buildings. If the weather is hazy or cloudy, definitely don't bother.
> How is the parking around Fairmount Park?
This is the largest continuous urban park in the U.S. It's HUGE, so your question is almost meaningless. I've never had a problem finding *A* place to park, but not always where I wanted to park.
Decide where you want to go to. Drive there and check out parking. If there's none (and, near to the Art Museum, don't count on much), keep driving till you find some. Decide if you want to walk that amount, or get to where you want to go to some other way. If you have a ticket for the Philly Phlash (recommended), you probably will be riding that most of the day anyway.
Apr 1st, 2009, 02:24 AM
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Longwood Gardens never ceases to take my breath away--I was just there this weekend for the annual orchid show and it did not disappoint. Always worth a stop, imo.
http://www.longwoodgardens.org/
http://www.longwoodgardens.org/
Apr 1st, 2009, 07:24 AM
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> How much time should we allow at the National Constitution Center?
You could do it in 30 mins (there's a 12 min show thing included with your ticket), but I'd allot at least 1 hr.
> Is it worth touring City Hall?
I've never toured City Hall, but a guided tour could be fun if you're interested in getting to the top (but as stated by PaulRabe, if the weather isn't sunny, just forget about it).
> Also, how is parking around Fairmount Park during the Cherry tree festival?
Just remember that the area where the cherry blossom trees are is in a specific part of the park (Horticulture Center), and with Fairmount Park being the size it is, I wouldn't park just anywhere (besides, there's a parking lot right where the trees are, and I've found parking even on those crowded Sakura Sunday events.
You could do it in 30 mins (there's a 12 min show thing included with your ticket), but I'd allot at least 1 hr.
> Is it worth touring City Hall?
I've never toured City Hall, but a guided tour could be fun if you're interested in getting to the top (but as stated by PaulRabe, if the weather isn't sunny, just forget about it).
> Also, how is parking around Fairmount Park during the Cherry tree festival?
Just remember that the area where the cherry blossom trees are is in a specific part of the park (Horticulture Center), and with Fairmount Park being the size it is, I wouldn't park just anywhere (besides, there's a parking lot right where the trees are, and I've found parking even on those crowded Sakura Sunday events.
Apr 1st, 2009, 07:34 AM
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Thanks for everyone's help so far! Sorry to be a pain, but an additional question:
For those of you that have visited the Museum of Art and Constitution Center - which one should we visit? We have realized there is a lot to do in our 2.5 days in Philly, and we don't think we'll be able to see both of these sites, unfortunately. (We also don't want to overwhelm ourselves with Museums.) Does it just depend on personal taste?
We aren't particularly artsy people, so we're leaning towards the Constitution Center. But then again, the Museum of Art is well known and we'd hate to miss it.
This is wait we have so far for our days in Philly (slight changes from the first one):
Sunday
===========
Cherry Tree Festival
Check into Hotel
Naked Chocolate Cafe
Monday
===========
Morning
--------------------
Independence Hall
Liberty Bell
Congress Hal
Afternoon
--------------------
Printing Office
Declaration House
Christ Church
Elfreth's Alley
Fireman's Hall
Dinner at Pizzicato
Tuesday
===========
Morning
--------------------
Rittenhouse Square
Reading Terminal Market
LOVE Park / City Hall
Afternoon
--------------------
Museum of Art OR Constitution Center
For those of you that have visited the Museum of Art and Constitution Center - which one should we visit? We have realized there is a lot to do in our 2.5 days in Philly, and we don't think we'll be able to see both of these sites, unfortunately. (We also don't want to overwhelm ourselves with Museums.) Does it just depend on personal taste?
We aren't particularly artsy people, so we're leaning towards the Constitution Center. But then again, the Museum of Art is well known and we'd hate to miss it.
This is wait we have so far for our days in Philly (slight changes from the first one):
Sunday
===========
Cherry Tree Festival
Check into Hotel
Naked Chocolate Cafe
Monday
===========
Morning
--------------------
Independence Hall
Liberty Bell
Congress Hal
Afternoon
--------------------
Printing Office
Declaration House
Christ Church
Elfreth's Alley
Fireman's Hall
Dinner at Pizzicato
Tuesday
===========
Morning
--------------------
Rittenhouse Square
Reading Terminal Market
LOVE Park / City Hall
Afternoon
--------------------
Museum of Art OR Constitution Center
Apr 1st, 2009, 08:09 AM
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I think you can fit the NCC into your Monday morning. The Independence Hall tour is less than an hour, IIRC. And the Liberty Bell is probably a half-hour. And the lists for Monday afternoon probably won't take more than 2-3 hours.
The Philadelphia Museum of Art is truly a great museum. It has an entire gallery with works by Marcel Duchamp, just that alone is worth going. You may also want to check the schedule for the free docent-guided tours at the art museum. If you don't have a particular interests in art, the docent tour can point out the highlights of the museum, and you're free to tour around on your own afterwards.
The Philadelphia Museum of Art is truly a great museum. It has an entire gallery with works by Marcel Duchamp, just that alone is worth going. You may also want to check the schedule for the free docent-guided tours at the art museum. If you don't have a particular interests in art, the docent tour can point out the highlights of the museum, and you're free to tour around on your own afterwards.
Apr 1st, 2009, 12:25 PM
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> I am wondering if we could fit it in the Monday schedule?
The Art Museum is closed on Mondays. It is free on Sundays, which is a plus and minus. On the plus side, you don't feel obligated to spend several hours visiting in order to justify the admission price of $12 per person. On the minus, it's jammed.
The Art Museum is closed on Mondays. It is free on Sundays, which is a plus and minus. On the plus side, you don't feel obligated to spend several hours visiting in order to justify the admission price of $12 per person. On the minus, it's jammed.
Apr 1st, 2009, 01:59 PM
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Some thoughts:
-I enjoyed the tour of City Hall. It shows you a couple of the more ornate meeting rooms in the space and allows you to see the view from the top, which is good. Note that the elevator up to the top is *tiny* and only holds a couple people at a time. Would strongly suggest asking to be among the first group on if you do this, otherwise the wait can be long. And would guess that the view won't be very good if it's raining out, though I don't think a cloudy day would be a big problem.
-Whether you see the National Constitution Center depends (I think) on how well you know your history regarding this document. If you know it extremely well, you may find this attraction "old news." The building itself is nice, and the displays are reasonably attractive -- the live show was OK. Given that I have a fairly decent knowledge of US history, I thought it was all right but told me a bunch of things I already knew. Am guessing this could be squeezed in between seeing the other historic area sights.
-agreed that the Philadelphia Art Museum is excellent. Definitely see it.
-the Franklin Institute is one of those science-based attractions that can be fun for all ages, kind of like the Boston Museum of Science or Tampa's Museum of Science and Industry. Kids will especially like it, but I'm an adult and found it quite enjoyable.
-note that the Mutter Museum is a medical oddities museum which as I understand it is not for the squeamish. Some people like that sort of thing, but you won't get me near it.
-I enjoyed the tour of City Hall. It shows you a couple of the more ornate meeting rooms in the space and allows you to see the view from the top, which is good. Note that the elevator up to the top is *tiny* and only holds a couple people at a time. Would strongly suggest asking to be among the first group on if you do this, otherwise the wait can be long. And would guess that the view won't be very good if it's raining out, though I don't think a cloudy day would be a big problem.
-Whether you see the National Constitution Center depends (I think) on how well you know your history regarding this document. If you know it extremely well, you may find this attraction "old news." The building itself is nice, and the displays are reasonably attractive -- the live show was OK. Given that I have a fairly decent knowledge of US history, I thought it was all right but told me a bunch of things I already knew. Am guessing this could be squeezed in between seeing the other historic area sights.
-agreed that the Philadelphia Art Museum is excellent. Definitely see it.
-the Franklin Institute is one of those science-based attractions that can be fun for all ages, kind of like the Boston Museum of Science or Tampa's Museum of Science and Industry. Kids will especially like it, but I'm an adult and found it quite enjoyable.
-note that the Mutter Museum is a medical oddities museum which as I understand it is not for the squeamish. Some people like that sort of thing, but you won't get me near it.
