i will be in philly for a few days over a weekend in oct. i will be staying near the BArnes. I plan to see the barnes as well as the phildelphia museum of art. i know philadelphia has a lot of attractions. not interested in sports. any suggestions for other things to do? decent not too expensive restaurants?

You will definitely need a timed ticket for the Barnes. Go to their website n-o-w.

On the Parkway, next to the Barnes, on the way to the Museum of Art, is the recently-renovated Rodin museum.

Decent not too expensive restaurants? You might want to try some of Philadelphia's BYO restaurants. Matyson is on 19th Street, not too far from the places you have mentioned. There are plenty of terrific restaurants all over the city; just let us know if you are willing to travel a bit. And could you give us an idea of a dollar amount for "not too expensive?"

What to do? What are you interested in? History? Gardens? Markets? More museums?

Follow the "Destinations" link above and also browse
http://www.visitphilly.com/events/

October is Mural Arts month; maybe you'll have time for a walking tour or a trolley tour.

In that general area, you can walk along the Schuylkill at the Waterworks and along the drive; go down to City Hall and go to the tower; definitely the Rodin, as mentioned above; visit the Franklin (science museum), Library, or Academy of Natural Sciences. And all that's just easy walking distance, but the public transportation is easy and there are tons more things to do, so do let us know what you like most--culture, history, art, parks, markets...

You can also do a search for Philadelphia or Philly on this forum. We'd be glad to help you out as we have with many others in the past.

Check out the Magic Garden if you enjoy modern art, and browse South Street--and of course, you're aware of the historical sights, such as the Liberty Bell and Independence Hall.

I've had some excellent inexpensive food in Chinatown. The Reading Terminal Market is heaven for a foodie -- and great browsing, too.

Great Italian at Ralph's. One of the oldest family-run restaurants in the U.S. The list of famous customers is incredible. And it's not expensive.

Enjoy!

thanks to all

i guess im interested in history and museums

> i guess im interested in history and museums

History:
1) Independence Hall is an absolute CAN'T MISS. There is no building in America -- and few now standing in the world -- that people can walk into (and for free!) that has had more significant history take place within its walls.
2) Ben Franklin Court
3) Christ Church
4) Carpenters Hall (if REALLY into American history)

Museums (other than the two you named):
1) Academy of Fine Arts
2) Constitution Center
3) Univ of Pennsylvania Anthropology Museum
4) Liberty Museum
5) Masonic Temple

You can do an open air bus tour if the weather is nice to get a good idea of what's around. There are trolleys and buses that you can get on/off at different stops. Great way to see a lot in a little time. Also - off the beaten path is Eastern State Penitentiaty - sounds weird but truly an interesting place to visit with an excellent self guided audio tour. Al Capone did time there so there's your history

http://www.easternstate.org/

I suggest getting a city pass if you want to see several sites. I did it this Summer and it was a good value.

http://www.citypass.com/philadelphia

Franklin Court is closed at the moment (they're doing extensive renovations) but otherwise I second PaulRabe's lists. The University of PA Museum is one of my favorites in the city, but is outside of the Center City district. There's a walk here that takes in a fair amount of history: http://www.fodors.com/community/unit...iladelphia.cfm

The new National Museum of American Jewish History is quite interesting, and the African American Museum has a decent collection. There are so many museums that are worthwhile, really; hopefully you can get Barnes tickets for the weekend that you need, but if not, there is still plenty to do.

Just for a bit of a taste of Philadelphia, my blog is here: (It's not commercial; that is, I don't make any money on it!)
missalg.tumblr.com

I would add the Mutter Museum if you are interested in science. It is very cool.

http://www.collegeofphysicians.org/mutter-museum/

You have a ton of great ideas here. I want to add a big recommendation for a mural tour, we have literally thousands of them throughout the city, it's something you can't see elsewhere.

This is a very big city and there are endless numbers of restaurants, you'll probably get lots of recs if you care to tell us a price range and any type of food preferences.