Aside from the headline attractions, does anyone have off-the-beaten-path suggestions for a couple of Oklahoma girls making their first trip to Philly? I've booked us into two historic B & B's. Now, what to eat and see? Thanks!

What are you looking to do and what age group are you in?

Eat @:

- Buddakhan (hip, Asian-fusion)

- Cuba Libre (fairly authentic Cuban on 2nd Street in Old City, cool decor)

- El Vez (same owner as Buddakhan, hip mexican)

- Los Cantrines & Tequilas (on Locust Street, authentic TASTY mexican)

- El Fuego - for a TASTY AND CHEAP LUNCH, get a burrito and a Corona at El Fuego (on the 700 block of Walnut Street, just off Jeweler's Row) - its cheap, super-tasty california burritos, quesadillas, etc, but VERY HOMEMADE and with a very loyal and jam-packed lunch crowd during the week (I work a block away and NEED at least one-two burritos from here a week!). Trust me on this one!

- Also cheap, but the best pizza I've had in the city so far is @ Soho Pizza, on Market Street in Old City between 2nd and 2rd Street.

You'll generally find the highest concentrations of restaurants & bars in the Old City and Rittenhouse Square areas.

I'm sure you know about all the historical attractions, but for good drinks, great people watching, and unique shops don't miss South Street (a few blocks south of Old City) and Manayunk (maybe 10 minutes out of the city-proper, but very easy to get to with a cab or rental car).

Ooooh, don't forget the Mutter Museum!!! Not sure of the website but definately Google-able. Fun, creepy, off-the-beaten-tourist-path museum of medical oddities - not for the squeamish!

When friends or relative stay with us while visiting Philly, we show them this list. I've left off the "must-sees" because you mentioned interest in places other than the headliners.

PRETTY GOOD
Mummer Museum
Longwood Gardens
Amish Country
Old Christ Church
Elfreth's Alley
Zoo

PRETTY GOOD
Ben Franklin Court
City Hall (view from top)
Italian Market (Saturdays)
National Academy of Art
Liberty Museum
Univ Penn Archeology Museum

FREE
Carpenters Hall
Rittenhouse Square
Polish Cultural Center
Kimmel Center
American Philosophical Society
Betsy Ross House
Magic Gardens, South Street
Fairmount Park

IF YOU'RE INTERESTED
Atwater-Kent Museum (Philly history)
Lights of Liberty Show
Chadd's Ford Museum (Wyeth Studio)
Pearl Buck Home
Michener Gallery
Katherine Drexel Shrine
John Neumann Shrine
Shrine of Our Lady of Czestochowa
Brandywine Battlefield State Park
Valley Forge National Historic Site
Washington Crossing State Park
National Academy of Science (dinosaurs)
Franklin Institute (IMAX)
Military Museum
Edgar Allen Poe House NHS
Heinz National Wildlife Refuge
Hike / Bike Trails
Norman Rockwell Museum
Pennsylvania Hospital
University of Pennsylvania
Seaport / Maritime Museum
Afro-American Museum
Delaware Art Museum (Pre-Raphaelites)
Arch Stree Meeting House (Society of Friends)
Mutter Museum
Eastern State Penitentiary
Battleship New Jersey
New Jersey Aquarium
Innumerable houses from 1700s and 1800s
Masonic Temple
Fort Miflin
Atlantic City

SHOPPING
King of Prussia Mall (largest on East Coast)
Lord & Taylor
Jewelers' Row
Manayunk
Galleria

ALSO HERE
Chinatown
National Archives Center
Civil War Museum
Innumerable churches from the 1800s
Federal Reserve Exhibit
City Tavern
Transit Museum
Washington Square
Woodmere Art Museum
Bartram Garden
Old Swedes Church
Morris Arboretum
Museum of American Jewish History
Rosenbach Museum
Chanticleer Gardens

CareyH -

First - congratulations for picking Philly for your trip - I think you will really enjoy yourself. It is a great walking city, with a lot of history and interest to offer.

May I suggest visiting the Masonic Temple, just adjacent to City Hall, on 1 North Broad Street - the architectural design and rooms are UNBELIEVABLE and truly unique and beautiful.

Also, a visit to Philly would not be complete without a visit to Reading Terminal Market - a large farmer's market, but so much more - lots to eat, all varieties and ethnicities - a really great Philly experience.

Enjoy your visit, and tell us about it when you return.

You have quite a list to review! Besides the usual, historic stuff, consider the guided tour of City Hall. Not many people do. It's the tallest and largest masonry building in the world, and the architecture in some of the rooms inside is amazing. The tour takes about 1.5 hours and terminates with a trip up to the top, just below the William Penn statue, where there's a great view of the city and surrounding area.

BarryK - I agree! A great, underappreciated asset in this city! Don't miss it.