Philadelphia with 24 HS seniors
 

A friend of mine is taking 24 high school seniors to Philadelphia at the end of September and early October for some college visits. They are sort of at a loss with what to do with the students during the rest of the trip. They will have vehicles available for use. We have noticed on previous trips that students are missing out on the history education at school, and so are kind of bored with the historic sites.
They are planning on hitting Independence Hall, but need some 18 year old friendly sights. They will be there Thursday thru Monday.
Thank you all for your help!

Bless your friend's dear little heart. She's a better woman than I. Wishing them all well & a safe journey. I'm sure someone will chime in here with some good info in a bit.

Where/what are the kids coming from? That might make a difference. For instance, if they are from small towns, I'd be sure to take them around on Septa (public transportation) for the experience.

Here's a good place to start:
http://www.fodors.com/community/unit...-itinerary.cfm

*ahem* Perhaps it would be a good opportunity to remedy some of the missing history? :)
Most 18 year olds that I know, for example, have done well at the Constitution Center.
www.gophila.com has great info.

But, for other options, there are...

1. The Mutter Museum: nicely gross and unique http://www.collphyphil.org/mutter.asp

2. Reading Terminal Market/Gallery shopping

3. South Street, with its rather funky ambiance

4. Art Museum--it's more than just the Rocky steps, but they're important too--and then Kelly Drive, behind them

5. Eastern State Penitentiary: http://www.easternstate.org/

And, eh, there's a Dave and Buster's at Penn's Landing...

Is there a way to give the kids some say in this? Sometimes they have unexpected depths. :)

Will all 24 students be going to the same places and doing the same things together?

If not, some special interest group activities may be in order.

These are college-bound high schools seniors. Are any thinking about studies in art, architecture, history, government, archeology? Philadelphia has plenty to offer for each. Amy's suggestion of gophila.com is a great place to start as is her idea of asking the students for their input.
Just don't let them eliminate all the historical sites!

(The Phillies will be playing in town September 28, 29, 30.)

You are guys are all such a huge help!
The students are from the Front Range in Colorado, so a mix of small towns and city kids!
They had planned on Reading Market, and a Phillies game.
I know they were planning on some of the historical sites, but occasionally you get the "this is lame" attitude, and after awhile it gets old!
There was talk of taking them to Valley Forge.
Thank you!!!!

Well, not to be hatin' on Valley Forge, but if they get a "this is lame" attitude about history...don't go to Valley Forge. There's really not much to do and, well, actually really not much happened there. It's great for absolute history buffs, but, well, booooorrrrrinnngggg would be the verdict of many kids, I'm afraid.

But in Philadelphia itself there is a lot of interactive history and a lot of good walks--some of the neighborhood tours might be of interest, or the mural tour. The Italian Market is quite an experience, too! (Again, just to give them some "flavor" of the city, and then they can do a taste comparison of Pat's and Geno's cheesesteaks.)

There's also the University of Pennsylvania Museum of Archaeology and Anthropology for Egyptian mummies and the crystal gazing ball of Empress Cu-Xi and things like that! (Plus of course that's right in the University City area, so if they're checking Penn or Drexel, well, they're there.)

Oh, and if they're not averse to spending a bit, the Duck Tours are fun (you get to go into the Delaware River for part of the tour.) Lights of LIberty at night might work well for them, too.

Definitely the Eastern State Penitentiary! I have 3 teenage boys and this was very exciting to them. Have them watch "The Shawshank Redemption". This was a last-minute addition to our travel plans and I'm so happy we did it - they still talk about it.

Another vote for Estern State Penitentiary. We took our 17 & 18 year old sons to Philadelphia for July 4th weekend, we saw the historic district, a Phillies game and the Penitentiary. Although big baseball fans, they both said the penitentiary was the most interesting thing we did. We saw other fmailies with teenage daughters who seemed to find it interesting as well. Good luck!

If you have time to spend, there's always the King of Prussia Mall. It's the largest shopping mall on the East Coast. http://www.kingofprussiamall.com/
However, if they're flying, maybe bringing home bags of purchases on an airplane is not a good idea.

Valley Forge Park is beautiful. You could even pack a picnic and have it there after you tour the park. There are hiking/wlaking trails too.
It is right down the road from the King of Prussia Mall which teenagers would love!

I second the vote for Phila. Museum of Art, lots of great stuff to see there. Maybe also check out the Adventure Aquarium in nearby Camden, NJ. Walking thru Chinatown was fun for me, and it's right up the street from The Gallery mall, which is at 3rd and Market St. in Center City, Philadelphia. Greg

You can't avoid history in Philly, so to give them something they'll enjoy more, try www.ghosttour.com/philadelphia.html. There are also links on that page for a ghost hunt (you can book special group trips) or spend a little more on the Haunted Trolley Tour.

On Sundays, the Art Museum is free. I've run the steps and the statue is near the bottom for photo ops. They have a pretty awesome Medieval and Asian collections with reassembled architecture rather than just looking at a canvas on the wall. Nearby is the Franklin Institute. They get some pretty awesome traveling shows and IMAX movies. Not too far from the museums is Eastern State Penitentiary. Another fun history lesson.

The Mutter Museum is medical oddities, something I would have loved in high school.

There's also Fairmount Park (FairmountPark.org), the largest inner city park system. One point of interest is Laurel Hill Cemetery. They consider themselves a sculpture garden because the headstones and tombs are so incredibly ornate and huge. You can take guided tours there.

South Street is fun to find campy stores, but beware, there are a lot of sex shops too. Manayunk is another strip of fun shops, a bit out from Center City. If they want to walk the King of Prussia Mall, it is very close to Villanova, Eastern, Cabrini, Bryn Mawr, Rosemont and Haverford colleges.

Also, I agree with Schmerl that Valley Forge has nice walking trails, and often times deer can be seen grazing in the park.

At the Philadelphia Museum of Art, only the first Sunday of the month has Pay What You Wish admission all day. (ThisJerseyGirl, I believe this is a recent change in policy.)

Also, the Gallery Mall (not much of a destination IMHO) is on the north side of Market Street from 9th to 11th Streets. As Greg says, Chinatown is just to the north.

You all are a huge help! They have added the Mutter Museum for sure. Malls are good with the students, it can be a little difficult sometimes, as they are all from lower income homes! Thank you all so much! I am loving all the suggestions so far!

lauren I am assuming they will be spending some time in University City if they are on a college trip. If not then I would plan on it and have them walk around Drexel and Locust Walk at UPenn. While up there they might want to do some ice skating: www.upenn.edu/icerink/

Most of my other recommendations are echoing others but definitely the Constitution Center and the Mutter. I also second a trip to Reading Terminal Market. Perhaps their teacher could briefly talk to them about the Amish and their lifestyle since they would see Amish at the Market.

Another suggestion is the US Mint. It was closed for awhile and I think still closes when there are security alerts but it looks like it has reopened. It is a very quick self-tour and it's near the Liberty Bell.
http://www.usmint.gov/mint_tours/ind...n=philadelphia

Correction about the Art Museum: Sundays ARE NOT free. Only the 1st Sunday of the month is free. And you won't be there then.

-- Eastern States Pen: Yes.
-- South St.: Go at night.
-- VF: Hey, it's Valley Forge; it's history. It's free -- and might be a decent place to hold an out-of-the-city picnic for a change of scenery. Also could be a stop after the K of P mall.

Erm, if these are lower income kids, may I respectfully suggest...NOT the King of Prussia mall?
(It's definitely got mostly high-end stores; it's the favorite of our resident fashion maven Thingorjus, after all. {And it looks like they even closed that tacky Thomas Kinkade gallery.}) Not saying that the kids wouldn't appreciate what's on offer, but just that it's probably not the most practical place for them. Franklin Mills Mall (in the Northeast) is big and varied, with lots of teen-friendly stores. It's not a place I go to if I can avoid it, but then, I don't do malls at all if I can avoid them, and I do know it's quite popular with the teen contingent I'm familiar with.

Chestnut Hill/Wissahickon has some great hiking/picnic areas if they want a nature day, and there's also the Schuylkill Center and the Tinicum Wildlife Center for more involved eco-days. Another favorite picnic spot is near Shofuso/Pine Breeze Villa (Japanese Tea House) a place which I've found that teenagers tend to surprise themselves by enjoying.

Happy planning, and I hope the kids have a wonderful trip!

Do you know where they will be staying and what schools they are visiting?

Are you relying on public transportation in the city?

Valley Forge is not in Philadelphia - it is a very nice park, but requires transportation from the city to get there. But it is a park, monuments,historical markers, little "huts" where the soldiers stayed...with a limited amount of time for a first visit to Philadelphia it isn't going to hold the attention of 24 teenagers.

Definitely the Philadelphia Mint - and tours are free & everyone loves seeing all the money
http://www.usmint.gov/mint_tours/ind...n=philadelphia

Definitely Eastern State Penitentiary Penitentaryhttp://www.easternstate.org/visit/

Franklin Institute - a very cool interactive science museum
http://www2.fi.edu/