A friend recently asked where we stay when we go to Philadelphia, so I wanted to share some of our recent experiences with the city. While I’ve visited Philly a ton because my extended family lives in the area, I wanted to focus on the last few visits I have done solo with the kids.
Why Philadelphia?
Philadelphia has so much amazing culture and food! Before kids, my husband and I enjoyed spending a weekend in the city eating at Stephen Starr restaurants, and visiting some of the museums. Now, I try to take the kids once a year to see family, and add in something fun for them too. The Liberty Bell, Mint and Independence Hall are must-see’s for older kids, but I am waiting for mine to get a bit older before we invest time in those activities.
Also, while my kids loved the food hall in Budapest, I have still not braved taking them to the Reading Terminal Market in Philadelphia, knowing their preference will be for the incredible desserts the market has rather than cheese steaks or other Philadelphia specific foods.
Planning for Philadelphia:
Booking our Amtrak tickets at least six weeks in advance of our visit tends to get us the best rates. While it may be faster to drive to Philadelphia from DC, I appreciate being able to sit with the kids and have fun on the train over having the experience of fighting crazy traffic on 95. Everyone can relax with some snacks, a beverage and a screen for our Philly trip.
Book your hotel reservation at The Logan Hotel using Amex to get perks from the Centurion card. For example, our most recent stay was free because we had not yet used the semi-annual hotel credit offered through the card. I really love the Logan hotel because of its location, and the hotel set-up.
There is a nice green space in the center of the hotel that is perfect for sitting outside on a nice day with a cocktail, and for the kids there is an indoor pool in the basement they can use to burn off energy on a longer visit. There is also a gym and a spa that offers really relaxing massages. I have not spent time at the rooftop bar, but hear it has incredible views of the city too.
Booking tickets to the Franklin Institute in advance saves time, and makes for an easy start at the museum. This museum is a huge hit with my kids, and they can spend the better portion of a day at the museum exploring the giant heart, watching gravity in motion or playing in space exhibits. There is a playground outside of the museum that the kids like to visit before going into the museum too, and has made for the perfect meeting spot before going into the museum.
Also, the Logan is only a few blocks from the Franklin Institute so it makes for a really walkable visit with a stay at the Longan Hotel for smaller kids who are still building strength to spend a full day exploring a different city without a nap.
Another favorite activity with the kids that is worth making reservations for in advance is a meal on the Moshulu. It’s a giant ship that has been converted into a restaurant on the river. While it is not easily walkable from the Logan Hotel, we have eaten there a few times when we drove to Philadelphia as a family. The food is decent on the ship, but more importantly, we have even seen groups of people dressed up as pirates dining in the restaurant which made for an even more exciting meal experience for the kids.
Two other activities my kids love in Philadelphia that we did not make time for the last two visits are the Please Touch Museum, and Sesame Place. I would book tickets for both activities in advance. The Please Touch Museum is dedicated to kids, and is very enjoyable for younger children. There are so many hands-on activities including a grocery store and water play.
If you want to venture a bit outside of the city, then a day at Sesame Place is also lots of fun. It’s a Sesame Street themed amusement park with rides geared towards younger children. We actually went for NYE several years ago so we did not get to enjoy all of the rides or the water features in the park. It’s one of those places on my list I keep thinking we need to do one more time before my kids get too old to still enjoy Sesame Street.
Experience:
Taking the kids to Philadelphia via Amtrak is actually an easy and enjoyable trip for everyone involved. This time my kids befriended some slightly older kids on the train, which made for a more entertaining train ride than previous trips where they just watched their tablets for the duration of the ride. The kids also learned about a new toy called Shashibo which may now be the next gift my kids give for some upcoming birthday parties because it was so engaging and easy to pack.
I made my kids walk to the Logan hotel after the train ride to Philadelphia to expend some energy before meeting up with a friend of mine for dinner. On a nice day it is a doable walk for kids who are four and older. For our trip back to the train station at the end of our visit, the kids did use their Ride Safe vests to take a Lyft because it was pretty hot outside, and I did not think the kids would easily make the journey back.
Once we arrived at the Logan, the kids were able to pick “treasures” at the front desk during check-in which made for a fun arrival at the hotel. After dropping our bags in the room, the kids were excited to bring their new treasures to the Rodin Garden Bar where we were able to enjoy the museum’s beautiful gardens with some snacks and beverages in hand. The food options in the rose garden were not substantive enough for dinner so we then walked over to Pizzeria Vetri for a very kid-friendly dinner.
The next morning started with donuts at Federal Donuts which is across the street from the Logan Hotel. A former coworker from Philadelphia swears they are the best donuts in the city, and I happily take his word on that.
A quick tip for traveling with kids is that I packed chocolate milk boxes for the kids (and a protein coffee for me) to drink when they woke up to put some sustenance in their bodies ASAP before letting a bunch of sugar hit their stomachs. Previous visits also included an immediate stop at the Sister Cities Park. There are some water features in that park which are awesome on a hot day, and help get icing off of sticky hands.
We got to the Franklin Institute shortly after arrival and stayed for most of the day. The kids really loved playing in the giant heart in the center of the museum, and playing in Sir Isaac’s Loft. My kids can spend hours watching the marble runs, optical illusions and playing with the other objects in that room. They also loved the space room, but I missed our chance at the Planetarium due to poor timing on my part. Next time I need to make sure to set an alarm to make that show since they only run a few times each day.
We also ate lunch at the museum. While the food is not as good as some of the restaurant food we have had like at the Modern in New York, or Hampton Court Palace in England, there are enough options for picky kids and adults alike. It was super hot when we left the museum so the kids also grabbed some ice cream before our trip home.
Side note- In 2025 I also made my kids hike to Sweet Box for desserts. They have some incredible treats such as edible cookie dough, a brownie with fun icing, and massive cookies. I did not bring car seats on that trip, but I did bring a stroller for my younger child. To incentivize the walk for my older child they were able to pick extra treats at the bakery which made them happy. There were asks to return to Sweet Box this past trip, but we ran out of time. Next year, I will try to work the bakery in as a stop on our walk back from Independence Hall.
Lessons Learned:
Kids get priority boarding with Amtrak until they are twelve. This is helpful as the train can get very crowded in both directions. On the return trip I was lucky to get on early and find two adjacent empty seats with one behind them. This allowed me to stay close to the kids which was not a guarantee without assigned seats. If I were traveling solo with younger kids, then I would have paid up for reserved seats.
Travel Gear:
I have a giant Osprey backpack that I use as our suitcase to free up my hands to help the kids onto and off of the train. The steps on and off of the train can be difficult for young kids, and it gets very crowded during peak travel times, so make sure you have your hands free to help the kids as needed. I was also to detach the smaller backpack, and use it as a purse for our time at the Franklin Institute.
Check out my travel gear page for a full list of my recommendations. Please know I can make a commission from products that help offset the cost of maintaining this blog.
Final Thoughts:
While I don’t want to live in Philadelphia because it is colder than DC, my family and I do love to visit. The kids are already asking to spend two nights in Philadelphia next year because they want to see Independence Hall and the Mint. The smaller size of the city makes it easy to walk, and more accessible than NYC for younger kids.
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