LOCAL ATTRACTIONS

Set below a former railroad terminal, Center City's 133-year-old Reading Terminal Market serves as both a dazzling tourist destination and a trusted source for fresh produce, seafood, meats and cheese for locals. The public space also provides open seating where customers can enjoy a world of cuisines from dozens of restaurants, including Pennsylvania Dutch vendors and sandwich slingers like the acclaimed DiNic's, serving up hot roast pork sandwiches that rival the city's much-lauded cheesesteaks. Retail merchants sell housewares, jewelry, linens and more.

The City of Brotherly Love is filled with love, literally. One of the best-known landmarks is LOVE itself, the Robert Indiana sculpture in John F. Kennedy Plaza (or LOVE Park, as it's affectionately called by most). It's a prized photo op for couples, families and friends eager to show the world how they feel about one another. The sculpture was restored and repainted in 2018, and the park was entirely redesigned to add more green areas and a high-tech water feature. A small visitor center kiosk was added in 2021. Another LOVE statue sits just west of Center City on the University of Pennsylvania campus near 36th and Locust streets. And because love comes in all languages in Philadelphia, there's an AMOR sculpture, a Spanish edition of the LOVE sculpture, on display at Sister Cities Park, a six-minute walk from LOVE Park.

Since opening to the public in 1992, Adventure Aquarium has made it their mission to provide the best possible care to their resident animals. Today, they are home to a vast collection of aquatic animals and offer once-in-a-lifetime opportunities to explore life underwater through up-close animal encounters, interactive touch exhibits, and the chance to see and learn about some of the ocean's rarest and most fascinating species, all while just minutes from Center City Philadelphia. Reservations are highly recommended.

Peddler's Village is a storybook village with charming colonial-style buildings, award-winning gardens, and distinctive shopping, dining, and lodging. For more than 60 years, visitors have followed the winding brick pathways to experience exceptional dining, explore the best of Bucks County shopping, enjoy family fun at Giggleberry Fair, escape from the everyday to a getaway at the Golden Plough Inn, and celebrate favorite traditions at annual festivals and seasonal events.

No matter the time of day, there's always a line stretched around this corner off Palumbo Park. This Bib-Gourmand, cash-only hotspot has no seating anywhere, forcing diners to scatter about the neighborhood to eat on benches and sidewalks. The trouble is well worth it. Serious, hefty cheesesteaks bound with Cooper Sharp cheese or "long hot whiz" are built on long, warm, sesame-seed hoagies. Hot cherry peppers are a necessary topping. A single sandwich could feed two with ease (we know from experience). Those who also want pizza will need friends to take on this imposing feast.

If you're staying away from carbs, then you best steer clear of this restaurant too. But for everyone else, this tiny but mighty kitchen in South Philly is impossible to resist. Once a butcher shop that spanned three generations, the restaurant under Marc Vetri delivers a tight menu of handmade pastas. Think pitch-perfect cacio e pepe with tonnarelli or cloud-like orbs of ricotta gnocchi bathed in brown butter. Do you have room for mezzelune stuffed with sweetbreads and veal? Of course you do. End with a simple and satisfying scoop of ice cream. We celebrated our anniversary here last year and a few weeks later they were named a Bib-Gourmand restaurant! Reservation is required and food is served family style.

One of the first things you might see when you enter Middle Child Clubhouse in Philadelphia is a neon sign with the words "Never Grow Up" from the film "Hook" hanging above the bar. TV commercials and Nickelodeon throwbacks play on a loop in the background. Welcome to Middle Child Clubhouse, an all-day restaurant in Fishtown that evokes nostalgia at every corner. Owner Matt Cahn is the mastermind behind this joyful place that's become an award-winning dining destination in the three years since it opened. And a big reason why is because Middle Child (aka MidKid) serves culturally relevant dishes that expand beyond our traditional notions of American diner standards. Reservations recommended. The vibes are 10 out of 10. We had an incredible meal here for Josh's birthday last year.

Located in the elegant Rittenhouse Square district, Wilder has quickly established itself as one of Philadelphia's most exciting and stylish dining spots. A stone's throw from Rittenhouse Square, Wilder strikes the perfect balance between casual and sophisticated. The tasteful dining room sets the tone: exposed brick walls and gorgeous petrol-blue banquettes are paired with lush greenery that creates a harmonious setting. The food matches this careful balancing act, with dishes that manage to be both hearty and refined. Another gorgeous location for one of Josh's birthday dinners and their pull apart rolls with the honey butter is highly recommended.