weekend vacation outside philly?
July 21, 2011 4:46 PM Subscribe
Hubby and I have from this Saturday morning to Sunday night for a vacation! We live about 20 min outside Philadelphia. Organized breakdown of info inside.
- we plan on driving
- we enjoy actually doing things. not necessarily exercising, but we enjoy history museums and antique shops with cool things in them, mini golf, swimming and the woods (no camping, we don't have enough time to get the gear we'd like)
-no jersey shore - we love the OC boardwalk (that was the original plan) but it's just going to be too hot and too crowded.
-we're not generally a fan of large crowds
-can't be outside for too long, he hates heat and i'm sensitive to it. we do enjoy being outside, however.
suggestions please!
- we plan on driving
- we enjoy actually doing things. not necessarily exercising, but we enjoy history museums and antique shops with cool things in them, mini golf, swimming and the woods (no camping, we don't have enough time to get the gear we'd like)
-no jersey shore - we love the OC boardwalk (that was the original plan) but it's just going to be too hot and too crowded.
-we're not generally a fan of large crowds
-can't be outside for too long, he hates heat and i'm sensitive to it. we do enjoy being outside, however.
suggestions please!
Bawlmore for a night, hon! American Visionary Art Museum, Walters Art Gallery (specializes in Biblical illuminations and religious art) , Baltimore Museum of Art (known for its Cone modern art collection), Fort McHenry (lovely park on the water, inspiring history tour), The Star Spangled Banner Flag House (in that same historic vein), lunch in Fells Point (or Federal Hill), drinks in Fells Point, etc.
Most of this is relatively accessible by water taxi, with the notable exception of the Walters and the Baltimore Museum of Art, which can both be reached by car from the Inner Harbor area in 20 minutes or less (on a weekend).
Admittedly, Philly and Bmore have their similarities, but if you are open to a "different flavor of that same brand of crazy", this could be for you.
posted by lynnshaze at 5:54 PM on July 21, 2011
Most of this is relatively accessible by water taxi, with the notable exception of the Walters and the Baltimore Museum of Art, which can both be reached by car from the Inner Harbor area in 20 minutes or less (on a weekend).
Admittedly, Philly and Bmore have their similarities, but if you are open to a "different flavor of that same brand of crazy", this could be for you.
posted by lynnshaze at 5:54 PM on July 21, 2011
Oh, and did I mention that all of the things that I suggested, with the possible exception of the flag house and definite exception of the water taxi, come with a/c? You can limit your Fort McHenry visit to their lovely Visitor's Center with it's half hour historical movie and small informational area.
posted by lynnshaze at 5:58 PM on July 21, 2011
posted by lynnshaze at 5:58 PM on July 21, 2011
Head out to Bethlehem. The Sands casino opened recently there; we had amazing burgers there at one of the Emeril restaurants. Also, walking along the main street is nice, I recommend Bethlehem Brewworks for a meal, beer or a game of pool and there are lots of shops to check out.
posted by NoraCharles at 6:02 PM on July 21, 2011
posted by NoraCharles at 6:02 PM on July 21, 2011
On a blazing hot weekend, NYC is as empty as it ever gets -- a good time to visit museums and get dinner reservations on short notice.
posted by apparently at 6:25 PM on July 21, 2011
posted by apparently at 6:25 PM on July 21, 2011
I am going to suggest poking around in Berks County and more specifically, New Hope. Berks is so pretty and charming, with lots of little towns and New Hope is the quintessential Berks County town. It's all sorts of rustic and cute, sits along the Delaware River, and is full of weirdos that have weird shops. All in all, it is a pretty neat little place.
Personally, my favorite shops are Tear Drop Memories and Le Chateau Exotique (NSFW!!), but I am into funerary antiques and kink.
Though, just as a heads up, it is a little expensive. It is also a popular destination for bikers on the weekends and can be a tad crowded but I wouldn't say there are large crowds. Personally, I think it's worth it.
Though it is not as a populated as New Hope, Doylestown has a bunch of neat places, including some great restaurants, a really awesome movie theater, two good book stores and a top-notch record store.
posted by godshomemovies at 7:47 PM on July 21, 2011
Personally, my favorite shops are Tear Drop Memories and Le Chateau Exotique (NSFW!!), but I am into funerary antiques and kink.
Though, just as a heads up, it is a little expensive. It is also a popular destination for bikers on the weekends and can be a tad crowded but I wouldn't say there are large crowds. Personally, I think it's worth it.
Though it is not as a populated as New Hope, Doylestown has a bunch of neat places, including some great restaurants, a really awesome movie theater, two good book stores and a top-notch record store.
posted by godshomemovies at 7:47 PM on July 21, 2011
Try Wissahickon Creek for a great swimming hole, particularly given recent weather.
posted by danceswithlight at 10:33 PM on July 21, 2011
posted by danceswithlight at 10:33 PM on July 21, 2011
*ahem* New Hope is in Bucks County, not Berks, and is right along the Delaware River.
posted by MonkeyToes at 5:15 AM on July 22, 2011
posted by MonkeyToes at 5:15 AM on July 22, 2011
Delaware Art Museum
Delaware Museum of Natural History
Buckley's Tavern
The Delaware Shakespeare Festival
Brandywine River Museum
Longwood Gardens
The Brown Derby
See also this recent question about things to do in the Hershey/Lancaster area. You could do a lot worse than to get a hotel/motel room along Route 30 and spend some time exploring.
posted by MonkeyToes at 5:32 AM on July 22, 2011
Delaware Museum of Natural History
Buckley's Tavern
The Delaware Shakespeare Festival
Brandywine River Museum
Longwood Gardens
The Brown Derby
See also this recent question about things to do in the Hershey/Lancaster area. You could do a lot worse than to get a hotel/motel room along Route 30 and spend some time exploring.
posted by MonkeyToes at 5:32 AM on July 22, 2011
Winterthur? Has outside gardens, but great tours inside the gorgeous DuPont house... Not far from the Brandywine Museum, too. (And Longwood Gardens, but that's more of an outside thing despite the great conservatory there.)
(I live a few miles from Doylestown, and it is a nice place. Some great sushi can be at at Madame Butterfly...)
posted by Guy_Inamonkeysuit at 6:10 AM on July 22, 2011
(I live a few miles from Doylestown, and it is a nice place. Some great sushi can be at at Madame Butterfly...)
posted by Guy_Inamonkeysuit at 6:10 AM on July 22, 2011
Erm, my bad! I misread the map I was looking at.
posted by godshomemovies at 11:11 AM on July 22, 2011
posted by godshomemovies at 11:11 AM on July 22, 2011
This thread is closed to new comments.
posted by paulsc at 5:01 PM on July 21, 2011