Beginning at the Art Museum, running along the banks of the Schuykill River..
Athletic Fields, 215/685-0052.
E-Mail.
Permits are required if you're in the Park after the 1:00 a.m. curfew. Free. Public space.
Fairmount Park is the largest urban park in the United States,
though, unlike Central Park, it's actually on the west edge of town,
separating Center City from the suburbs. In fact, all Philadelphia city parks -- Roosevelt, Pennypack, etc. -- are part of the system, for a combined size of 9,200 acres. Great for hikes, dog walks, off-road biking, and more. On the west side of the Schuykill River runs Martin Luther King Drive along the edge of the
park, as does the Philadelphia Zoo and the Mann Music Center.
There are tours of Colonial mansions within park grounds. That huge green
dome visible from the expressway is Memorial Hall, the centerpiece of
the 1876 Centennial Exhibition and the only building left from that event.
(For more on the Centennial, visit the Atwater
Kent Museum or the Smithsonian in Washington, DC). Memorial Hall is the future home of the Please Touch Museum, which is moving from the Parkway. To the east of the river is Kelly Drive, the Dell East concert shell, and Belmont Plateau, with another excellent view of the city.
